Leopard Gin

Leopard: Speed and performance

The Leopard's amazing mix of performance and ease of use will suit the best distance pilots as well as pilots wishing to progress to the highest levels of competition. This DNA comes from our 8 years of continuous development of 2-line gliders with the World Cup-winning Boomerang. The Leopard, equipped with our second-generation EPT profile, enables us to offer you a stable, easy-to-handle wing with remarkable performance.

Stability of the Leopard

Compared with older 2-line models and high-performance wings, the Léopard offers greater pitch stability throughout the entire speed range. This pitch stability, combined with the exceptional strength of the wingtips, results in a considerable reduction in the pilot's workload in normal flight.

Handling and feel

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Leopard is the solid, cohesive feel of the wing, without rigidity - it immediately feels like a whole, compact wing that naturally connects you to the elements.
The turn is precise and well-coordinated, the wing accelerates towards thermals and the pitch stability is first-class.

Feedback and thermal finder

The Leopard's feedback is soft, but very intelligible. In glide, it's easy to guide the wing towards thermals and lift lines by feeling the pressure differences across the B-risers. The wing flies just as well if you let it: it tends to pull up automatically. Once up, the wing's feedback also helps you stay centered in the core.

Designer's info

Project Leopard involved close collaboration between designers Gin Seok Song and Torsten Siegel. Torsten explains:

"The Leopard is the first mass-produced 2-line with our 2nd generation EPT (Equalized Pressure Technology) profile.

Further CFD* analysis of the wing in its entirety led to the development of a new profile which significantly improves the lift/drag ratio while maintaining a consistently high internal pressure. The result is enhanced stability across the entire speed range. In turn, this has resulted in better performance, smoother, more responsive handling and higher top speed.
In addition to the new profile, we devoted a great deal of effort to finding a new method for calculating the optimum wing tension on all parts of the profile.

The Leopard has 86 cells, giving it an extremely clean surface finish with reduced "ballooning" between each rib. We combined blocks of 3 and 4 cells according to the shape of the profile in accelerated flight. This results in a cleaner arch across the entire span, and the optimized positioning of the attachment lugs also helps to maintain even wing tension. All in all, it's this combination of theoretical advances and practical refinements over the course of 2? years of testing in a variety of conditions in glassware locations around the globe, that gives the Leopard its unique flying characteristics; we're convinced the Leopard will appeal to both distance and competition pilots looking for the best the EN D category has to offer."

Materials

Fabrics

• Top surface leading edge: Porcher Skytex, 38 g/m²
  
• Main upper surface: Porcher Skytex, 32 g/m²
  
• Main bottom surface: Porcher Skytex, 27 g/m² (8.5 lbs)

Lines

• Top: Edelrid 8000 / U-050 / 070 / 090 (unsheathed aramid)
  
• Intermediate: Edelrid 8000 / U-050 / 090 / 130 (unsheathed aramid)
  
• Basses: Edelrid 8000 / U-050 / 070 / 190 / 230 / 360 (unsheathed aramid)