Gin Boomerang 4 User manual

Boomerang 4 Owners Manual
Thank you for taking your time to read this manual.

2
Thank you…
Thank you for choosing the Boomerang 4. We are confident that this paraglider will provide you
with countless exciting experiences, long flights and exceptional competition results. This
manual contains all the information you need to fly and maintain your paraglider. A thorough
knowledgeofyourequipmentwillkeepyousafeandenableyoutomaximizeyourfullpotential.
Pleasepassonthismanualtothenewownerifyoudoresellyourglider.
HappyFlightsandSafeLandings,
TheGINTeam
Safety Notice
By the purchase of our equipment, you are responsible for being a certified
paraglider 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: This glider is a competition wing without DHV or ACPUL flight test
for certification, and should be flown by very experienced pilots only. To fly the
Boomerang 4 safely you must fly at least 100 hrs. per year and have several
years flying experience. 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.

3
Contents
Thankyou…........................................................................................................................................2
SafetyNotice.................................................................................................................................... 2
1.Gin Gliders...........................................................................................................................................4
2.Introducing the Boomerang 4 ...........................................................................................................5
ForPilots Who...................................................................................................................................5
Cutting-edgedesign …………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
Manufacturing …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6
3.Beforeyou fly.......................................................................................................................................7
Pre-deliveryInspection ………………………………………………………………………………………………..7
SpeedSystem.....................................................................................................................................7
BreakLine Adjustment………………………………………………………………………………………………….8
Rucksack ............................................................................................................................................8
Yourharness ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..9
Recommendedweight range…………………………………………………………………………….…………….9
Pre-flightsafety …………………………………………………………………………………………………………9
4.Flying the Boomerang 4 ...................................................................................................................10
Preparationforlaunch.....................................................................................................................10
Takeoff............................................................................................................................................11
Lineknots ortangles .......................................................................................................................11
Minsink /best glide.........................................................................................................................11
Accelerated flight.............................................................................................................................11
Activeflying.....................................................................................................................................12
Inturbulence....................................................................................................................................12
Losingaltitude.................................................................................................................................14
Steeringwithout brakes...................................................................................................................16
Aerobatics........................................................................................................................................16
Landingwith theBoomerang 4.........................................................................................................16
Towlaunch.......................................................................................................................................16
Motorizedflight...............................................................................................................................16
5.Care, maintenance andrepairs...........................................................................................................16
Groundhandling...............................................................................................................................17
UVdamage.......................................................................................................................................17
Packinginstructions ........................................................................................................................17
Transportand storage......................................................................................................................18
Cleaning...........................................................................................................................................18
Inspections......................................................................................................................................18
Repairs.............................................................................................................................................18
6.Technical Details.................................................................................................................................18
Testand certification.......................................................................................................................20
TechnicalSpecifications...................................................................................................................19
LinePlan ..........................................................................................................................................20
Description ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………22

4
1. Gin Gliders
Gin Gliders was formed in 1998 by paraglider designer and competition pilot Gin Seok Song and
histeamofengineersandtestpilots.
Gin's philosophy is simple: to design gliders that he, and any other pilot, will love to fly. This
philosophy applies equally for a cross country intermediate like the Zoom, as for the world-
beating competition glider, the Boomerang. No glider is released to the market without Gin's
completesatisfaction.
Gin has over 15 years' experience of designing and manufacturing paragliders, and is backed by
an equally experienced team, both within the company in Korea and throughout a worldwide
network of distributors and dealers. The GIN Team has 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
professionalsensuresthatyougetthebestpossibleproduct support and after sales service.

5
2. Introducing the Boomerang 4
The Boomerang 4 is a completely new concept of high end competition wing. Designer Gin Seok
Song and Robert Graham have drawn on all their years of experience to produce a wing that is
uniquely in tune with the needs of today's competition pilots. The Boomerang 4 offers
exceptional performance combined with a precise handling and a sufficient safety margin. This
allows the pilot to accurately feel the sensations of flight, and thus develop an active flying
style. Rapid progression up the learning curve is enabled, as the pilot becomes acquainted with
usingthe speed and performance of this wing. TheBoomerang4willallow you to experiencethe
fullpleasureoffreeflightwiththehighestperformanceavailable today.
For Pilots Who …
The Boomerang 4 is a perfect competition glider and is suitable for the very experienced pilot
who flies frequently and wants the highest performing glider. The Boomerang 4 is designed for
all kinds of flying, from ridge soaring to thermalling, but is optimized to go further in cross
countryortowincompetitions.
Cutting-edge Design
Gin and Robert have made extensive improvements in the Boomerang 4 compared to the
Boomerang 3. Performance, climbing and top speed have been improved without sacrificing the
levelofsecurityrequiredbycompetitionpilots.
Countless prototypes have been built, tested and compared to find the optimum. A new plan
form, high aspect ratio anda new profile give this wing incredible performance andhigh solidity.
A special shape for the reinforcements has been introduced and all the air intakes are optimized.
The patented Rigifoil System is used to have a clean leading edge, especially at high speed. All
thisimprovestake-offcharacteristics,performanceandincreasesthelifetime of the canopy.
The brake line layout is designed for fast and flat turning, with proportional brake pressure for
light and direct handling. This enables efficient and easy climbing in thermals as well as using
weak lift when ridge soaring. The Boomerang 4 pulls nicely into thermals and therefore allows
youtonegotiateeventurbulentthermalswithouttheneedto use a lot of brake action.
Amodifiedrisersystemgivesyouhighertopspeedand a better sink rate at speed.
Weight and drag have been reduced by using a new hi-tech, lightweight fabric and a special mix
ofthinlines.
TheBoomerang4competitionversionusesthinunsheetedKevlarlines.
These and other innovations ensure that by purchasing the Boomerang 4, you are getting the
bestpossiblegliderinitsclass.

