Gin YAK User manual

YAK owner’s manual - Engli sh
Thank you for t aking t he t i me t o read t hi s manual bef or e usi ng t he YAK.

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Thank y ou…
Thank y ou for choosi ng t he YAK. We ar e confident t hat t hi s ult ra light speedf lyi ng gl i der wi ll
pr ovide you wit h count less exci t i ng and f un exper i ences and wi l l enabl e y ou t o make good
pr ogr essi on i n your speedf l yi ng car eer . This manual cont ains all t he infor mat i on you need t o fl y
and mai nt ai n your gl i der . A t hor ough knowl edge of y our equi pment wi l l keep y ou saf e whi le
enabli ng you t o maximi se your ful l pot ent ial .
Pl ease pass on t his manual t o t he new owner i f y ou ever r esel l y our gl i der .
Have f un !
The GIN Team
Safet y Not ice
By t he purchase of t hi s equipment , you accept al l r i sks inherent wi t h speedf l ying act ivi t ies,
i ncl udi ng i nj ur y or deat h. Impr oper use or mi suse of GIN equipment great l y i ncr eases t hese
ri sks. Nei t her GIN gliders Inc nor t he sel l er of GIN equi pment shal l be hel d l i abl e f or per sonal or
t hi r d par t y i nj ur i es or damages under any ci rcumst ances. The user i s f ul l y and sol el y
responsi bl e f or t he saf e use of t hi s equipment , i f t her e i s any doubt r egardi ng t he use or saf et y
of t hi s equi pment t hen it should not be used.
Warning: Speedflying is a potentially dangerous activit y. It is the user’s own
responsibility to assess all weather and meteorological conditions, the flying area, all
equipment , etc, before you use t his equipment . This equipment was not designed for any
ot her use than that of speedflying as described in this manual. This equipment should be
launched from t he ground and must never be used for any of the following: Parachuting,
BASE jumping; jumping from any aircraft , or high object; building, antenna, bridge, cliff,
etc. You should wear a helmet as well as all saf ety equipment required for the practice of
paragliding and Speedflying. It is strongly recommended to learn Speedflying in a
specialised school. When Speedflying, always choose a safe, open area enabling you t o
keep a wide safet y margin. Do not practice Speedflying in the vicinity of obstacles, cliff s,
rocks or any other hazards. This equipment requires constant care when it comes t o
maintenance and handling. Only use the Bobcat glider with the Bobcat harness; they have
been designed to be used t ogether.

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Contents
Thank y ou… ....................................................................................................................................2
Safety note.....................................................................................................................................2
Summary ..............................................................................................................................................3
1. Gin Gliders ....................................................................................................................... 4
2. Int r oducing Speedfl yi ng .................................................................................................. 5
Speedf l y i ng fiel d of use .................................................................................................................5
3. Int r oducing t he YAK .........................................................................................................5
For pi l ot s who ................................................................................................................................6
Manufat uri ng .................................................................................................................................6
4. Before y ou f ly ................................................................................................................. 7
Pr e- del i ver y I nspect i on ..................................................................................................................7
Ri ser s and t r i mmer s........................................................................................................................ 7
Brake li ne adj ust ment ....................................................................................................................8
Rucksack.........................................................................................................................................8
Your har ness...................................................................................................................................8
Wei ght range ..................................................................................................................................9
Essent i al .........................................................................................................................................9
5. Fly i ng t he YAK................................................................................................................ 10
Pr eparat ion f or launch .................................................................................................................. 10
Take of f ........................................................................................................................................ 10
Mi n Si nk / best gl ide...................................................................................................................... 11
Acceler at ed fl i ght . ........................................................................................................................ 10
Act ive fl ying ................................................................................................................................. 11
In t ur bulence ................................................................................................................................ 11
Landing wi t h t he YAK .................................................................................................................... 12
6. Car e, maint enance and r epar is........................................................................................ 13
Gr ound handling ........................................................................................................................... 13
UV damage.................................................................................................................................... 13
Packing instruct ions ..................................................................................................................... 13
Transport and st orage .................................................................................................................. 14
Cleani ng........................................................................................................................................ 14
Mai nt enance Inspect ions............................................................................................................... 14
Repai r s ......................................................................................................................................... 14
7. Ref er ence....................................................................................................................... 15
Techni cal speci f icat ions ................................................................................................................ 15
Line pl an ....................................................................................................................................... 16
Descri pt i on ................................................................................................................................... 17

