Safe Pro 2 / Para Pro 2 (Elementary) Exam

• Be able to define the terms Lift, Drag and Angle of Attack.
• Understand the relationship between pressure and airflow above and beneath the wing or canopy.
• Understand what causes a wing to stall.
• Understand what happens to lift and drag when control inputs are applied.

• Understand wind gradients and its effect.
• Understand how ground obstacles can affect local airflow.
• Understand what to look for when assessing take-off and landing areas.
• Understand the basic principles of wind and airflow over hills.
• Understand how turbulence is produced, and its hazards to the pilot.

• Understand the relationship between airspeed, wind-speed and ground-speed.
• Know your responsibilities to other air users.

• Know the Rules of the Air - failure on any of these questions results in automatic failure of the whole exam.
• Know the Low-flying rules.
• Understand the way airspace in Ireland is divided.
• Understand the process for notifying ATC for flying sites inside controlled airspace.
• Know the legal definitions of sunset, night and sunrise, and the relevant restrictions relating to them.

• Be able to link basic cloud types and their associated weather.
• Be able to recognise the key symbols on a synoptic weather chart and understand their meaning.
• Understand the basics of hill, thermal and wave lift.
• Know how to obtain a forecast and how to measure the wind on site.
• Be able to identify deteriorating weather conditions.

• Understand the need to keep a flight log book.
• Understand the purpose of a red ribbon on a HG or PG.
• Be familiar with the demands of flying in company with your fellow pilots, both on the ridge and thermalling.
• Be familiar with aeronautical charts (air maps.)
• Understand how a hang glider or paraglider is able to gain height.
• Be able to name the symptoms of an impending stall.
• PGs - Differentiate between symmetric and asymmetric canopy tucks - how they are caused and how to use the controls to effect a recovery.
• PGs - State what action to take in the event of a towline-release failure.
• PGs - Know how to deal with hazardous (tree / water / obstacle) landings.

• Be able to define the terms - Stall, Lift, Centre of Pressure, Drag(in its various forms) Aspect Ratio, etc.
• Understand the relationship between airspeed, lift, drag; know how lift is created and proportioned between the top and bottom wing surfaces, and describe the forces acting on a glider in steady flight.
• Be able to work examples of air-speed, wind-speed, ground-speed and height loss/gain (given minimum-sink rates and airmass ascent rates.)
• Understand terms such as Angle of Attack, L/D Ratio, Glide Ratio and Wing Loading, and be able to assess the effect that pilot weight changes have on paraglider performance.
• Understand the purpose and effect of trim tabs and the factors affecting canopy stability.

• Be able to name the official documents, sources and promulgation methods of Irish aviation law.
• Understand the law regarding the use of radios while flying a hang glider or paraglider.
• Be able to interpret aeronautical charts (including scales, differences in the level of information depicted, validity periods, and symbols.)
• Understand the basic structure of Zones, Areas and Airways.
• Know the dimensions of ATZs.
• Understand the usage of various altimeter settings (QFE, QNH and 1013.2mb.)
• Know the Rules of the Air (especially the low-flying rules, the right-hand traffic rule, and the aerial collision avoidance rules.)
• Be able to define VMC and VFR (minima, rules.)
• Know the legal definitions of sunset, night and sunrise, and the relevant restrictions relating to them.
• Be able to define IMC and VFR (basic differences from VMC rules.)
• Understand the factors affecting compasses (deviation and variation.)
• Be able to interpret warning signs.
• Understand commonly used abbreviations and initials.
• Be able to destinguish between types of airspace that permit glider entry and those that do not (e.g. AIAAs, MATZs, Danger Areas.)

• Understand the relationship between wind direction and areas of high and low pressure.
• Be able to describe in detail a cold front and a warm front (typical clouds, conditions, pressure changes and wind changes.)
• Be able to identify some common high, medium and low cloud types, and give their approximate heights.
• Fully understand convection (the birth and development of a thermal, through to plotting the progress of a thermal given the ELR and initial temperature.)
• Understand and be able to define and use meteorological terms such as stability, instability, veer, back, ELR, DALR, SALR, tephigram, anabatic and katabatic.)
• Be able to describe the usual conditions associated with high- and low-pressure weather systems.
• Understand the causes of: valley winds throughout the day, sea breezes and sea-breeze fronts, wave lift, and fog (of various types.)
• Fully understand and interpret a synoptic chart - to the extent of being able to describe the current weather at selected locations, and to forecast likely changes.
• Be able to link cloud types to precipitation.

• Be able to explain in detail how a wing creates lift, including the relevance of venturi tubes and Bernoulli's Theorem.
• Be able to define and use terms such as Chord Line, Angle of Attack, Aspect Ratio, Centre of Pressure, and Washout.
• Be able to describe the aerodynamics of a stall.
• Be able to simply describe factors affecting stability in pitch, roll and yaw.
• Understand the relationship between glide ratio and L/D ratio.
• Understand the effect of ballast.
• Be able to name the forces acting on a glider in steady flight and explain their relationship.
• Be able to name the various types of drag and explain their causes.
• Be able to describe the relationship between the induced, parasitic and total drag and airspeed using drag curves.
• Understand the basic working principles of altimeters and variometers.