Wing certification and sizing

What the EN and LTF classes test and what they cannot promise, why students fly EN-A wings, and how to work out your total flying weight and where it sits in a wing’s range.

In this lesson you will

Sooner or later every student asks two questions about a wing: “What class is it?” and “Is it the right size for me?” Pilots talk about A, B and C wings as if the letter told the whole story. It does not.

This lesson explains what the letter means, what it cannot promise, and why you fly an EN-A wing. Then you will work out your total flying weight, because a wing flown outside its weight range is outside its certification.

What certification is

Almost every wing you will fly has been through certification to the European standard, EN 926, which has two parts. EN 926-1 tests strength: the wing takes a sudden shock load, then is towed behind a vehicle until the load passes 8 times its maximum flight weight¹. EN 926-2 tests flight behaviour. It sorts wings into four classes, A, B, C and D, by how they behave in a fixed programme of test manoeuvres, as a guide to which pilots they suit².

Germany’s airworthiness rules, the LTF, use the same flight tests and letters, and also require a trim speed of at least 30 km/h19 mph at minimum weight³.

CCC is something else: a separate certification for wings flown in top-level cross-country competitions. It sits outside the A–D scale and is never for beginners⁴.

Figure: The EN classes from forgiving to demanding, and who each is made for. School wings sit in class A; CCC is a separate competition certification.

The EN classes from forgiving to demanding, and who each is made for. School wings sit in class A; CCC is a separate competition certification.

The four classes in plain words

A: maximum passive safety, very forgiving. Designed for all pilots, including students at every stage of training⁵.
B: good passive safety and forgiving. For all pilots, but for students only if the maker recommends it. The class is broad: low-end B wings behave much like A wings, while high-end B wings can react dynamically after collapses⁶.
C: moderate passive safety. Can react dynamically to turbulence and pilot errors, so recovery may need precise input. For pilots who know recovery techniques and fly actively and regularly⁷.
D: demanding; can react violently. For well-practised pilots with much experience of turbulent air⁷.

One detail surprises many pilots: the class is set by the worst single result. A wing that scores A in every test but one, where it scores B, is a B wing⁸.

What the test flights measure

Two test pilots each fly the whole programme, one at the wing’s minimum and one at its maximum certified weight. They fly in calm air, with wind under 10 km/h6 mph and no disturbing turbulence, preferably over water⁹.

The test pilots provoke collapses, stalls and spirals on purpose and score the reactions. Never try these yourself; they belong in an SIV course. To score A, a wing must among other things:

Test	What a class-A wing must do
Speed	Trim speed above 30 km/h19 mph, more than 10 km/h7 mph of speed range on the brakes alone, and a minimum speed below 25 km/h15 mph¹⁰
Brakes	Brake pressure that rises all the way to the stall, with more than 55 cm22 in, 60 cm24 in or 65 cm26 in of travel, depending on the maximum weight¹¹
Asymmetric collapse	Turn less than 90° before re-inflating by itself, and less than 360° in total, with no twist¹²
Frontal collapse	Rock back less than 45° and recover by itself within 3 s¹³

Other tests cover spirals, spins, big ears and steering without the brakes¹⁴. The manual states the brake travel, speed-bar travel and harness settings used in testing¹⁵.

What certification does not tell you

Certification describes how the test wing behaved in standard manoeuvres, provoked in calm air, with a standard harness. It cannot show how it behaves in thermals and turbulence, with your harness and settings, or at another loading, and wings in one class can differ a lot in character¹⁶.

The German federation (DHV) shows how much. In its own tests, with deliberately harder collapses than EN uses, older EN-A school wings were rated anywhere from 2 to 4 on a 1-to-5 scale¹⁷. Wings also change as lines stretch or shrink and fabric ages¹⁸¹⁹, which is why they need the regular checks in Care, inspection and packing. And advertised performance figures are not comparable²⁰.

Myth vs fact

Myth: An EN-A wing cannot collapse, and always recovers by itself.
Fact: Class A means the wing recovered by itself in standard tests in calm air. Any wing can collapse in real air, and recovery may need your input¹⁶¹².

Rare is not never. Cravattes are rare on A wings, but in 2024 the DHV recorded two cravatte accidents on them, one fatal²¹.

Why students fly EN-A

Class A is made for pilots at every stage of training⁵. A DHV rule of thumb is to choose one class below the highest you think you could just manage. Pilots who fly little or irregularly, or who have no established active flying style yet, are well served by an A wing, and modern A wings fly long cross-country flights²². An EN-A wing is not something you outgrow in a season.

Standards differ Which wing a student may fly

Common ground: In training your school chooses the wing. Class A is designed for pilots at every stage of training⁵.

