Gin Switch harness User manual

Switchharness Owner’sManual
Pleasereadthismanualbeforeflying withtheSwitchforthefirsttime.

2
Thank You …
Thankyou forchoosing the S witchharness. W eareconfidentthatthisharness will provideyou
withenhancedco m fort,control,perfor m anceand fun inflight.This m anualcontains all the
infor m ation you needtosetup,tri m ,flyand m aintainyourharness.Athorough knowledgeof
yourequip m entwill keepyou safeand enableyou to m axi m izeyourfull potential.
Pleasepass on this m anualtothenewownerifyou do resell yourharness.
H appyFlightsand S afe L andings,
The G I N Tea m
SafetyNotice
Bythepurchaseofourequipment,you areresponsibleforbeing acertifiedparaglider
pilotand you acceptall risksinherentwithparagliding activitiesincluding injuryand
death. ImproperuseormisuseofGINequipmentgreatlyincreasestheserisks.Neither
GinGlidersIncnorthesellerofGINequipmentshall beheldliableforpersonalor
thirdpartyinjuriesordamagesunderanycircumstances.Ifanyaspectoftheuseof
ourequipmentremainsunclear,pleasecontactyourlocalGINresellerorimporterin
yourcountry.

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Contents
Thank You … ..............................................................................................................................................2
1. GinGliders.............................................................................................................................................4
2. Introducing theSwitch..........................................................................................................................5
Featuresof S witch................................................................................................................................6
Airbagforbackprotection ....................................................................................................................6
O ptionalExtras.....................................................................................................................................6
R escueparachute............................................................................................................................6
O therAccessories...........................................................................................................................7
3. Beforeyou fly.......................................................................................................................................7
Asse m bly..............................................................................................................................................7
S peedsyste m .................................................................................................................................7
R escueInstallation.........................................................................................................................7
Adjust m ents.........................................................................................................................................8
S houlderstraps ..............................................................................................................................8
L ateralstraps.................................................................................................................................8
L egstraps.......................................................................................................................................8
Cheststrap.....................................................................................................................................8
S eatstraps .....................................................................................................................................9
S torage..........................................................................................................................................9
4. Flying withtheSwitch.........................................................................................................................10
Pre-flightchecks................................................................................................................................10
R escue D eploy m ent............................................................................................................................10
Pockets...............................................................................................................................................11
L anding withthe S witch......................................................................................................................11
5. Miscellaneous......................................................................................................................................12
Towing ...............................................................................................................................................12
Tande m flying.....................................................................................................................................12
Flying overwater...............................................................................................................................12
6. Maintenanceand Repairs....................................................................................................................13
Maintenance.......................................................................................................................................13
Inspection checklist......................................................................................................................13
R epairs...............................................................................................................................................13
7. TechnicalData.....................................................................................................................................14
S pecification ......................................................................................................................................14
Certification .......................................................................................................................................14
S witchharness .............................................................................................................................14
D escription.........................................................................................................................................15

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1. GinGliders
G in G liderswasfor m edin1998 byparagliderdesignerand co m petition pilot G in S eok S ong and
histea m of engineersand testpilots.
G in’sphilosophyissi m ple:todesign paragliding equip m entthatheand anyotherpilotloveto
fly.Thisphilosophyappliesequallyforaharness suchasthe S witch,asfortheworld-beating
co m petition glider,theBoo m erang. N oproductisreleasedtothe m arketwithout G in’sco m plete
satisfaction. G in G lidersproduceaco m pleterangeof accessoriesand canprovideyou with
m anyusefulite m sforflying whichareall m anufacturedin G in G lidersownproduction facilityto
guarantee highestqualitystandards.
G inhasover20 years’experienceof designing and m anufacturing paraglidersand isbackedup
byanequallyexperiencedtea m ,bothwithintheco m panyinKorea and throughoutaworldwide
networkof distributorsand dealers.The“ G I N Tea m ”haswon theParagliding W orldCup overall
severalti m esand hashadcountless otherco m petition successesin W orldCups, W orldand
N ationalCha m pionships.Thishigh levelof expertiseprovidedbydedicatedprofessionals
ensuresthatyou getthebestpossibleproductsupport and aftersalesservice.

