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What do we call the risers that are connected to the lines running to the leading edge of the canopy?

A-risers B-risers C-risers D-risers

These are the A-risers connected to the A-lines.

What are the minimum requirements for a safe take-off?

The possibility to safely abort the launch. A light wind from the front. Clear of cables in a 500m radius. A, B en C are correct.

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.

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.

Standing on launch you see a rain shower approaching. Do you take off?

No, flying in the rain is illegal under air law. Yes, paragliders are not affected by rain and the accompanying wind will dry the paraglider quickly. Yes, if you can be sure that you have landed before the rain shower arrives. No, rain showers are often accompanied by wind gusts, which can be very dangerous for paragliders. Additionally, a wet canopy is more dangerous to fly.

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.

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.

'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.

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.

You're on a straight course and you don't need to change direction any time soon. What do you do with the brake handles?

Let go, because holding them all the time is unnecessary and tiring. Hold them at all times, because the wing will shoot in all directions if you let go. Hold the handles lightly and relax your arms. This ensures a bit of pressure on the brake lines. Hold the handles and pull them down quite a bit. The wing will fly slower and more stable that way.

Modern paragliders fly best without any brake applied - at the so-called trim speed.

But by applying a little bit of pressure, you take out the slack in the brake lines. You feel better what the wing is doing and you can react quickly and subtly to keep the wing straight overhead. This is called active flying.

If you have some more experience it doesn't hurt to let go of the brake handles and relax, but only if it's safe to do so.

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.

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.

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