Gin Boomerang 9 User manual

Boomerang 9 Owners’ Manual
Thank you for taking the time to read Boomerang9 manual.
Rev.1.11, July 2013
GinGliders Inc.
285-1 Galdam-Ri, Mohyun-Myun, Yongin-City, Kyunggi-Do, Korea
www.gingliders.com, [e-mail]

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Thank you…
Thank you for choosing the Boomerang9. We are confident that this paraglider will provide you
with countless enjoyable experiences, long flights and exceptional competition results. This
manual contains all the information you need to fly and maintain your paraglider. A thorough
knowledge of your equipment will keep you safe and enable you to maximize your full potential.
Please pass on this manual to the new owner if you do resell your glider.
Happy Flights and Safe Landings,
The GIN Team
Safety Notice
By the purchase of our equipment, you are responsible for being a certified
paraglide pilot and you accept all risks inherent with paragliding activities
including injury and death. Improper use or misuse of GIN equipment greatly
increases these risks. Neither Gin Gliders Inc nor the seller of GIN equipment shall
be held liable for personal or third party injuries or damages under any
circumstances.
Please note: The Boomerang9 is an EN standard D and LTF D glider and it is suitable
for use by world class pilots who have flown at least 100 hours per year for more
than 4 years. The Boomerang9 is not suitable for inexperienced pilots, beginners,
intermediates or for school training.
If any aspect of the use of our equipment remains unclear, please contact your local
paragliding instructor, GIN reseller or the importer in your country.

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Contents
Thank you… ......................................................................................................................................2
Safety Notice ....................................................................................................................................2
Contents ...........................................................................................................................................3
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For Pilots Who … ..............................................................................................................................5
Cutting-edge Design .........................................................................................................................5
Manufacturing...................................................................................................................................5
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Pre-delivery Inspection ....................................................................................................................7
Speed System ...................................................................................................................................7
Brake line adjustment.......................................................................................................................7
Rucksack...........................................................................................................................................7
Your harness.....................................................................................................................................8
Certified Weight Range.....................................................................................................................8
Pre-flight safety...............................................................................................................................9
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Preparation for launch ....................................................................................................................10
Take off...........................................................................................................................................10
Line knots or tangles ......................................................................................................................11
Best glide .......................................................................................................................................11
Accelerated flight ...........................................................................................................................11
Active flying ...................................................................................................................................11
In turbulence ..................................................................................................................................11
Cascade of events ...........................................................................................................................12
Losing altitude................................................................................................................................13
Steering without brakes .................................................................................................................14
Flying in the rain ............................................................................................................................14
Aerobatics ......................................................................................................................................14
Landing with the Boomerang9.........................................................................................................15
Tow launch......................................................................................................................................15
Motorized flight..............................................................................................................................15
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Ground handling .............................................................................................................................16
UV damage......................................................................................................................................16
Packing instructions .......................................................................................................................16
Transport and Storage ....................................................................................................................17
Cleaning..........................................................................................................................................17
Maintenance Inspections.................................................................................................................17
Line trimming .................................................................................................................................17
Repairs ...........................................................................................................................................17
Environmentally friendly disposal of the paraglider.......................................................................18
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1
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

4
1. GIN Gliders
GIN Gliders was formed in 1998 by paraglider designer and competition pilot Gin Seok Song and
his team of engineers and test pilots.
Gin's philosophy is simple: to design gliders that he, and any other pilot, will love to fly. This
philosophy applies equally for a beginner glider such as the Bolero, as for the world-beating
competition glider, the Boomerang. No glider is released to the market without Gin's complete
satisfaction.
Gin has over 20 years' experience of designing and manufacturing paragliders, and is backed up
by an equally experienced team, both within the company in Korea and throughout a worldwide
network of distributors and dealers. The GIN Team dominated the Paragliding World Cup from
1998 to the present day and has had countless other competition successes in World Cups,
World and National Championships. This high level of expertise provided by dedicated
professionals ensures that you get the best possible product support and after sales service.

