Gin Bolero 7 User manual

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v1.0 February 2022

Bolero 7 user manual
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Gin Gliders reserves the right to alter or add to the contents of this manual at any time. You
should therefore regularly visit our website:
where you will find additional information relating to your paraglider and any changes to the
manual. The date and version number of this manual are given on the front page.
© Gin Gliders Inc
The reproduction of this manual, including the partial reprint (with the exception of short quotations in technical articles), regardless of how or by
what means, electronic or mechanical, this is done, is only permitted with the express written permission of Gin Gliders Inc.
The data and information contained in these documents are subject to non-binding changes and may be changed without prior notice. The
provision of this manual does not claim to be the descriptions of the goods, names of use and trade, and other intellectual property.
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Thank you ...
… for choosing Gin Gliders. This user manual contains important information for the use and
maintenance of your paraglider. Detailed knowledge of your glider and equipment will help you to fly
safely and make the most of your flights.
The manual complies with the EN airworthiness and forms part of the certification. There are no
special flying procedures and / or configurations apart from those detailed in this manual.
Your GIN paraglider has been designed to meet all safety and regulatory requirements. These
requirements also include the need to familiarise yourself with this user manual and the information
and instructions regarding safety, equipment and service prior to the initial commissioning. These
operating instructions must be fully read and understood before the first flight.
If you have any further questions about these operating instructions, please contact your GIN dealer
in the first instance, or Gin Gliders directly.
We wish you exciting flights and always a safe landing.
Your GIN team
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Contents
Gin Gliders website 7
Gin Gliders and the environment 7
Respect for nature and the environment 7
Environmentally-friendly recycling 8
Safety advice 9
Safety notices 9
Liability, warranty exclusion and operating limitations 9
Liability and warranty exclusion 9
Operating limitations 10
Before the first flight 10
Harnesses 10
Reserve 11
Weight range 11
First flight 11
Preparation for launch 12
General warnings and advice 12
Material check 12
Pre-flight check 12
5-point check 13
Launching 13
Forward inflation 13
Reverse inflation 13
Tips for paragliding take-off 14
Towing 14
Attaching the towline release system 15
Knots or loops in the lines 15
In-flight characteristics 15
Normal flight 15
Accelerated flight 16
Turning 16
Active flying 16
Rapid descent techniques 17
Spiral dives 17
B-Stall 18
Big ears 18
Landing 19
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Bolero 7 user manual
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Dangerous situations 21
SIV / Safety training 21
Material stress 21
Canopy Collapses 22
Asymmetric collapses 22
Cravat / glider wrapped around lines 22
Symmetric collapses (Front stall) 23
Types of stall 23
Deep stall (parachuting, stable stall) 23
Full stall (dynamic stall) 24
Spin 24
Other tips for dangerous situations 25
Cascade 25
Emergency steering (rear riser steering) 25
Flying in the rain 25
Advertising and adhesives 25
Overloading 25
Sand and salt air 25
Storing the paraglider 26
Packing the paraglider 26
Rucksack 27
Storing and transporting the glider 27
Care 28
Ground handling 28
Fabric 28
Lines 29
Rigid construction 29
Cleaning 29
Maintenance 29
Type designation 29
Regular inspections 30
Lines
30
Inspection periods 30
Validity of inspection 31
Repairs 31
Gin Gliders workshops 31
Small repairs to the glider 31
GIN quality and service 32
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Glider categories and guidelines 33
Glider category 33
EN/LTF certification 33
Description of flight characteristics 33
Suitability for training 33
Paramotoring 33
Tandem paragliding 33
Aerobatics 33
Description of pilot skills required 34
Target group and recommended flying experience 34
Normal flight requirements 34
Requirements for incidents and quick descents 34
Manufacturing and delivery 34
Overall illustration 35
Technical data 35
Riser and speed system 36
Riser 36
Riser diagram 36
Riser lengths 37
Speed System 37
Line system and brakes 37
Line system 37
Brake line adjustment 38
Factory setting 38
Incorrect adjustment 39
Line layout 40
Materials 41
Glider details 42
Pilot details / Proof of ownership 42
Inspections and repairs overview 43
Notes 43
Addresses 44
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Gin Gliders
In forming Gin Gliders, designer and competition pilot Gin Seok Song had one simple dream: to make
the best possible paragliding equipment that pilots all over the world would love to fly - whatever their
ambitions.
At Gin Gliders, we bring together consultant aerodynamicists, world cup pilots, engineers and
paragliding school instructors, all with one goal: creating better paragliders.
We’re a “hands-on” company that puts continuous innovation and development at the centre of
everything we do.
At our purpose-built R&D workshop at the head oce in Korea, we are able to design, manufacture,
test-fly and modify prototypes all in a matter of hours. Our international R&D team is on hand both in
Korea and at locations worldwide. This guarantees that your equipment has been thoroughly tested to
cope with the toughest flying conditions.
Our own production facilities in East Asia ensure the quality of the finished product and also the
well-being of our production staff. Our facilities are independently certified to AS9100C (Aerospace
standard) and also to ISO 9001:2008.
We believe that the product should speak for itself. Only by flying can the pilot understand the wing
and develop trust and confidence in it. From this feeling comes safety, comfort, performance and fun.
The grin when you land should say it all!
Gin Gliders website
Gin Gliders has a comprehensive website, which provides additional information about the Bolero 7,
any updates to the manual and many other issues related to paragliding.
On the Gin Gliders website, you will find an extensive range of accessories for your paraglider and
other useful products.
