On TotalWing, we continue our world tour of SUNOVA foil board reviews. Today we’re talking about the Aviator Downwind Elite, a 19″ wide proto version with Rick Pettifer. Rick, a seasoned foiler, had the opportunity to try it out via his sponsor Poseidon Sports, whose we interviewed Tom a few weeks ago about the new SUNOVA Carver. But back to the Aviator Downwind Elite. For James Casey, asked last summer, this board is “perfect board covering all my favorite disciplines”. Also last summer, Jean-Baptiste from Guadeloupe spoke to us about this board, wich he used almost exclusively for SUP foiling, and said it was the ideal board for beginners, albeit a little wide. But what about wingfoiling and waveriding? Answers from Rick Pettifer, who sent speed runs and big carves with this Aviator Downwind Elite.
Photo : @snowfoto_au
My name is Rick Pettifer, 45 years old from Torquay Victoria, Australia. Was a one eyed shortboarder but now : SUPsurf, foiler, prone, SUP, wing and will never ride a shortboard again đđđ„ And now sponsored by @codefoils and @poseidon_sports_.
I started wing foiling about 3 years ago been foiling for about 4 years and when I saw wing foiling I wanted in đŻ. It just looked so easy to hook it, straight back out and get another wave.
Photo : @snowfoto_au
I ended up only wing foiling on it ! I wanted to try and SUP it, but never got the chance (wind was always up đđ).
The board was amazing, so easy to get up on foil was a massive improvement compared to my little 4â10x 25â wide x70L ! The ease of which I was able to get up on foil was crazy đ€Ż Due to the size of the board it kinda evened out the handling it kinda smoothed out all my turns and also the way the weight is distributed felt great at speed etc. The boxs felt like they were in a great position, the board didnât feel long at all. After trying it, Iâm definitely looking for longer boards to leave some of the âswing weight behind the boxsâ it makes the board feel way shorter than it actually is.
Photo : @snowfoto_au
This was at our local spot in Torquay I was doing about 41kph in that pic that @snowfoto_au took of me. I was doing kinda “speed runs” getting a feel from the board ! That board felt so smooth, I felt comfy pushing the speed limit as it kinda felt like a built just punching through the air.
I couldnât believe how happy I was with that board, looking back at some of the pics / footage the turns are just as good as I do on my little 5â10â ! With the narrowness of the board when leaning over on the turns you can keep the board off the water there for keeping your speed throughout the turn and not bogging down.
I normally ride foot straps and I did find my self âshufflingâ up and down the board, a little bit, but it wasnât a problem by the end of the session I was barely moving my feet. Iâm already looking at a 6â10â board at the moment, as I think the length feels fine and unrestricted.
Yea over all, the board felt sick as I’d love to have it if Tom from @poseidon_sports_ would give it up to me đđ itâs the perfect “light wind” wing board and also just a fun board that you can do some serious good turns on đ€ŻđđŻ If you’re not sure how well it goes check out my instagram @mrricksurfs.
22nd December 2023
In one of our latest reviews of SUNOVA boards, @jb_zazou, owner of an Aviator Downwind Elite, told us what a great board the SUNOVA Aviator Downwind 18″ seemed to him. We wanted to know more! So we asked Hugh Mitchell to review this board for us. After Sven Mayer, who introduced us to his Aviator […]
6th December 2023
After the Aviator Downwind Elite and the new Carver, we continue our world tour of SUNOVA foil boards with the Aviator Wing… with a twist: custom modifications! To tell us all about it, we asked the lucky owner of this custom Aviator Wing: Australian rider and wingfoil enthusiast Sven Mayer. Tall rider and big SUNOVA […]
22nd November 2023
A few days ago, a new board was added to the already extensive range of SUNOVA foil boards, which were presented to us by James Casey last summer. This board is the SUNOVA Carver! As its name suggests, this is the board that will let you go carving in waves of all conditions… but not […]
19th November 2023
Cet Ă©tĂ©, James Casey nous faisait faire un tour complet de la gamme de planches de foil de chez SUNOVA. Celle qui ressortait, et dont James nous avait dit que ce serait sa board unique s’il devait choisir, Ă©tait la Aviator Downwind Elite, qu’il utilise en wingfoil, en SUP foil, dans toutes conditions et mĂȘme […]
5th July 2023
Do you know SUNOVA? This Thailand based brand designs and manufactures SUPs, foilboards and surfboards, with especially a special TR3 TEC technology, very recognizable with its visible (and beautiful) balsa wood. In Europe, the brand is a little less well known for its foil boards, whereas their stand-up paddles shine in all continental and international […]
22nd April 2023
With the birth of a new sport, often comes the need to structure the practice: supervision by qualified coaches, competitions, accredited schools, training… But how is all this organized? To find out, we turned our gaze to a country that seems to have made a successful transition to a well-managed wingfoil and where our sport […]