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2. Introducing theSwitch
The S witchwasdevelopedby G I N G L I D E R S to m eetthehigheststandards of the m ostde m anding
pilotswho participateinspeedflying and / orparagliding and wanttotravelwithalighterand
m oreco m pactharness.Thespecialfeatureof the S witchisthatitisconvertibleintoarucksack.
The S witchissuitableforawiderangeof pilots,fro m theoccasionalclub pilottothe
experiencedcross countrypilot.
The S witchcanbeflownwithall typesof speedgliderand paragliderunless the m anufacturerof
yourparticular m odelrequiresaspecificharness tobeusedwiththeirglider.Pleasereferto
the m anualof yourglidertofind outifthis m ightbethecase.The S witchisasleekand easy
harness,designedfor m axi m u m co m fort and easeof use.Theelegantdesign focuseson
si m plicity,eli m inating theneedforco m plicatedadjust m ents.
Theoverall geo m etryof thisspeedgliderharness hasbeendesignedtoenablethepilotto m ove
co m fortablyand freely,enabling aneasierfastrun fortake-off and landing.
L egand cheststraps areintegratedintothe“T-barsyste m ”topreventthepilotfro m falling out
of theharness ifheforgetstofastenthelegstraps.
Thesafetyhasalso beeni m provedbyincorporating anairbagintotheharness helping to
protectthepilotincasehefallson hisback.Airinletsarepositionedon bothsidesof the
harness so thattheairbagcaninflatequickly,evenwithonlyas m all m ove m entthrough theair
and turns of eitherdirection.

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FeaturesoftheSwitch
R escueattach m entbridle
Carabiners
Convertiblebag
The S witchhasbeencertifiedbyE N and L TF,and isavailableinoneadjustablesize.
W eight:3.1Kg
Airbagforbackprotection ( substitution forbackprotector )
The S witchisaharness withabuilt-inairbag. S incetheairbagisdividedintoco m part m ents,it
canhelppreventairbeing dissipatedtoo rapidlyintheeventof hardi m pact.The S witchis
designedtoreducetheenergyof ani m pactand tohelptoprotectthepilotas m uchaspossible
inanaccident,butitcannotco m pletelyeli m inatetheriskof injury.The S witchbackprotection
withanairbaghasreceivedcertification fro m
E N and L TF.
OptionalItems
Thefollowing ite m sareavailableasoptionalextras.
R escueparachute
The S witchisdesignedforusewithafront m ountedrescueparachute,suchasYeti R escuefro m
G I N . O ther m anufacturers’rescuesyste m s m ayalso beused.Everyfirstinstallation of arescue
syste m intotheharness ( that m eans everynewco m bination of harness and rescuesyste m )
m ustbecheckedbyaqualifiedparagliding professional.Thisiscalleda"co m patibilitycheck”.
Inthisco m patibilitycheckthepilothi m self,who will beflying withthisharness, m ustalways
sitintheharness hanging fro m asi m ulatorand deploytherescuefro m theharness container.
Thischeck m ustalso bedoneeachti m eaftertherescuehasbeenrepackedand re-installed
O therAccessories
Forup-to-dateinfor m ation on additionalaccessories,visitwww.gingliders.comorcontactyour
local G I N dealerorthedistributorinyourcountry.

