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See also: An Overview On
reflex wings
The Gin Airflex is Gin's entry into the
Reflex realm, with full trimmers and an effective speed system. I've
flown the wing twice, once at Glamis Dunes and again at Beach Blast but
only one time with a Speedbar and I didn't get to make GPS speed
measurements.
Gin is known for quality and this is
no exception. The risers appear to come from Paramania and it carries
the same caveats of control as do most reflex wings regarding brake use
while trimmed fast and appropriate speed system use.
27 m² is large for me which affects
handling responsiveness--everything feels a bit more sluggish when
lightly loaded.
Handling: With trimmers slow handling
is average and with trimmers fast, you use the tip steering toggles
which are moderately effective. You're not supposed to use the brakes
when trimmed fast and that's for good reason. I tested brake use both on
fast trim and on fast trim with full speedbar since that's something we
do in competition. Don't. I took the big collapses so you won't have to.
Instead of brakes, when accelerated on these gliders, only use the tip
steering.
It's easy to see why they don't like brakes
while accelerated. Take it out to kite with the trimmers set to fast.
Let the glider overfly you slighly and pull some brakes. Video 1 has
some great examples of this. But if you keep the wing back, which
requires a fair amount of continuous brakes, it does quite nice.
Inflation (-): Pretty much on par with
other reflex gliders, especially large ones--that is, a bit sluggish.
But set the trimmers to slightly faster than neutral, stay on the A's
until it's fully overhead and you're moving, and she launches reliably.
Efficiency (- slow/ - fast): I didn't
get to measure anything but judging from my flare authority gliding in,
it's quite efficient. With the trimmers neutral in it's a pretty regular
glider--you could take it soaring and do pretty well.
Speed (-): I didn't get to do a speed
test but it has a nice, long trimmer range and so should be reflex fast.
Same with the speed system which appears to have a long range, on par
with other full reflex wings.
Construction (-): Seems very well made,
not surprising given Gins long time as a highly respected maker of paragliders. If they're
using Paramania risers then that also attests to high quality.
Certification & Safety (-): Most
reflex gliders are not certified due to the tests not adequately
measuring their behaviors or the test pilots being unable to deflate
them using the standard means.
Overall (-): For anyone wanting to go
cross country using the benefits of a reflex wing, this won't
disappoint. It's not a appropriate for a brand new pilot but a solid PPG
2, who gets some instruction on their nuance, should be good.
For more information please visit
Gin Gliders in
the U.S.
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