6
Manufacturing
All GIN gliders are produced in the company's own facilities using the most modern techniques.
Highly skilled staff take 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.
These measures guarantee that pilots fly with the assurance that their wing meets the most
exactingsafetystandards.

7
3. Before you fly
Pre-delivery Inspection
The Boomerang 4 is delivered with speed system, rucksack, inner bag, compression strap, repair
tape and this manual. Your instructor or dealer should have made a test inflation followed by a
testflightbeforedelivery.
Speed System
The speed system increases the maximum speed by lowering the angle of attack with a pulley-
guided, foot-operated system. More than 20 km/h gain in speed can be realized with the
acceleratoratfulltravel.
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.
Riser A B C D
lengthattrimspeed 52cm 52cm 52cm 52cm
lengthatfullspeed 30cm 34cm 44cm 55cm
D1 D2

8
Brake line adjustment
The main brake line lengths of the Boomerang 4 have been fine tuned by GIN test pilots, and it
shouldnotbenecessarytoadjustthem.
In soaring flight, it is common to fly with half a wrap on the brakes and hold the handles on the
knot.However,careshouldbetakentoreleasethewraps 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 brake 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
doublesheepshankorabowlineknotforthebrakehandle attachment as shown in the diagram.
Rucksack
All Gin gliders are delivered with a durable ripstop KODURA®rucksack, designed for ergonomic
carryingcomfortandeaseofuse.
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
whenwalking.Therearealsotwostoragepocketsforaccessories.
AnXXLrucksack(200Lcapacity)isavailableasanoptionalextra for pilots that require it.

9
Your harness
The Boomerang 4 can be used with all harnesses with variable cross-bracing (GH type). 99% of
harnesses produced after 1993 are of the GH type. Older harnesses with fixed cross-bracing (GX
type) should not be used. Check with the manufacturer of the harness or your paragliding
instructorifindoubt.
The adjustment of the harness chest strap controls the distance between carabiners and affects
the handling and stability of the glider. Tightening the chest strap increases stability but also
therisk of twisting afterglidercollapse.Lengthening it gives more feedback from the glider but
decreasesstability.
Gin calculates and draws the plan of the glider with a distance between the carabiners of 44cm.
We recommend setting a distance of 42cm to 50cm between the carabiners, depending on the
sizeanddesignoftheharness.
Recommended Weight Range
The Boomerang 4 should be flown within the recommended weight range given in the reference
section at the back of this manual. The weightrange 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
weightistostandonweighingscaleswithallyour equipment packed into your rucksack.
Pre-flight safety
Toflythisequipmentyoushould:
Haveappropriatepracticalandtheoreticaltrainingandexperienceforthis class of glider.
Havethenecessaryinsuranceandlicences.
Beinyourrightmind,unaffectedbyextremestress,recreational or prescribed drugs.
Onlyflyinconditionssuitableforyourlevelof paragliding.
Wearsuitableheadprotection,useacertifiedharnessandemergency parachute.
Makeathoroughpre-flightcheck.
Followthemaintenanceinstructionsatthebackofthismanual, especially with regard to
thecompetitionlines.

10
4. Flying the Boomerang 4
We recommend that you firstpractice inflating your glider on asmall training hill or flat ground.
Makeyourfirstflightswithyournewparaglideringentleconditionson a familiar flying site.
Preparation for launch
Following a consistent method of preparation and pre-flight checks is vital for safe flying. We
recommendthefollowing:
On arrival at the flying site, assess the suitability of the conditions: wind speed and
direction,airspace,turbulenceandthermalcycles.
Inspectyourglider,harness,reservehandleandpin,helmetand any other equipment.
Chooseasufficientlylargetake-offareawithevengroundand no obstacles.
Laytheglideroutaccordingtotheplanform,andget the lines and risers sorted out.
Putyourhelmeton.Secureyourselfinyourharnessanddon't forget the leg loops!
Connect the risers to your harness carabiners, ensuring there are no twists or loops
aroundthelines.
ConnectthespeedsystemtotheriserswiththeBrummel hooks.
Do a final line check by pulling gently on the risers or lines to ensure there are no new
knots,tanglesorinterferingbranchesorrocks.Takeextracare in nil or light winds.
Pre-flightcheck list
Reserveparachute:pininandhandlesecure.
Helmetandharnessbucklesclosed.
Linesfree.
Canopyopenandintowind.
Airspaceclear.
Take off
The key to a successful launch technique is to practice ground handling on flat ground whenever
youcan.
Lightor NilWind Launch
The Boomerang 4 inflates steadily in nil-wind conditions. Simply guide the glider with the A-
risers, 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.
There is no need to pull the risers hard. Run positively as the glider comes above your head. Be
sure to look up and check that the canopy is fully inflated before you take-off, and that there
are no tangles in the lines. 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 ofthe glider and
runparalleltothehill.