5
2. Introducing the Boomerang9
The Boomerang9 is a high performance and competition wing built around a completely new
concept and suitable for cross country or competition. It is a wing which is uniquely in tune with
the needs of today's pilots. The Boomerang9 offers outstanding security, top performance and
climbing ability combined with precise and dynamic handling. This allows the pilot to thermal
precisely and to climb extremely well. The Boomerang9’s high pitch stability allows for faster
cross country flights.
The Boomerang9 will allow you to experience the full pleasure of free flight with the best
performance available today within the EN D class, whilst still offering good stability.
For Pilots Who …
The Boomerang9 is a perfect competition glider and high-end cross country glider. It is suitable
for the very experienced pilot who flies frequently and wants the highest possible performance
with LTF-D safety. The Boomerang9 is designed for all kinds of flying, from ridge soaring to
thermalling, but is optimized to go further in cross country or to win competitions.
Cutting-edge Design
Gin Gliders have made extensive improvements in the Boomerang9 compared to its
predecessors. The Boomerang9 has a high aspect ratio and is a completely new design concept.
Improvements have been made in line with GIN Gliders’ traditional values of higher stability and
better performance.
Gin has made extensive improvements based on the unique plan form of the Boomerang9.
Performance in glide and climbing ability, as well as the top speed, has been improved without
sacrificing the level of security required by cross country and competition pilots.
A new profile and brake line layout enable fast and flat turning, with proportionally increasing
brake pressure for light and direct handling. This helps the Boomerang9 pilot climb efficiently
and easily in thermals without the need to use a lot of brake. The brake handles are attached
with a swivel to avoid the brake line twisting in use.
The Boomerang9 features leading edge reinforcements using Rigifoil battens—this ensures the
wing is more stable with high performance in all weather conditions.
The total line length has been reduced, which also helps to increase efficiency and performance.
The Boomerang9 is equipped with a highly efficient speed system which provides a higher top
speed and an improved sink rate at all speeds. These and other innovations make the
Boomerang9 the best glider available within the EN-D and LTF-D certification class.
Manufacturing
All GIN gliders are produced in the company's own facilities using the most modern techniques.
Highly skilled staff takes extreme care during the entire manufacturing process. Stringent
quality control is made after each step, and all materials that go into each wing can be traced.

6
These measures guarantee that pilots fly with the assurance that their wing meets the most
exacting safety standards.

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3. Before you fly
Pre-delivery Inspection
The Boomerang9 is delivered with speed system, rucksack, inner bag, concertina bag, riser cover,
compression strap, repair tape and this manual. Your instructor or dealer should have made a
test inflation followed by a test flight before delivery.
Speed System
The speed system increases the maximum speed by lowering the angle of attack with a pulley-
guided, foot-operated system.
It is important to have your accelerator system correctly routed through your harness and
attached to the risers with the supplied Brummel hooks. The length of the speed bar should be
initially adjusted while on the ground, sitting in the harness so that the legs are fully extended
at the point of full accelerator travel. It is helpful to have an assistant hold the risers taut while
making this adjustment.
Subsequent fine-tuning can be done on the ground following the first flight with the speed
system. If in doubt about this procedure, consult your instructor or dealer.
Brake line adjustment
The main brake line lengths of the Boomerang9 are the same as on the sample that has been
used for the EN/LTF certification test flights. These line lengths have been fine tuned by GIN
test pilots, and it should not be necessary to adjust them.
In soaring flight, it is common to fly with half a wrap on the brakes and hold the handles on the
knot. However, care should be taken to release the wraps in any extreme situation.
If you do need to make adjustments to suit your harness, body and flying style, we strongly
recommend that you test fly the glider with every 2cm of adjustment. There should be a
minimum of 10cm of free brake travel when the glider is flown hands-off. This prevents the
brakes being applied unintentionally when the speed system is fully engaged. We recommend a
double sheepshank or a bowline knot for the brake handle attachment as shown in the diagram.
Rucksack
All Gin gliders are delivered with a durable ripstop KODURA®rucksack with 160L capacity. This
rucksack has been re-shaped and re-designed for

