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It's sunny on launch and you're ready to take off, but the wind has been from the back for quite a while. What do you do?

Stay there and be ready to go. Parawaiting is part of the sport and it's not uncomfortable in the sun. Hold on to the brakes and risers but sit down on your harness. The reserve parachute under your seat is a comfortable seat. When the wind turns you're well rested and ready to go. You disconnect the wing from the harness and pack up the glider. The vulnerable material suffers from the sun. As soon as the wind turns you unpack and get ready again. You bundle up the glider in a 'field pack', take off the harness and lay your equipment in the shade. That way, the materials aren't damaged, you can rest a bit and you will be ready quickly when the wind turns.

Gliders suffer the most from direct sunlight. The airtight coating is damaged by the UV-radiation. Don't leave your glider out in the sun unnecessarily.
Additionally, sitting on the reserve parachute may damage it without you noticing, so it might fail if you ever need it. Never sit on your harness.

'Big ears' are a descent technique and serve to increase your descent rate. Additionally, in which situation is pulling 'big ears' a good idea?

When trying to fly into a strong headwind. When flying in turbulent conditions. When turning in a small thermal. All of the above are correct.

Pulling big ears reduces the wing area and therefore increases the wing load. This stabilizes the canopy somewhat. It also increases the flying speed but in most cases this is counteracted by the extra drag the ears create.

A pre-flight check should be executed...

...before take-off. ...after every flight. ...every six months or as often as the manufacturer recommends. ...only by your instructor.

Before you take off, you should check at least these things: pilot, lines, canopy, wind, airspace.

You just landed. What do you do?

You bundle up the glider in a 'field pack' and take the shortest way to the designated packing area. You bundle up the glider in a 'field pack' and take the shortest way to the edge of the field and from there to the designated packing area. You report to the instructor. When he or she says it's ok, you bundle up the glider in a 'field pack' and walk to the designated packing area. You pack up your vulnarable glider on the spot and then you report to the instructor.

Directly after landing, look around for other gliders that are about to land and clear the landing area as quickly as possible, without disturbing others.

Which pre-launch check is the most important?

Checking the lines and canopy are laid out cleanly. Checking your flight instruments. Checking your leg straps are fastened. Checking if there is sufficient thermal activity.

Even though all newer harnesses have a safety feature to prevent you from falling out of the harness if you forget your leg straps, this is very uncomfortable and on an older harness it may be a fatal mistake. Checking lines and canopy is of course very important as well.
See the section on Launching in the Basic techniques chapter.

What is the weight of the fabric used to make paraglider canopies? (g/m²)?

500g/m² 350g/m² 35g/m² 10g/m²

Very light fabric strong enough for paragliders can be as light as 25g/m². Very strong and heavy fabric weighs 40g/m² or more.
At around 35g/m², you can calculate that the weight of the fabric of just the top and bottom sail of a 25m² canopy is a bit less than two kilos.

What do you do when you can't hear the instructor over the radio during a flight?

You throw your reserve parachute. It is much too dangerous to keep on flying. You keep course to the landing field. Close to the landing field you spread your legs to indicate to the instructor that something is wrong. He or she will then give instructions via signs. Don't forget to keep thinking for yourself as well and make sure you land safely on your feet in open space. You turn around and fly back to the take-off to try and notify the instructor there, so he or she can give directions. You do nothing. The paraglider will touch down sooner or later by itself.

B is correct, A and C are nonsense of course.

Answer D is the second best choice in case your mind goes blank, you panic and you don't know what to do. It's better to do nothing in that case.

Why are the cell openings slightly pointed down?

To increase the aerodynamic properties of the paraglider. Because the airflow is coming from the front and below at an angle. To enable dirt or dust to fall out easily. To achieve a venturi effect.

The cell openings are positioned where the air flow hits the profile of the airfoil.

When is the best time to put your legs down during the landing approach?

As soon as you can see the landing field. After you have burned off excessive height and start your landing circuit. At the last moment during the landing flare. When you are on the final leg of the landing circuit.

D is the safest option. The others are either uncomfortable and unwanted because you can't use weightshift anymore, or unsafe if you are too late and land on your bum risking a back injury.

For a paraglider in the mountains, what wind speeds are considered safe to fly?

Only nil winds from 0 to 1 Bft. Only light winds from 2 to 3 Bft. Only with wind from 0 up to 3 Bft. Only with wind speeds over 3 Bft.

Wind results in turbulence in the mountains. While soaring on a ridge or at low dunes or flying in flatlands may be safe up to 4 Bft or a bit higher using a smaller mini-wing, in the mountains a wind speed up to 3 Bft (a maximum of 20 km/h) is the maximum for most pilots to fly safely. Strong winds are considered 25 km/h or over.

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