GIN Bobcat is in NZ!
Submitted by eva on Thu, 10/07/2008 - 20:27.
GIN Bobcat - foot-launched speed glider
GIN Bobcat, the ideal toy for
- nil wind fast flying
- strong wind soaring
- mountain descents in all sorts of conditions
Jeff's first 2 flights in nil wind and tail wind
- easy launch even with tail wind
- great, precise handling
- easy landing: Bobcat converts speed into lift when flaired
- variable speed and glide thanks to trimmers: choose a fast descent or soaring performance!
In NZ now! Try it - you will LOVE it!
Jeff Ripley had his first flight on the new GIN Bobcat yesterday - straight out of the box to the beach. Not that there was any wind as forecasted, but still, there was no way to hold him back. See the YouTube video below!
You may have been (wisely!) cautious with mini-paragliders and other so called speed glider so far; we have been holding back as it has been clear to us that those gliders currently on the market do need to be handled with care and are only for expert pilots. Still, we have been having lots of fun on the 19 sqm (16 projected) Yeti mini-praglider.
Most of the so called speed gliders were small, fun, scaled down paragliders, which displayed the up- but also the down-sides of badly overloaded paragliders. Higher speed than normal, high, sudden stall point, over-eager turning, great sink and momentum in turns, low pitch and roll stability has caught out quite a few people and made others shy away from the idea of such gliders. These gliders were actually as fast as they could be, as they all started out as a slowish DHV 1 glider.
The Bobcat is very different: It is NOT a scaled down paraglider, but neither a speed riding glider or a parachute.
Gin and Francois Bon have put a lot of effort and time into designing a totally new generation glider from scratch, a glider which is designed to be flown at high wing loading, to be foot-launched and safely landed, and to be flown in strong conditions, soaring in strong wind, safe descents from mountains in variable conditions. The Bobcat feels much like a paraglider. It packs down tiny in a great small backpack, with a special harness. A perfect package, a finished, well-thought through package. In that respect it is much like the Nano - which has turned out the benchmark (ski-launched) speed riding glider.
More info on the Bobcat is on the Gin Bobcat web page
General information on speed flying is on the Gin Speed flying page.
Still, because it is small and fast, pilots need to be experienced to fly it.
TRY THE BOBCAT if you are interested in a fast, easy, small glider for a wide range of conditions and flights. And not expensive: as an intro offer you can get a Bobcat at a very low price with special harness, carabiners, back protector, funky backpack! Be quick.