GIN Bobcat User Manual

BOBCAT owner’s manual – English

Thank you for taking the time to read this manual before using the BOBCAT.

Thank you…

Thank you for choosing the BOBCAT. We are confident that this speedflying glid er will provide
you with countless exciting and fun experiences and wil l enable you to make good progression
in your speedflying career. This manual contains all the information you need to fly and
maintain your glider. A thorough knowledge of your equipment will keep you safe while
enabling you to maximise your full potential.
Please pass on this manual to the new owner if you ever resell your glider.

Have fun!

The GIN Team

Safety Notice

By the purchase of this equipment, you accept all risks inherent with speedflying activities,
including injury or 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 o r
third party injuries or damages under any circumstances. The user is fully and solely
responsible for the safe use of this equi pment, if th ere is any doubt regardin g the use o r safety
of this equipment then it should not be used.

Warning: Speedflying is a potentially dangerous activity. It is the user’s own
responsibility to assess all weather and meteorological conditions, the flying area, all
equipment, etc, before you use this equipment. This equipment was not designed for any
other use than that of speedflying as described in this manual. This equipment should be
launched from the 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 safety 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 to
keep a wide safety margin. Do not practice Speedflying in the vicinity of obstacles, cliffs,
rocks or any other hazards. This equipment requires constant care when it comes to
maintenance and handling. Only use the Bobcat glider with the Bobcat harness; they have
been designed to be used together.

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Contents

Thank You… ....................................................................................................... ................................... 2

Safety Notice ........................................................................................................................................ 2

1. Gin Gliders ........................................................................................................................ 4

2. Introducing Speedflying .................................................................................................... 5

3. Introducing the BOBCAT ..................................................................................................... 5

Speedflying field of use… ..................................................................................................................... 5

For Pilots Who… ................................................................................................................................... 6

Manufacturing ...................................................................................................................................... 6

4. Before you Fly ................................................................................................................... 7

Pre-delivery Inspection ........................................................................................................................ 7

Trim Risers .......................................................................................................................................... 7

Brake line adjustment ........................................................................................................................... 8

Rucksack ............................................................................................................................................... 8

Your harness ........................................................................................................................................ 8

Certified weight range .......................................................................................................................... 9

Essential .............................................................................................................................................. 9

5. Flying the BOBCAT ........................................................................................................... 10

Preparation for launch ........................................................................................................................ 10

Take off .............................................................................................................................................. 10

Min Sink / best glide ........................................................................................................................... 11

Accelerated flight ............................................................................................................................... 11

Active flying ....................................................................................................................................... 11

In turbulence ...................................................................................................................................... 11

Steering without br a k es ..................................................................................................................... 11

Landing with the BOBCAT .................................................................................................................... 12

6. Care, maintenance and repairs ........................................................................................ 13

Ground handling ................................................................................................................................. 13

UV damage ......................................................................................................................................... 13

Packing instructions ........................................................................................................................... 13

Transport and storage ........................................................................................................................ 14

Cleaning ............................................................................................................................................. 14

Inspections ......................................................................................................................................... 14

Repairs ............................................................................................................................................... 14

7. Reference ........................................................................................................................ 15

Technical specifications ...................................................................................................................... 16

Line plan .......................................................... ................ .................................................................. 16

Description ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………17

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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 i s simple: To design gliders t hat he, and any other pilot, will love to fly. This
philosophy applies equally for a speedflying glider such as the BOBCAT, as for the world beating
competition glider, the Boomerang. No glider is released on the market without Gin’s complete
satisfaction.

Gin has over 20 years experience of designing and manufacturing free flight equipment, and is
backed up by an equally experi enced team, both within the compan y in Korea and throughout a
worldwide network of distributors and dealers.

This high level of expertise provided by dedicated professionals ensures that you get the best
possible product support and after sales service.

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2. Introducing Speed Flying

Speedflying, a new flying concept.
A new flying craze is here: Speedflying; flying fast downhill.
Over the last few years, Gin Gliders have been developing speedgliders for speedriding (launch
by ski).
Now, Gin Gliders introduces a speedglider designed for foot launch, the Bobcat.

