About Me

Salisbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
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 is simple: to design gliders that he, and any other pilot, loves to fly. This philosophy applies equally for an entry-level wing such as the Bolero III, as for the world-beating competition glider, the Boomerang. No glider is released to the market without Gin’s complete satisfaction.Gin has more than 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 network of distributors and dealers. The “GIN Team” has dominated the Paragliding World Cup every year since 1998, and has had countless other competition successes 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.

Sunday 8 February 2009

Bobcat at Bell hill Dorset




Went to bell hill today to fly the Bobcat as the forecast was for 17 mph NW (Perfect)
Arrived at bell to find it covered in snow which was another bonus as it let me play around kiting the Bobcat all over the place skidding along through the snow.
When I arrived the wind was a bit light to soar so I enjoyed the hour or so playing around on the ground and enjoying the snow which is a bit of a rarity down here in the south of the U,K
When the wind picked up as promised I was easily able to soar the Bobcat with the wind blowing about 23 mph and slightly of to the north made for each downward beat of the hill an adrenaline fuelled ride as the speed of this little glider is very apparent. I have not had such a fun day in the winter for a long time.

Sunday 1 February 2009

Gin boomerang 6


The new Boomerang 6 is ready and will be available soon for pilots going to the World Championships.It is a completely new glider, the result of 2 years work with Aljaz and Seyong.We have worked very hard and developed new design software to enable us to integrate many new ideas into our next generation of wings.These new wings are the combination of the best of our imagination and our experience of competition.Attached one photo of the last prototype.We are extremely happy with the performance. The glider is very competitive, especially at high speed.The Boomerang 6 climbs very well.Of course the wing retains our legendary Boomerang characteristics: "easy" and comfortable to fly for a comp wing combined with amazing handling.We have spent a lot of time making the wing stable to fly in all speed configurations.You dont have to take my word for it, try one and see. We wish you good competition results!

An 8 hour tour on the REBEL race!A good day's paragliding is about more than counting the kilometres. When all the elements are in the right place—friends, thermals at 9 a.m. and a good wind—no matter that cloudbase is low, we can still make a beautiful ballade.For Vincent Sprungli, Franck van de Maele and I, the day begins with a good hour of walking, which helps us to quickly forget the too-early alarm clock. At 7 a.m., we are all on hike. With the 5 kg of my REBEL race and a new BASIS harness, I don’t carry more than 10 kg, including some water for the flight and a sandwich if I find time for it.Our take-off, an east-facing, exposed high mountain pasture, is perched at 2100m at the end of Aravis range. The first puffs of cloud form from 8 a.m. on the humid slopes. Luckily a line of cloud protects the take-off and the way is clear. The road is long for Vincent who wants to take his Boom 5 to Vercors before attempting the return towards the Aravis. Franck and I let us have the simple ambition to make the most of the conditions for the entire day.At 8:50 a.m., my REBEL Race shakes off the morning dew and sets off on the adventure. The hours pass. Cloudbase is definitely low, but in the absence of wind we make comfortable progress. There is no need for ideal conditions to complete the day's task. We float only down the length of the Aravis, then along the Bauges, the grand classics of the region. When the day really starts, I understand we won’t see Vincent and his racing wing for much longer. Hopefully, Franck, as a gentleman, will stay with me and I can get some shots of his Boomerang 5. I appreciate the stability of the REBEL race and I push the speed bar between thermals—I’m not that slow! On returning towards lake Annecy, the traffic lights are on red! This is the atmosphere of Paris in rush hour! To escape this blocked patch of sky, we take the first exit, "door of Lanfonnet". The peace returns on reaching the big cliffs of Parmelan and gaining the best height of the day, only 2300 meters.The loop is closed around 5 p.m., by returning to the high mountain pastures of Vormy. It is the beginning of the restitution, but no waggas this evening. After 8 hours in the air, it’s enough to satisfy a pressing need and simply appreciate the flight while having a refreshing beer in the sunshine.Franck completed the same route in style on his Boom 5. Vincent returned from Grenoble...by car! Today, fortune did not favour the brave, but what a day!Flight detailsRoute: Vormy — Montlambert — Parmelan — Vormy. Haute Savoie, France.A triangle across the Aravis range, les Bauges, back to Annecy and a little visit to Parmelan before heading back to the north Aravis range.Wing: REBEL race SHarness: GIN BASISTake-off / Landing: 8h50 / 17h00Maximum height: 2300 mFlight distance: about 140 km.

Saturday 31 January 2009