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3. Beforeyou fly
The S witch m ustbeasse m bledbyasuitablyqualifiedparagliding professional,forexa m ple
yourinstructor.Inparticulargreatcareand attention m ustbepaidtothefitting of therescue
parachuteintheharness.Thepilotshouldthenadjusttheharness forco m fort.
Assembly
G in G lidersreco mm end thatasse m blybecarriedoutintheorderbelow.Ifthereisanydoubt
whatsoeveraboutthisprocedure,pleaseseekprofessionaladvicefro m yourinstructor, G I N
dealerori m porter.
S peed S yste m
Thespeedsyste m isasse m bledfro m top tobotto m .Pass thecordof thespeedbarthrough the
pairof pulleysinbothsidesand routeitoutthrough therings ateachsideof theseat.
R escueInstallation
The S witchisco
m patiblewith G I N Yetirescueparachutes. O ther m anufacturer’sfront m ounted
rescues m aybeusedaswell,butasalready m entionedearlierinthis m anual:
Everyfirstinstallation of arescuesyste m intotheharness ( that m eans everynewco m bination
of harness and rescuesyste m ) m ustbecheckedbyaqualifiedparagliding professional.Priorto
theinstallation,you shouldalso ensurethatyou havethenecessary m aterialstoco m pletethe
procedure,forexa m ple,suitable m aillons and thread.
R escueparachutesshouldberepackedatleastevery150 days;so installing yourrescueina
newharness m ayalso provideagood opportunityforarepack.
Checkyourrescue m anualforfurtherdetails.
W henyou attachtherescuebridlestotheharness webbing,aMaillon R apidtype7 mm S tainless
S teelcarre ( square ) isreco mm ended.Butinanycase,theconnectorshouldberatedatleast9
ti m esthe m axi m u m weight,forexa m ple,a7 mm ,3125kgstainless connectorthathasanE N
certificateof confor m ity.
TheMaillon shouldbeheldinplacewithrubberbands,tapeorplasticheatshrinktube. W ebbing
towebbing connections arenotreco mm ended,duetothedangerof getting theknotthewrong
wayround,whichsignificantlyweakens theconnection and also difficulttodisconnectthe
rescueparachuteifyou land intrees.

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Adjust m ents
The S witchshouldbeadjustedtosuityourphysiqueand flying style.It isi m portanttoadjustit
correctlytoensureyou caneasilyslideintothesitting position aftertakeoff.
Adjust m entsshouldideallybetestedbeforeyourfirstflightbyhanging inasi m ulator.
Additionalfine-tuning canbedoneduring yourfirstfewflights.
Ensurethattherescuesyste m ,backand sideprotection havebeeninstalledbefore m aking
adjust m ents.
S houlder S traps
Theopti m u m setting fortheshoulderstraps depends on theheightof thepilot. S tand upright
withthechest / legstraps closedand sy mm etricallyadjusttheshoulderstraps until theyare
justtight. D uring flight,thesestraps shouldbealittleslack.You will find theadjustable
buckleseithersideof theseat.
L ateral S traps
Thelateralstraps adjusttheanglebetweenthethighs and theback.Thisanglecanbeset
between100 ° and 130 ° . L engthening thestraps increasestheangleand vice-versa.Theeasiest
waytoadjustthe m correctlyisduring aflightincal m air. R e m e m berthatflying inthe“supine
position”that m eans leaning back,reducesthestabilityof theharness and increasestheriskof
twisting afteranasy mm etricdeflation.
L eg S traps
Thecorrectadjust m entof thelegstraps includesadjusting thedistancebetweenyourlegs.This
will preventapilot’slegs fro m splaying apart and pilotwill feel m oreco m fortablewhenflying.
Chest S trap
Theadjust m entof thecheststrapcontrolsthedistancebetweenthecarabinersand affectsthe
handling and stabilityof theglider. W idening thedistancebetweenthecarabinersincreases
feedbackfro m thewing and allowsforeasierweightshifting.Closing thestrapgivesyou a m ore
stablefeeling inturbulencebutincreasestheriskof stablespiraland also theriskof twisting!
W eadvisepilotsof G I N paragliderstoflywithadistancebetweenthecarabinersof
approxi m ately44 to48 c m .
Thecheststrap m ayalso beadjustedinflightaccording totheconditions;forexa m ple,it m ay
betightenedinturbulentair9 ( withinthe m anufacturer’sreco mm endedrange ) and flownata
loosersetting inweakconditions.