USHPA (USA): P2 pilots should fly a wing the manufacturer recommends for beginner-to-intermediate pilots; P1 pilots, a wing for beginner or novice pilots²³.
BHPA (UK): Members must fly certified aircraft; the member rules name no class²⁴. Your school chooses the wing.
APPI (international): The rating rules require a certified reserve on high flights but name no wing class²⁵. Your school chooses the wing.

Summarised from each body’s published material, which changes over time. Check the current official documents and follow your school.

Your total flying weight

A wing’s weight range is not about your body weight. It is about your total flying weight: you in your flying clothes, plus the wing, harness, reserve, helmet, instruments, other gear and any ballast²⁶. One manufacturer estimates that kit adds about 15–20 kg33–44 lb to your body weight²⁷.

Flying outside the certified range takes the wing outside its certification and operating limits, and makers generally recommend the middle of the range²⁸. Some also publish an ideal range inside the certified one; Gin’s Bolero 8 S, for example, is certified for 65–100 kg145–220 lb but ideal at 75–95 kg165–210 lb²⁹.

Weigh yourself for flying

Put on the clothes and boots you fly in.
Why Clothing counts towards your total²⁶.
Pack everything you fly with, including the reserve fitted in the harness, your helmet, radio, instruments and water.
Why All of it hangs under the wing.
Stand on a scale with the packed rucksack on your back.
Cue Read the total, not your body weight.
Why Weighing yourself with all your equipment packed is the reliable check²⁶.
Compare the total with the range on the wing’s label, and ask your instructor where you sit.
Why Makers generally recommend the middle of the range²⁸³⁰.

Figure: Add up your own numbers. The wing is a typical EN-A school wing certified for 75–95 kg (165–210 lb); the dashed mark shows where your body weight alone would put you.

Add up your own numbers. The wing is a typical EN-A school wing certified for 75–95 kg165–210 lb; the dashed mark shows where your body weight alone would put you.

Light or heavy in the range

Where you sit in the range changes how the same wing flies³¹:

Near the top, it is faster, more agile and dynamic, and copes better with wind and turbulence, but it damps itself less in turns and after collapses and needs more precise flying.
Near the bottom, it is slower, more damped and docile, and sinks a little less, but it penetrates wind less and deforms or collapses more easily in strong turbulence.

The glide ratio does not change: a heavier pilot flies the same wing faster, with more sink, at the same best glide³². The polar curve shows why.

Between two sizes? Ozone suggests the top part of a range for precise handling and strong conditions, the middle for better sink in weak conditions, and never the very bottom²⁹. Your instructor will help you choose.

The chest strap in the tests

The test harness is set to a standard chest-strap width for each weight band, and EN labels state it³³³⁰. Set differently, the same wing can behave differently from its test description³⁴; follow your wing’s manual. The harness explains the trade-off.

Common mistakes

Common mistake Counting only your body weight

Symptom: You thought you were mid-range, but the wing feels faster and livelier than expected, or you are over the maximum.
Cause: Forgetting the kit, which one maker estimates at 15–20 kg33–44 lb²⁷.
Fix: Weigh yourself with everything packed, and compare the total with the label²⁶.

Common mistake Buying a wing to grow into

Symptom: In turbulence the wing reacts more dynamically than you can handle.
Cause: A class chosen above your skill, often after hearing that A wings are only for beginners.
Fix: Choose one class below the highest you think you could just manage²².

Instructor's note Read the numbers carefully

In Germany from 2018 to 2022, A wings were involved in 5 of 48 paragliding deaths and in only 2 of the 26 deaths after collapses and stalls. A 2018 DHV member survey suggests about half of members fly A wings, but without the hours flown on each class these are not risk rates³⁵.

Questions students ask

I am between two sizes. Which one should I choose?

Ask your instructor. Makers generally recommend the middle of the range, some publish an ideal range, and Ozone advises never flying the very bottom²⁸²⁹.

A friend offers me their old wing. What should I check?

Its label, class and inspection record, and that your total flying weight fits its range³⁰²⁸. If the label is missing or unreadable, do not fly it until your instructor or a service centre has checked it.

Does flying heavier give me a better glide?

No. A heavier load makes the same wing faster, with more sink, but the best glide ratio stays the same³².

Key points

EN 926-1 tests strength; EN 926-2 sorts wings into classes A to D by how they behave in test manoeuvres. CCC is for competition wings only.
The class is set by the worst single test result.
Certification describes how the test wing behaved in calm air with a standard harness. It cannot predict behaviour in real turbulence, and any wing can collapse.
Students fly EN-A wings: designed for every stage of training, with the most passive safety.
The weight range means total flying weight: you, dressed, plus all your kit. Weigh yourself with everything packed.
Outside the range you are outside the certification. Near the top the wing is faster and more dynamic, near the bottom slower and more damped; the glide ratio stays the same.

Ground to Solo is a study aid. Paragliding is learned in person with a qualified instructor at a recognised school; nothing here certifies you to fly.