What happens when you fly too slowly?
Below the minimum speed or stall speed, the wing stops flying and will descend straight down like a parachute. This is a very unstable situation and often leads to a spin or stall.
See the chapters on Aerodynamics (stalls) and Advanced flying.
What are the minimum requirements for a safe take-off?
A straight headwind is not necessary, you can take off in a slight crosswind. The runway should be clear of cables and other obstacles, but a 500m radius is not necessary. It is however essential to be able to abort your launch, for example when you notice a knot in the lines.
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?
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.
What happens when you brake a paraglider so much that the air speed falls below the minimum speed of about 25km/h?
The photo shows what happens when you pull so much brake that the air speed of the paraglider falls below its minimum speed. The glider stalls. Therefore we sometimes call the minimum speed of a paraglider the stall speed.
Don't do this while flying! Unless you are on an SIV- or acrocourse.
Older gliders can also enter a deep stall when you brake too much - see the chapter on Aerodynamics.
Standing on launch you see a rain shower approaching. Do you take off?
D is the only safe answer. You can never be sure that you have landed before the rain arrives, so C is risky. B is only partly true for light rains, but again you're taking a risk. A is not true, although flying in cloud is illegal in many countries.
A paraglider glides down through the air. But at what speed?
These are all speeds relative to the air!
How tight does the chest strap of the harness need to be?
A short distance beween the karabiners results in a stable flight but enhances the risk of twisting, for example after a collapse.
A large distance between the karabiners results in a higher sensitivity to weight shift but also to more dynamic reactions of the paraglider.
When is the best time to put your legs down during the landing approach?
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.
How tight do you need to pull the leg straps of the harness?
The tightness of the leg straps does not influence the flying properties of the paraglider.
When the leg straps are too loose, after take-off you will find yourself hanging low under the seat and it's more difficult to get in the harness.
Too tight will hinder your movements during take-off, depending on the harness design. In some harnesses it will prevent you from getting into the seat fully.
A pre-flight check should be executed...
Before you take off, you should check at least these things: pilot, lines, canopy, wind, airspace.
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