Speedgliders, a new design concept.
Speedriding and speedflying are both based on a new design concept developed by Gin Gliders.
Speedgliders are not small paragliders, like for example the « Yeti 19 » which is a mini­paraglider and part of our paraglider range.
Speedgliders are dedicated to fly with low glide ratio, stability and speed.
The Speedgliders’ concept is based on :

- Pitch Stability

- Angle of attack control

- Variable glide ratio

- Speed control

3. Introducing the BOBCAT, the Speedflying wing

The Bobcat is op e ning new horizons of piloting for expert and careful pilots with a lot of flying
experience.
The air, the speed and the fun are joined for a new dimension of flight… the possibilities are
growing!
The play of trajectories and speed against the relief opens new piloting potential, as yet
unexplored using soft canopies.

The Bobcat will give you the possibility to return to the original soul of flight and also to open
up new fields of practice. You will be able to fly down the mountain in wider aerological
conditions with this simple and solid glider. You will have fun with strong wind ground handling
and soaring…

Speedflying fields of use…

"Traditional" Speedflying
Unlike modern paragliders, the Bobcat will give you an adrenaline-powered ride down a
mountain, following the slopes and ridges. This is due to a lower glide ratio and higher trim

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speed. You'll reach the bottom faster, but with a huge grin on your face.
Soaring in stronger winds

How many pilots confronted with "strong" winds of 30-45 km/h, have dreamed of the
Bobcat? Here it is!
On the coast, in the mountains, or on your favourite hill, when it is impossible to take
your paragli der from its bag, the Bobca t is ready to take over.

Ground training
How many paragliding schools have dreamed of the Bobcat? Here it is.

To learn in safety on school slopes the basis of inflation and to become familiar with
techniques for stronger winds, the Bobcat is a wonderful educational tool.

Mountaineering

How many mountaineers climbing down from a summit have dreamed of the Bobcat?
Here it is!
The Bobcat will allow you to take off and fly in stronger winds than would be possible
with a paraglider. The Bobcat is compact, light and will easily fit into the bottom of an
experienced mountaineer’s backpack. Its instantaneous inflati on and its high stability
in turbulence will allow you to experience mountains in a thrilling new way.

For pilots who…

The Bobcat is a speedglider designed for highly experienced and responsible pilots that have
enough knowledge to adapt to the speedglider’s dynamic handling. The higher wing loading
increases the speed and the responsiveness of the handling. The glide angles are much lower
than with modern paragliders. The landing approach and landing itself are considerably
different.
The Bobcat is no t recommended for busy flyin g sites and training in a professional paragliding
school is stron gly recomme nded. Regular p ractice on the ground is ve ry useful. Take special
care when deciding when and where to fly, and respect other flyers and flying machines.

Manufacturing

All GIN gliders are produced in the company' s own faciliti es using the most modern techniques.
Highly skilled staff take extreme care throughout th e entire manufacturing process. Stringent
quality control is made after each step, and all materials th at go into each wing can be traced.
These measures guarantee that pilots fly with the assurance that their wing meets the most
exacting safety standards.

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4. Before you fly

Pre-delivery Inspection

The BOBCAT is delivered with a rucksack, the Bobcat harness (designed specifically for the
Bobcat), inner bag, compression strap, repair tape and this manual. Your instructor or dealer
should have made a test inflation followed by a test flight before delivery.

Risers and trimmers

The back risers of the BOBCAT are fitted with trimmers that enable the pilot to adapt the
glider’s behaviour to match his level and the chosen slope. Trimming down (shortening) the back
risers makes the glider slower, the han dling less respon sive and more fo rgi ving, so su itabl e for
pilots that have less experience. Trimming up the risers accelerates the glider, see accelerated
flight for more details. Ask for the advice of an instructor who specialises in Speedflying in
order to bet t er understand and exploit the trimming system.

#13.5, #15, #16,5 A C D

Turn Down 50cm 49cm 48cm

Neutral 50cm 50Cm 50cm
Turn up 50cm 53cm 56cm

Trim down Neutral Trim up

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