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S eat S traps
Theseatstraps changethedepthof theseat.Adjusttofind aco m fortableposition.Inthe
sitting position,lengthenthestraps totheir m axi m u m atfirstand thenusetheplasticbuckles
toshortenthestraps tofind aco m fortableposition withgood backsupport. L engthening the
straps also helps you toslideeasilyintotheharness attakeoff,whileshortening thestraps
helps you tobeinthestanding position forlanding.
S torage
O neof thespecialfeaturesof S witchisthatitisdesignedtofunction asanairbag.Airis
scoopedintotheairbagcha m bersthrough achannelon thesideof theharness.Pilotsshould
m akesurethatthischanneland theairwaysareopenand thatairisfree toflowthrough and
intotheaircha m bersinthebackof S witch.
Ifyou’dliketoputinso m ethings likeaninnerbagthatcanblockanairwayinsideairbag,you
shoulduseainnerpocketinairbagfunctioning asacoverof thebag’stop orside m esh pockets.
Therearetwopocketsinsidetheairbag.Putbags and otherstuff forstowageinsidethese
pocketsand zipthe m closed. O therwise,theairbagcannotbeinflatedproperly.

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4.Flying withthe S witch
Pre-flightchecks
For m axi m u m safety,useaco m pleteand consistentsyste m of pre-flightchecksand repeatthe
sa m e m entalsequence
every flight.
Checkthat:
Thereisno visibleda m agetotheharness orcarabinersthatcouldaffectitsairworthiness.
Therescueparachutecontainerisclosedcorrectlyand thepins areintherightposition.
Thedeploy m enthandleand thepinarecorrectlyinsertedorattached.
All buckles,belts,zips aresecurelyfastened.Bucklesshouldclickintoplaceasyou close
the m ,and agentlepull on thefastenedbuckleverifiesthis. S ecureanyzips
after
fastening thebuckles.Takeextracareinsnowyorsandyenviron m ents.
Theparagliderisconnectedcorrectlytotheharness and bothcarabinersaresecuredby
theirlocking m echanis m s.
Thespeedbarisattachedcorrectlytotheglider.
All pocketsareclosedproperlyand anylooseite m saretieddownsafely.
It isi m portanttocheckthataircha m berintakes m adeof m esh areopenbeforeeachuse;
otherwiseitcouldleadto m alfunction of theairbag.
Checkagainthatyou haveclosedyourlegand cheststraps beforeyou takeoff!
RescueDeployment
It isvitaltoperiodicallyfeeltheposition of therescuehandleinnor m alflight,so thatthe
action of reaching fortherescuehandleisinstinctiveinane m ergency.
Intheeventof ane m ergency,thepilot m ustquicklyevaluatehisorherheightand the
seriousness of theincident. D eploying therescuewhenthegliderisrecoverable m ayincrease
thedangerof injury.Ifyou havesufficientheightand thegliderisinaflatspin,itispreferable
tofirsttrytostop thespin ( e.g.full stall ) ,duetotheriskof entangle m ent. O ntheotherhand,a
second’shesitation indeploying thereservecouldprovecostlyifthereisinsufficientheight.
Iftherescueistobedeployed,theprocedureisasfollows:
L ookfortherescuehandleand grasp itfir m lywithonehand
Pull sidewardand upwards on thehandletoreleasethedeploy m entbagfro m theharness
container
L ookforacleararea,and inacontinuous m otion,throw ( and R E L EA S E! ) therescueaway
fro m yourselfand theglider,preferablyintotheairstrea m and againstthedirection
of spin
Afterdeploy m ent,avoidentangle m entand pendulu m m otions bypulling intheglideras
sy mm etricallyaspossiblewiththeB,C, D orbrakelines
O nlanding takeanuprightbodyposition and besuretodo aP L F ( Parachute L anding Fall )
to m ini m izetheriskof injury

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Pockets
The S witchincludesa m id-sizepocketinsidetheairbagwhichcanbeusedasatop coverof the
bagplus twos m allersidepockets m adeof m esh.Thereisalso aradioco m part m entinsidethe
backpocketand abuttonholetopass thecableoradrinktubethrough forahandheldspeaker-
m icrophoneoraCa m elBack.
Landing withtheSwitch
Beforelanding,slideyourlegs forwardintheharness so thatyou adoptthestanding position.
N EVE R land intheseatedposition;itisverydangerous foryourbackevenifyou haveanairbag.
S tanding up beforelanding isanactivesafetyprecaution,and is m uch m oreeffectivethanthe
passivesyste m of anybackprotection.