8
ergonomic carrying comfort and ease of use with the original X-load transfer system, which
offers a better distribution of the weight.
The rucksack should be packed carefully to achieve maximum comfort. First, place the glider
inside the harness and then put the top of harness in the bottom of the rucksack with the glider
side next to the back of the rucksack. Finally, tighten the internal and external compression
straps and adjust the shoulder and waist straps to ensure the equipment stays firmly in place
when walking. There are also two storage pockets for accessories.
An XXL rucksack is available as an optional extra for pilots that require it.
Your harness
The Boomerang9 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.
The adjustment of the harness chest strap controls the distance between karabiners and affects
the handling and stability of the glider. Excessive tightening the chest strap increases stability
but also the risk of twists following glider collapse, and it also increases the frequency of
getting collapses due to poor feedback from the glider. The risk of twisting is also strongly
affected by the seating position of pilot. Flying in a laid back (reclined) position makes it much
more difficult 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, lengthening of the chest
strap gives more feedback from the glider but decreases stability.
Gin calculates and draws the plan of the glider with a distance between the carabiners of 44cm.
DHV certification test flights are also carried out with this setting. We recommend setting a
distance of 42cm to 50cm between the carabiners, depending on the size and design of the
harness. There is no need to fly with a tight chest strap setting with the Boomerang9, as there
is no tendency for it to feel unstable, unlike older gliders.
Certified Weight Range
The Boomerang9 must be flown within the certified weight range given in the reference section
of this manual. The weight range is quoted as the total weight in flight, i.e. the weight of the
pilot, glider, harness and accessories. The easiest way to check your total weight is to stand on
weighing scales with all your equipment packed into your rucksack.

9
Pre-flight safety
To fly this equipment you should:
Have appropriate practical and theoretical training and experience for this class of glider.
Have the necessary insurance and licences.
Be in your right mind, unaffected by extreme stress, recreational or prescribed drugs.
Only fly in conditions suitable for your level of paragliding.
Wear suitable head protection, use a certified harness and emergency parachute.
Make a thorough pre-flight check.

10
4. Flying the Boomerang9
We recommend that you first practice inflating your glider on a small training hill or flat ground.
Make your first flights with your new paraglider in gentle conditions on a familiar flying site.
Preparation for launch
Following a consistent method of preparation and pre-flight checks is vital for safe flying. We
recommend the following:
On arrival at the flying site, assess the suitability of the conditions: wind speed and
direction, airspace, turbulence and thermal cycles.
Inspect your glider, harness, reserve handle and pin, helmet and any other equipment.
Choose a sufficiently large take-off area with even ground and no obstacles.
Lay the glider out according to the plan form, and get the lines and risers sorted out.
Put your helmet on. Secure yourself in your harness and don't forget the leg loops!
Connect the risers to your harness carabiners, ensuring there are no twists or loops
around the lines.
Connect the speed system to the risers with the Brummel hooks.
Do a final line check by pulling gently on the risers or lines to ensure there are no new
knots, tangles or interfering branches or rocks. Take extra care in nil or light winds.
Pre-flight check list
Reserve parachute: pin in and handle secure.
Helmet and harness buckles closed.
Lines free.
Canopy open and into wind.
Airspace clear.
Take off
The key to a successful launch technique is to practice ground handling on flat ground whenever
you can.
Light or Nil Wind Launch
The Boomerang9 inflates steadily in nil-wind conditions. Simply guide the glider by taking the
A1 and A2 main lines just above the A1 riser, keeping your arms bent and hands at the level of
the shoulders. Allow your arms to rise in an arc and wait for the glider to inflate and come
above your head - do not push the risers. T
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If any irregularity should occur and you are not yet airborne, abort the launch
immediately by stalling the glider. On steep launches, stall one side of the glider and run
parallel to the hill.
If the glider should come up sideways, and the situation is recoverable, run towards the lower
side rather than trying to struggle against the force.
An impulse launch where you start running with slack lines close to the glider is not needed.