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What happens when you brake a paraglider so much that the air speed falls below the minimum speed of about 25km/h?

The glider stalls, ie it doesn't fly anymore. The glider will fly on as slow as you want. The glider collapses.

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?

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.

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.

What part is indicated by C (the orange line)?

A cell A top line A diagonal rib A stabilo

A diagonal rib connects the upper left corner of a cell with the lower right, or sometimes runs across two or more cells.
This allows the use of fewer lines, reducing the weight and drag of the paraglider.

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.

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.

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.

'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.

Despite a good flare, you have a lot of speed just before touching down, because you landed with the wind in your back. What do you do?

You land on your feet and try to run it out during landing. You pull in your legs and land on your bum - the foam protector or airbag in your harness will absorb the blow. You stretch out your legs and land on your back. This ensures the airbag gives maximum protection. On touch down you drop forward and catch the fall with your arms.

A is the safest option if you're not familiar with a PLF (parachute landing fall) which needs practise. Your legs are much stronger than your back or arms.

Although on a flat grassy surface, you could get away with answer B, it can be very dangerous when stones, holes or other objects are hidden in the grass.

Using the protection in your harness as a landing option is not safe - would you park your car against a wall at full speed because the airbags will catch the blow?

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