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1. Gi n Gl i der s
Gi n Gl i der s was f or med i n 1998 by par agl ider desi gner and compet it i on pi lot Gin Seok Song and
hi s t eam of engineer s and t est pil ot s.
Gi n’s phi l osophy i s si mpl e: To desi gn gl ider s t hat he, and any ot her pi l ot , wil l l ove t o f l y. Thi s
phi losophy appl ies equal l y f or a speedf l yi ng gl i der such as t he YAK, as f or t he world beat ing
compet i t i on gl ider , t he Boomerang. No gli der i s released on t he market wit hout Gin’s compl et e
sat i sf act ion.
Gin has over 20 y ear s exper i ence of designing and manuf act uring fr ee fl i ght equi pment , and i s
backed up by an equal l y exper i enced t eam, bot h wi t hin t he company in Korea and t hroughout a
wor ldwi de net wor k of di st r ibut or s and deal er s.
This hi gh l evel of expert i se provi ded by dedicat ed professi onal s ensures t hat you get t he best
possible pr oduct support and af t er sal es ser vi ce.

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2. Int roduci ng Speed Fl y i ng
A. Speedfl ying, a new f l yi ng concept .
A new f l yi ng St yl e is her e: Speedf l yi ng; f l y i ng f ast downhi l l .
Over t he l ast f ew year s, Gi n Gli der s have been devel opi ng speedgl ider s f or speedr i di ng (l aunch
by ski ) and Speedf lying (l aunch by f eet ).
Now, Gi n Gl i der s i nt r oduces an ult r ali ght speedgl i der desi gned f or f oot l aunch, t he YAK.
B. Speedgli der s, a new desi gn concept .
Speedr idi ng and speedfly i ng ar e bot h based on a new desi gn concept devel oped by Gin Gli der s.
Speedgl ider s ar e not smal l par agl ider s, l i ke f or example t he « Yet i 19 » whi ch i s a mini-
par agli der and par t of our paragl i der range.
Speedgli der s ar e dedicat ed t o f l y wi t h low gl i de r at io, st abi li t y and speed.
The Speedgl i der s’ concept i s based on :
- Pi t ch St abilit y
- Angle of at t ack cont r ol
- Var iable gl i de r at i o
- Speed cont r ol
Speedfl yi ng f i el ds of use…
"Tradi t ional" Speedflyi ng
Unl i ke par agli der s, t he YAK wi l l give y ou a ri de down a mount ain, f ol lowing t he sl opes and
ri dges. Thi s is due t o a l ower gli de r at io and higher t r i m speed. You'l l reach t he bot t om fast er ,
but wi t h a huge gr i n on your f ace.
Soar i ng i n st r onger wi nds
How many pi l ot s conf ront ed wit h " st rong" wi nds of 30- 45 km/ h, have dr eamed of t he
YAK? Her e i t i s!
On t he coast , in t he mount ains, or on y our f avouri t e hi ll, when i t i s i mpossi bl e t o t ake
your paraglider fr om i t s bag, t he YAK i s r eady t o t ake over .
Mount ai neer ing
How many mount ai neer s cl i mbing down f r om a summi t have dr eamed of t he YAK? Here i t
is!
The YAK wi l l al low you t o t ake of f and fl y in st ronger winds t han would be possible wit h
a par agli der . The YAK i s compact , l i ght and wil l easil y f i t i nt o t he bot t om of an
exper i enced mount ai neer ’s backpack. It s i nst ant aneous i nfl at ion and it s hi gh st abil it y
i n t ur bul ence wi l l al l ow you t o exper i ence mount ai ns in a t hr illing new way.