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5. Miscellaneous
Towing
The S witchisn’tequippedwithextrasyste m fortowing.Thetowreleasecanbeconnectedtothe
m aincarabiners.Thebestwaytoattachatowreleaseistouseatowing adapter,whichslides
overthelowerends of therisersof theparagliderbeforeattaching the m aincarabiners.For
furtherdetailsrefertothedocu m entation providedwithyourtowreleaseortowing adaptoror
askaqualifiedtowing instructoratyourtowsite.
TandemFlying
The S witchisnotdesignedfortande m flying.
Flying overwater
It isnotreco mm endedtousethe S witchon anyflightsoverwater,especiallyextre m e
m anoeuvrestraining,duetothepossibilitythattheairbagcouldkeepthepilotunderwaterin
theeventof awaterlanding. S o,ifyou do flyoverwater,you m usttakeextre m ecare.
6. Maintenanceand Repair
The m aterialsusedinthe S witchhavebeencarefullyselectedfor m axi m u m durability.
N evertheless,keeping yourharness cleanand airworthywill ensurealong period of continuous
safeoperation.
Maintenance
Avoiddragging yourharness overrough orrockyground.
U nnecessaryexposureto U Vrays,heatand hu m idityshouldbealwaysavoided.
Keepthefoldedharness inyourrucksackwhennotinuse.
S toreall yourequip m entinacool,dryplace,and neverputitawaywhileda m porwet.
Keepyourharness ascleanaspossiblebyregularlycleaning off dirt withaplasticbristled
brush and / orada m pcloth.Iftheharness getsexceptionallydirty,wash itwithwater
and a m ildsoap.Makesureyou firstre m ovetheentiresub-co m ponentsforexa m ple,
rescueparachuteetc. W henyou clean,don’tscrub thefabricinsidetheAirbagwitha
brush ( especiallytheback ) sincethefabriccanbeda m agedbyrubbing.Allowthe
harness todrynaturallyinawell ventilatedarea awayfro m directsunlight.
Ifyourrescueparachuteevergetswet ( e.g.inawaterlanding ) you m ustseparateitfro m
theharness,dryitand repackitbeforeputting itbackinit’sseparateoutercontainer.
Afterahardlanding you m ustcheckyourbackprotection forda m age.Atearinthe
G I N S O FTIII ( II ) couldsignificantlyreducetheefficiencyof theprotection itprovides.
Thezips and buckles m aybeoccasionallylubricatedwithsiliconespray,no m orethanonce
ayear.

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Inspection checklist
Inaddition toregularpre-flightchecks,the S witchshouldbeinspectedthoroughlyon every
rescuerepack,nor m allyevery2yearsof 200 hours.Additionalinspections shouldbeperfor m ed
afteranycrash,badlanding ortakeoff,orifthereareanysigns of da m ageorunduewear.
Alwaysseekprofessionaladvicewheneverindoubt.Thefollowing checksshouldbecarriedout:
Checkall webbing,straps and bucklesforwearand da m age,especiallytheareasthatare
noteasilyseen,suchastheinsideof thecarabinerhook-inpoints.
All sewing m ustbeintactand anyano m aliesattendedtoi mm ediatelytoavoid
exacerbation of theproble m .
S pecialattention shouldbepaidtotherescueinstallation,particularlytheelasticand
Velcroparts.
Theseatand backplates m ustbefree fro m cracks.
The m ainalu m iniu m carabiners m ustbereplacedatleastevery5yearsorafter500 hours,
whateverco m esfirst.I m pacts m aycreateundetectablecracksthatcouldresultin
structuralfailureundercontinuous load.
Repair
The m anufactureroranapprovedspecialistshouldcarryoutanyrepairthatinvolvescritical
partsof theharness.Thiswill ensurethatthecorrect m aterialsand repairtechniquesareused.

