GIN Tribe User Manual
Tribe Owner’s Manual
Thank you for taking your time to read this manual.
Thank you…
Thank you for choosing the Tribe. We are confident that this paraglider will provide you with
countless exciting experiences in your flying. This manual contains all the information you need to
fly and maintain your paraglider. A thorough knowledge of your equi pment 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 paraglider
pilot and you accept all risks inherent with paragliding activities including injury and
death. Improper use or misuse of G IN equipment greatly increases these risks. Neither
Gin Gliders Inc nor the seller of GIN equipment shall be held liable for persona l or thir d
party injuries or damages under any circumstances.
Please note: This glider is an EN and LTF standard class C intermediate and it is not
suitable for inexperienced pilots or for beginner training. To fly the Tribe safely you
must fly at least 50 hrs. per year, have several years flying experience and you must
have flown with EN & LTF B(DHV 1-2) or higher class gliders before.
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.
2
Contents
Thank you… ............................................................................................................................................................. 2
Safety Notice ........................................................................................................................................................... 2
Contents .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
1. Gin Gliders .................................................................................................................................................................. 4
2. Introducing the Tribe ................................................................................................................................................ 5
For Pilots Who … ..................................................................................................................................................... 5
Cutting-edge Design ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Manufacturing ......................................................................................................................................................... 6
3. Before you fly ............................................................................................................................................................ 7
Pre-delivery Inspection ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Speed System .......................................................................................................................................................... 7
Brake line adjustment ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Rucksack .................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Your harness ........................................................................................................................................................... 9
Certified Weight Range .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Pre-flight safety ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
4. Flying the Tribe ........................................................................................................................................................ 10
Preparation for launch ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Take off .................................................................................................................................................................. 11
Line knots or tangles ........................................................................................................................................... 11
Min sink / best glide ............................................................................................................................................. 11
Accelerated flight ................................................................................................................................................. 11
Active flying .......................................................................................................................................................... 12
In turbulence ......................................................................................................................................................... 12
Losing altitude ...................................................................................................................................................... 14
Steering without brakes ...................................................................................................................................... 16
Flying under the rain ............................................................................................................................................ 16
Aerobatics .............................................................................................................................................................. 16
Landing with the Tribe ......................................................................................................................................... 16
Tow launch ............................................................................................................................................................. 16
Motorized flight .................................................................................................................................................... 16
5. Care, Maintenance and Repairs .............................................................................................................................. 17
Ground handling ................................................................................................................................................... 17
UV damage ............................................................................................................................................................. 17
Packing instructions ............................................................................................................................................ 17
Transport and Storage ......................................................................................................................................... 17
Cleaning ................................................................................................................................................................. 18
Maintenance Inspections ..................................................................................................................................... 18
Maintenance Inspections for Certification ........................................................................................................ 18
Repairs ................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Environmentally friendly disposal of the paraglider ...................................................................................... 18
6. Technical Details ..................................................................................................................................................... 19
Testing and Certification ..................................................................................................................................... 19
Technical Specifications ...................................................................................................................................... 20
Line Plan ................................................................................................................................................................ 21
Description ............................................................................................................................................................ 22
3
1. Gin Gliders
Gin Gliders was formed in 1998 by paraglider designer and competiti on 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 cross country intermediate wing such as the Tribe, as for the worldbeating 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 by an
equally experienced team, both within the company in Korea and throughout a worldwide networ k of
distributors and dealers. The GIN Team dominated the Paragliding World Cup from 1998 till now and
has had countless other competition succ esses 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.
4
2. Introducing the Tribe
The Tribe is a new concept of cross country intermediate wing. Gin Gliders have drawn on all their
years of experience to produce a wing that is uniqu ely in tune with the needs of today's pilots. The
Tribe offers exceptional performance combined with a high security level and pr ecise and dynamic
handling. This allows the pilot to accurately feel the sensations of flight, and thus develop an active
flying style. Rapid progression up the learning cur ve is enabled, as the pilot becomes acquainted
with the myriad of different movements and moods of the air. The Tribe will allow you to experience
the full pleasure of free flight, without ever compromising your safety.
For Pilots Who …
The Tribe is an ideal cross country glider and is suitable for the experienced pilot who flies
frequently and wants a high performing glider wi th a good safety margin. The Tribe is designed for
all kinds of flying, from ridge soaring to thermalling, but is optimized to go further in cross country
Cutting-edge Design
Gin Gliders have made extensive improvements in the Tribe compared to its predecessors.
Performance, take-off and handling characteristics have been improved without sacrificing security.
The inflation is progressive and easy, the glider does not over-shoot the pilot even in strong wind.
An aspect ration of 5.82, a high number of cells (62) and reduced tota l li ne l ength gives th e Tri be i ts
high performance. An optimized trimming of sail and profiles helps to obtain a well coordinated,
homogeneous and secure feeling for a glider of this performance level. The design objective for the
Tribe was to create a performance XC glider with state of the art components (high arc, partial
diagonals, efficient plan form and the Kick Down speed system) with a high level of performance
that is also easy to use. The zigzag air inlets of the tribe are designed to allow optimum influx of air
over a very wide speed range.
The Tribe is made from 100% Skytex on the top surface for the best durability and Skytex 9017 on
the rest of the glider to reduce the weight.
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 brake handle is atta ched wi th a swiv el to avoi d the brake l ine tw isting after
use.
The new leading edge reinforcements made of supple batterns are designed to make the wing lighter
and the profile more durable.
These and other innovations ensure that by purchasing th e Tribe, you are ge tting the best possible
glider in its class.
5
Manufacturing
All GIN gliders are produced in the company's own facilities using the most modern techniques.
Highly skilled staffs 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 exacting
safety standards.
6
3. Before you fly
Pre-delivery Inspection
The Tribe 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 test flight
before delivery.
Speed System
The speed system increases the maximum speed by lowering the angle of attack with a pulleyguided, foot-operated system. Approx. 14 to 16 km/h gain in speed can be realized with the
accelerator at full travel.
It is important to have your accelerator system correctly routed through your harness a nd 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 extende d 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
length at trim speed
(XS, S, M, ML, L)
length at full speed
(XS, S, M, ML, L)
50cm 50cm 50cm 50cm
32cm 35.5cm 43cm 50cm
7