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Note: Excuse my bad writings in english, since is not my usual language!

Laboratori d'envol ("Laboratory of takeoff") is a design studio of wings of free flight, placed at the foot of the mountains of Sant Mateu, 20 km NE from Barcelona. It is formed by me, and all those friends who want it. All the presented models are in phase of idea, about study, or prototype, there is not any serial version, for the time being...

All the Laboratori presented designs, can be freely studied, copied, and modified, with any purpose, the commercial one included, without the need for my authorization. This is like this to consider to impose restrictions at the ideas ridiculous. I only expect in exchange, that the copies and derivative ideas are more interesting than the initial, and that the models derived, if possible, also be put into the public domain for study.

The name of "Laboratori" has come out of the multiple experiments that I have conducted for many years, with delta wings at scale, even some at scale 1:1, essays of thread resistance, lines, and fabrics, some models of paraglides of simple surface (the easiest to construct), studies and theoretical calculations...

Regarding the tools of the Laboratory, being simple:

- a pair of computers equipped with GNU/Linux operating system and software
- a sewing machine
- a small home workshop
- some training hills (Rials)
- sun, wind, gravity...

My work in the field of the civil engineering, leaves me little spare time to dedicate oneself to the Laboratori, so the designs advance very little to little, but also so provides me the money to develop new studies ahead. If there is anybody interested in developing or knowing more about one of the projects or other related, can write to this e-mail: pere AT laboratoridenvol DOT com.

The year 2009 marked 10 years since the beginning of Laboratori d'envol, with initial tests with the small parawing made in plastic, and later in nylon, in the grassy slopes of Tregurà de Dalt ... and a little later would come the first major design of the laboratory, the gnupwing.

The 2010 was the year of gnuLAB2 (renamed locally as "Barretina"). It is probably only the first 100% Catalan wing (designed and built in Catalonia), but also is the first glider flight in the world "GNU" (plans freely available online).

In 2011 I started collaboration with the new Spanish brand Adrenaline Paragliders with several prototypes already flying ...and a great future ahead. The latest toy is an Adrenaline version of the simple surface paraglider BarretinaHyperLite...!!!

For 2012 there are still many jobs to do, including:

- LEparagliding 2.0 released, and the  Manual 2.0  !!!
- Complete the paragliding design book
- New gnuLAB3 paraglider !!!
- Launch the book of hang glider design
- To further examine the "language" of the hang glider design, with the aim of making some.

Thank you very much to all friends who support the Laboratori around the world: from France, USA, Switzerland, Germany, Argentina ... and many other parts of the world, united around the wonderful free flight.

Pere Casellas

Laboratori d'envol
Teià-Barcelona , January 2012

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