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3. Int roducing t he YAK
The YAK i s opening new hor i zons of pi l ot i ng f or exper t and car ef ul pilot s wit h a lot of f lyi ng
exper ience.
The ai r , t he speed and t he saf et y ar e j oi ned for a new di mension of f l ight … t he possi bi li t i es are
growing!
The YAK w il l gi ve y ou t he possi bi l it y t o ret urn t o t he ori gi nal soul of f l ight and al so t o open up
new f i elds of pr act ice. You wil l be able t o fly down t he mount ain i n wider aer ological condit ions
wit h t hi s si mpl e and soli d glider. You wil l have f un wi t h st r ong wi nd gr ound handl i ng and
soar ing…
For pil ot s who…
The YAK i s an ul t r al i ght speedgl i der desi gned f or hi ghl y exper i enced and responsible pil ot s t hat
have enough knowledge t o adapt t o t he speedgl i der ’s dy nami c handling. The hi gher wi ng loading
increases t he speed and t he responsiveness of t he handli ng. The gl i de angl es ar e much l ower
t han wit h moder n par agli ders. The l anding approach and landi ng it self ar e consider abl y
di f f erent .
The YAK i s not r ecommended f or busy fl ying si t es and t rai ning in a pr of essi onal par agl idi ng
school i s st r ongly recommended. Regular pr act ice on t he gr ound i s ver y usef ul . Take speci al
car e when deciding when and where t o fl y , and r espect ot her f l yer s and f l yi ng machi nes.
Manuf act uring
Al l GIN gl i der s ar e pr oduced in t he company's own facil it i es usi ng t he most modern t echni ques.
Hi ghly skill ed st af f t ake ext r eme car e t hroughout t he ent i r e manuf act ur ing process. St ri ngent
qual it y cont r ol i s made af t er each st ep, and al l mat eri als t hat go int o each wi ng can be t raced.
These measures guar ant ee t hat pi l ot s f ly wi t h t he assur ance t hat t hei r wing meet s t he most
exact ing saf et y st andar ds.

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4. Bef or e you f ly
Pr e- del iver y Inspect i on
The YAK i s del i ver ed wi t h a r ucksack, t he YETI har ness (desi gned speci f i cal ly for Light f light s),
inner bag, compressi on st r ap, r epair t ape and t hi s manual. Your i nst ruct or or dealer should have
made a t est i nf l at i on f ol l owed by a t est f l i ght bef or e del i ver y.
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Ri ser s and t r i mmer s
The back r i sers of t he YAK ar e fi t t ed wi t h t ri mmer s t hat enabl e t he pi l ot t o adapt t he gl ider ’s
behavi our t o mat ch his level and t he chosen sl ope. Tr i mmi ng down (short eni ng) t he back r i ser s
makes t he gl ider sl ower , t he handl i ng l ess r esponsi ve and more forgivi ng, so sui t abl e f or pil ot s
t hat have l ess exper i ence. Tr i mmi ng up t he r i ser s acceler at es t he glider , see accel er at ed f l i ght
f or more det ails. Ask for t he advice of an i nst ruct or who speci ali ses in Speedfly ing in order t o
bet t er underst and and exploi t t he t ri mming sy st em.
# 15, # 16,5, # 18 ri ser A C D
Tr i m Down 50cm 49cm 48cm
Neut ral l engt h 50cm 50cm 50cm
Tri m up 50cm 53cm 56cm
Tr i m upNeut r alTr i m down

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Br ake li ne adjust ment
The mai n brake l i ne l engt hs of t he YAK ar e t he same as on t he sampl e t hat has been used by t he
GIN R&D t eam. These l ine lengt hs have been f i ne t uned by GIN t est pilot s, and it shoul d not be
necessar y t o adj ust t hem.
In soar i ng f l i ght , i t i s common t o fl y wit h hal f a wr ap on t he br akes and hol d t he handl es on t he
knot . However, car e shoul d be t aken t o release t he wr aps in any ext r eme si t uat i on.
If y ou do need t o make adj ust ment s t o suit your harness, body and f lying st yl e, we st r ongl y
recommend t hat you t est f ly t he gli der wi t h ever y 2cm of adj ust ment . Ther e shoul d be a
mi nimum of 10cm of f ree brake t r avel when t he gli der i s f lown hands- of f . We recommend a
doubl e sheepshank or a bowl i ne knot f or t he br ake handl e at t achment as shown i n t he diagram.
Rucksack
The YAK i s del i ver ed wi t h a rucksack and a har ness speci f i cal l y designed for carr y i ng comfort
and ease of use.
Your har ness
The YAK was devel oped wi t h t he YETI har ness, specific t o Speedf lyi ng. We r ecommend t hat you
use t he YAK solel y wi t h t hi s har ness.
Adjust i ng t he chest st r ap cont rols t he di st ance bet ween t he car abi ner s of t he t wo r i sers, whi ch
has an i nf luence on t he gl i der ’s behavi our.
Ther e i s no need t o use t he YAK wit h a t ight chest st rap adjust ment , as t her e is no t endency t o
f eel unst abl e.