You will also find links there to other services and websites:
 Gin Gliders Shops
 Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube
These websites and their content are provided for your use. The content of Gin Gliders websites has
been made available for your use on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Gin Gliders reserves the right
to alter the websites at any time or to block access to them.
Gin Gliders and the environment
Protection of the environment, safety and quality are the three basic values of Gin Gliders and these
have implications on everything we do. We also believe that our customers share our environmental
awareness.
You can easily play a part in protection of the environment by practising our sport in such a way that
there is no damage to nature and the areas in which we fly. Keep to marked trails, take your rubbish
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away with you, refrain from making unnecessary noise and respect the sensitive biological equilibrium
of nature. Consideration for nature is required even at the launch site!
Paragliding is, of course, an outdoor sport – protect and preserve our planet’s resources.
Gin Gliders gives consideration to the entire lifecycle of its paragliders, the last stage of which is
recycling in an environmentally-friendly manner. The synthetic materials used in a paraglider must be
disposed of properly. If you are not able to arrange appropriate disposal, Gin Gliders will be happy to
recycle the paraglider for you. Send the glider with a short note to this effect to the address given in
the appendix.
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Safety
Safety advice
Paragliding demands a high level of individual responsibility. Prudence and risk-awareness are basic
requirements for the safe practice of the sport, for the very reason that it is so easy to learn and
practically anyone can do so. Carelessness and overestimating one’s own abilities can quickly lead to
critical situations. A reliable assessment of conditions for flying is particularly important. Paragliders
are not designed to be flown in turbulent weather. Most serious accidents with paragliders are caused
by pilots misjudging the weather for flying.
Paragliders are subject to specific guidelines for air sports equipment in each country. They must
not under any circumstances be flown without a valid certification. It’s your responsibility to know and
observe the regulations of the region where you fly. Independent experimentation is strictly
prohibited. This manual does not replace the need to attend training at a paragliding school.
The manual must be passed on to any new owner if the paraglider is sold. It is part of the
certification and belongs with the paraglider.
Observe the other specific safety advice in the various sections of this manual.
Safety notices
Safety notices are issued when defects arise during use of a paraglider which could possibly also
affect other gliders of the same model. The notices contain instructions on how the affected gliders
can be inspected for possible faults and the steps required to rectify them.
Gin Gliders publishes on its website any technical safety notices which are issued in respect of GIN
products. The paraglider owner is responsible for carrying out the action required by the safety notice.
Liability, warranty exclusion and operating limitations
Use of the paraglider is at the pilot’s own risk!
The manufacturer cannot be held liable for any personal injury or material damage which arises in
connection with Gin Gliders paragliders.
Pilots are responsible for their own safety and must ensure that the airworthiness of the glider is
checked prior to every flight. The pilot should launch only if the paraglider is airworthy and must
observe the relevant regulations in each country.
In terms of the warranty and guarantee conditions, the paraglider may not be flown if any of the
following situations exists:
 changes of any kind (incl. paraglider design or changes to the brake lines beyond the
permissible tolerance levels)
 incorrect repairs to the glider
 the inspection period has expired, or the inspection has been carried out by the pilot
him/herself or by an unauthorised inspector
 the pilot has incorrect or inadequate equipment (reserve, protection, helmet etc)
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 the glider is used for winch-launching with a winch which has not been inspected or by
non-licensed pilots and/or winch operators
 the pilot has insucient experience or training
The paraglider must be operated only within the operating limits. These are exceeded, if one or more
of the following points are complied:
 the take-off weight is not within the permissible weight range
 the glider is flown in rain or drizzle, cloud, fog and / or snow
 the canopy is wet
 there are turbulent weather conditions or wind speeds on launch higher than 2/3 ot the
maximum flyable airspeed of the glider (varies according to the total take-off weight)
 air temperature above 50°C and extremely low temperatures, which can lead, in combination
with moisture, to icing
 aerobatics
 modifications to the canopy, lines or risers which have not been approved
Before the first flight
The Bolero 7 is certified for use with all harnesses with variable cross-bracing (GH type). Practically all
modern harnesses are GH type harnesses. Older harnesses with fixed cross-bracing (GX type) are not
certified and should not be used. Check with the manufacturer of the harness or your paragliding
instructor if in doubt whether your harness is a GH or GX type harness.
It’s important for your comfort and safety to fly with a suitable harness that is properly adjusted.
When choosing a harness, remember that the height of the attachment points (i.e. distance from the
carabiners to the seat plate) affects the sensitivity of the glider and the relative brake travel. The lower
(shorter) the attachment points, the more sensitive the glider is to weight-shift.
The adjustment of the harness chest strap controls the distance between carabiners and affects the
handling and stability of the glider. Excessive tightening of the chest strap increases stability but also
the risk of riser twists following glider collapses. It also increases the likelihood of getting collapses
due to poor feedback from the glider. The risk of twisting is also strongly influenced by the seating
position of the pilot. Flying in a laid back (reclined) position makes it much more dicult to react in
time to prevent riser twisting. With the chest strap in a more closed position the glider also has more
tendency to maintain a stable spiral. With the chest strap in a more open position, feedback from the
glider is increased but stability is decreased.
GIN gliders are developed with GIN harnesses, which have an attachment point of approximately
40-48 cm (depending on size and model). EN/LTF certification test flights are carried out with the
horizontal distance between the harness attachment points (measured between connector
centrelines) set depending on the total weight in flight as follows:
Width 40 ± 2 cm 44 ± 2 cm 48 ± 2 cm
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