Atlas 2

During the development of the Atlas 2, one of the aspects the Gin R&D team worked on was optimising the 3D shaping and sail tension for increased performance. Chief designer Gin Seok Song explains:“The Atlas 2 project enabled us to use the latest technology from our competition wings in a lower-aspect ratio design.Optimising the 3D shaping and sail tension gave us a bit more performance, and also a better feeling in the air. The glider is more damped in pitch which means that you don’t lose energy when gliding in moving air. The Atlas 2 also has a tendency to sniff out thermals by turning towards the core. And then, once you’re inside a thermal, the low aspect ratio and inherent stability help you get the most out of every thermal core, even the more turbulent ones.We also worked on making the wing as easy to launch as possible, especially in stronger winds. Take-offs are a critical moment of a flight, so it’s really important that the wing comes up progressively and smoothly and doesn’t demand too much from the pilot. There are so many pilots who don’t fly hundreds of hours a year and who just want to reduce their exposure to risk without losing too much of the fun factor. For these pilots, we think the Atlas hits the sweet spot.”