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7.Technical D ata
S pecification
D escription Paragliding orspeedgliding harness
E N , L TFcertified m ax.load100 Kg
H eightof m ainattach m entpointsaboveseat
plate43 c
m ( forsizeM )
Carabiner D istance36-51 c m
W eight ( withoutparachute ) 3.1Kg
ParachuteContainer
O ptional ( O utercontainerof parachute m ust
beattachedsecurelyto m aincheststrap )
ProtectorAirbagforbackprotection
Certification
S witchharness
L TF N r.EAP R - G Z -7044 / 08

15
DESCRIPTION
FAB R IC O F H A R N E SS
1-1). OUTSIDE
FAB R IC
C O D E
600 D K O D U R AP U
60”
420 D H D N / O XF O R D
P U 60”
KlinglerK4662 / W R
P U 484
S U PP L I
E R
N AME D ong J ininternationalCorp.KlingertextileA G
A DD R E SS
950-11 D aechi- D ong,Kangna m - G u,
S eoul-City,Korea
W ilerstrasse3,C H -
9200 G ossau
MATE R IA L 100%
N Y L O N F.YA R N W O VE N FAB R IC
( O XF O R D S H U TT L E L E SS L OO M )
100% N Y L O N
codura
FI N I S H E D P / D & W / R & W / P
YA R N W ’T 320 G R / Y D 290 G R / Y D
T O TA L W ’T 350 G R / Y D 320 G R / Y D 180 G R / M2
1-2). INSIDE
FAB R ICC O D E420 D H D N / O XF O R D P U 60”
S U PP L IE R
N AME D ong J ininternationalCorp.
A DD R E SS 950-11
D aechi- D ong,Kangna m - G u,
S eoul-City,Korea
MATE R IA L 100%
N Y L O N F.YA R N W O VE N FAB R IC
( O XF O R D S H U TT L E L E SS L OO M )
FI N I S H E D P / D & W / R & W / P
YA R N W ’T 290 G R / Y D
T O TA L W ’T 320 G R / Y D

16
W EBBI N G
2-1). HARNESS WEBBING
MATE R IA L P O L YE S TE R
S U PP L IE R
N AME S I N K W A N G C O
A DD R E SS 752-1
D ogok- R i, W abu- U b, N a m yangju-City,
Kyunggi- D o,Korea
W I D T H ( mm ) 30
B R EAKI N G S T R E N G T H
( K S K0411 ) 1409.6K
G
E L O N G ATI O N
( K S K0411 ) 22.4%
B U CK L E S / R I N G
N a m eT-
L OO K S AFETYB U CK L E" L I G H T"
B U CK L EA U T O MATI Q U E L I G H T 30MM
S U PP L IE R
N AME S U P’AI R
A DD R E SS
S U P’AI R France Z . L .deVoray
14,avenuedesVieuxMoulins 74000 Annecy
W EI G H T ( g / pc ) 54
B R EAKI N G S T R E N G T H 1300kg

17
T H R EA D
MATE R IA L 100%P O L YE S TE R 100%P O L YE S TE R
S U PP L IE R
N AMECoats H ong Kong L i m ited W O N A N G Co m pany
A DD R E SS
J O S Tower,Millenniu m City2
378 kwun Tong R oadKowwon
Pocheon- G un Kyeongki- D o,
Korea
D E N IE R P / F210 D / 9BondedP / F210 D / 4&210 D / 6Bonded
B R EAKI N G S T R E N G T H
( K S K0409 ) 11 kg5kg
/ 7.5kg
E L O N G ATI O N
( K S K0409 ) 17-20 %17-20 %
Everyefforthasbeenmadetoensurethattheinformation inthismanualis
correct,butpleaserememberthatithasbeenproducedforguidanceonly.
Thisowner'smanualissubjecttochangeswithoutpriornotice.Pleasecheck
withwww.gingliders.co m forthelatestinformation regarding theSwitchand
otherGINproducts.