GIN Yak User Manual
YA K owner’s manual - English
Thank you for taking the time to read this manual before using the YAK.
Thank you…
Thank you for choosing the YAK. We are confident that this ultra light speedflying glider will
provide you with countless exciting and fun experiences and will 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 equipment, if there is any doubt regarding th e use or 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 note.....................................................................................................................................2
Summary..............................................................................................................................................3
1. Gin Gliders............................................................................................. ..........................4
2. Introducing Speedflying ..................................................................................................5
Speedflying field of u se .................................................................................................................5
3. Introducing the YAK ............................................................................... ..........................5
For pilots who ................................................................................................................................6
Manufaturing .................................................................................................................................6
4. Before you fly...................................................... ................................. ....................... ...7
Pre-delivery Inspection ..................................................................................................................7
Risers and trimmers........................................................................................................................7
Brake line adjustment ....................................................................................................................8
Rucksack.........................................................................................................................................8
Your harness...................................................................................................................................8
Weight range..................................................................................................................................9
Essential.........................................................................................................................................9
5. Flying the YAK................................................................................................................10
Preparation for launch..................................................................................................................10
Take off ........................................................................................................................................10
Min Sink / best glide......................................................................................................................11
Accelerated fligh t .........................................................................................................................10
Active flying.................................................................................................................................11
In turbulence........................ ................ ................ ........................................................................11
Landing with the YAK....................................................................................................................12
6. Care, maintenance and reparis........................................................................................13
Ground handling...........................................................................................................................13
UV damage....................................................................................................................................13
Packing instruct ions.....................................................................................................................13
Transport and storage..................................................................................................................14
Cleaning........................................................................................................................................14
Maintenance Inspections........................................................................................................ .......14
Repairs.........................................................................................................................................14
7. Reference.......................................................................................................................15
Technical specifications................................................................................................................15
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 glid er such as the YAK, 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
A. Speedflying, a new flying concept.
A new flying Style is here: Speedflying; flying fast downhill.
Over the last few years, Gin Gliders have been developing speedgliders for speedriding (launch
by ski) and Speedflying (launch by feet).
Now, Gin Gliders introduces an ultralight speedglider designed for foot launch, the YAK.
B. 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
Speedflying fields of use…
"Traditional" Speedflying
Unlike paragliders, the YAK will give you a ride down a mountain, following the slopes and
ridges. This is due to a lower glide ratio and higher trim 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
YAK? Here it is!
On the coast, in the mountains, or on your favourite hill, when it is impossible to take
your paragli d er from its bag, the YAK is ready to take over.
Mountaineering
How many mountaineers climbing down from a summit have dreamed of the YAK? Here it
is!
The YAK will all ow you to take off a nd fl y in stronger wi nds than would be possible with
a paraglider. The YAK 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.
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3. Introducing the YAK
The YAK is opening new horizons of piloting for expert and careful pilots with a lot of flying
experience.
The air, the speed and the safety are joined for a new dimension of f l i ght… the possibilities are
growing!
The YAK will give you the possibility to return to the original soul of flight and also to open up
new fields of practice. You wi ll 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…
For pilots who…
The YAK is an ultralight 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 YAK is not recommended for busy flying sites and tr aining 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 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.
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4. Before you fly
Pre-delivery Inspection
The YAK is delivered with a rucksack, the YETI harness (designed specifically for Light flights),
inner bag, compression strap, repair tape and this manual. Your in structor or de aler should have
made a test inflation followed by a test flight before delivery.
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Risers and trimmers
The back risers of the YAK are fitted with trimmers th at 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 handling l ess responsive and more forgiving, so suitable for pilots
that have less experience. Trimming up the risers accelerates the glider, see acc elerated flight
for more details. Ask for the advice of an instructor who specialises in Speedflying in order to
better understand and exploit the trimming system.
#15, #16,5, #18 riser A C D
Trim Down 50cm 49cm 48cm
Neutral lengt h 50cm 50cm 50cm
Trim up 50cm 53cm 56cm
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Trim up NeutralTrim down
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