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Wei ght range
The YAK shoul d be used i n t he weight r ange for whi ch i t was designed. The wei ght range is
def ined accordi ng t o t he pi l ot ’s wei ght , i ncluding cl ot hes.
YAK # 15 # 16,5 # 18
Wei ght /
pil ot ing level
exper t exper t / Advanced
45/75 kg
Advanced
75/100+ kg
Essent ial
In order t o f ly wi t h t hi s equipment , y ou shoul d:
* Have r eceived t heor et ical and pract i cal t uit i on f or Speedf l yi ng.
* Have suf fi cient pract ice, t he knowl edge and t he exper i ence necessar y t o use t his gli der
correct ly and safel y.
* Have subscri bed t o t he li cences and insurances necessar y f or t he pract i ce of t hi s spor t .
* Be i n normal phy si cal and ment al heal t h, not be under t he i nf luence of al cohol or ot her drugs.
* Fl y onl y i n met eorologi cal condi t i ons fi t f or t he pract ice of Speedf lyi ng (and adapt ed t o y our
l evel and exper i ence).
* Wear a hel met and al l saf et y equi pment necessar y t o t he pr act ice of speedf l y ing.
* Have t hor oughl y checked al l y our equi pment .
* Be aware of al l t he i nformat i on cont ai ned i n t his manual .

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5. Fl y i ng wi t h t he YAK
We r ecommend t hat y ou f ir st pr act i ce i nf l at i ng y our gli der on a smal l t r ai ni ng sl ope. Make y our
f i r st f l ight s wi t h y our new speedfl yi ng gl ider i n gent l e condi t i ons i n a f ami l i ar ar ea.
Prepar at i on f or launch
Followi ng a consi st ent met hod of pr eparat i on and pr e- f l i ght checks i s vi t al f or saf e f l y i ng. We
recommend t he f ol l owing:
On arr ival at t he f ly i ng sit e, assess t he sui t abi li t y of t he condi t i ons: wi nd speed and
di r ect i on, ai r space.
Inspect y our gl ider , harness, hel met and any ot her equipment .
Choose a suf fi ci ent l y l ar ge t ake- of f ar ea wit h even gr ound and no obst acl es.
Lay t he gl i der out accor di ng t o t he pl anf or m, and get t he li nes and riser s sor t ed out .
Put your helmet on. Secur e yourself in y our harness and don't f orget t he leg l oops!
Connect t he ri ser s t o your har ness carabi ners, ensuri ng t here ar e no t wist s or loops
ar ound t he l i nes.
Do a f i nal l i ne check by pul li ng gent ly on t he ri ser s or l ines t o ensur e t her e ar e no new
knot s, t angles or int erf eri ng branches or r ocks. Take ext r a car e i n ni l or l i ght wi nds.
Pr e- f l i ght check li st
Hel met and har ness buckl es cl osed.
Li nes f r ee.
Canopy open and i nt o wi nd.
Ai r space cl ear .
Take of f
The key t o a successf ul l aunch t echnique i s t o pract ice ground handling whenever y ou can.
Keepi ng y our br ake handl es i n y our hands, t he YAK i nfl at es ver y easi l y , wi t h front r isers i n hand.
Keep your ar ms sl i ght l y bent and hands at shoulder height . Whi le using t he f r ont ri ser s, your
ar ms shoul d ri se i n a cur ve. It is not necessary t opul l har d on t he r i ser s.
Make a visual check on your gli der bef ore t aki ng off t o see i f i t i s cor r ect l y i nf l at ed and t hat
t her e ar e no knot s or t angles. If somet hi ng is wrong, abor t t he t ake off .
A sli ght pressur e on t he br akes al way s makes t he t ake of f easier. Don’t for get t o r un fast wi t h
long st ri des!
Tri m posit i on f or t ake of f at nor mal alt i t ude i n nor mal condi t i ons i s : “ neut r al” or “ slow”