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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.

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.

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 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.

What happens when you fly too slowly?

The wing collapses. The glider will enter a deep stall. Nothing, you can fly as slow as you want.

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.

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.

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 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.

'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.

Which data do you need to calculate the wing load?

The weight of the wing, the flat surface of the wing and the weight of the harness. The take-off weight and the flat surface of the wing. The span, the flat surface and the weight of the wing. The aspect ratio and the take-off weight.

The wing load is defined as the weight on the wing per square metre. Therefore you need the total take-off weight and the flat surface of the wing to calculate it. For example, a 25m² glider flown by a pilot with a TOW of 100kg has a wing load of 4kg/m².

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