Parachute Rigger Practice Test: FAA RIG Knowledge Test

60 practice questions on certificates and regulations, design and construction, materials, operations, inspection and packing, the loft, and repairs. We wrote every question from the FAA's own handbook, and each answer links the page it comes from. The real RIG test is 50 questions at 70%.

The real test: 50 questions in 2 hours. 35 right (70%) passes.

Here: 60 questions. Our own practice questions, written from the FAA's FAA-H-8083-17B, a U.S. government work. Not the FAA's test questions. Free.

What's on the test

10 sample questions

1. To earn a Senior Parachute Rigger certificate, how many parachutes must you pack?

   • A.At least 20 of one type
   • B.At least 10 of each type
   • C.100 of two types
   Show answer

   A. At least 20 of one type

   RIG-1 · Certificates and regulations · FAA-H-8083-17B, PDF page 16

2. What does a pilot chute do?

   • A.Slows the opening of the canopy
   • B.Acts as a drag device that pulls the canopy out of the container
   • C.Holds the container closed
   Show answer

   B. Acts as a drag device that pulls the canopy out of the container

   RIG-16 · Design and construction · FAA-H-8083-17B, PDF page 26

3. In what order have suspension line materials come along?

   • A.Vectran, then Spectra, now Kevlar and Dacron
   • B.Kevlar, then cotton, now Dacron
   • C.Dacron, then Kevlar, now Spectra and Vectran
   Show answer

   C. Dacron, then Kevlar, now Spectra and Vectran

   RIG-27 · Materials · FAA-H-8083-17B, PDF page 30

4. What is the leading cause of hard openings?

   • A.Old rubber bands
   • B.Line strip or line dump
   • C.Too small a pilot chute
   Show answer

   B. Line strip or line dump

   RIG-35 · Operations · FAA-H-8083-17B, PDF page 90

5. At an inspection and repack, how should reserve bag extraction force be tested?

   • A.With the container open
   • B.With the pilot chute removed
   • C.With the container closed
   Show answer

   C. With the container closed

   RIG-40 · Inspection and packing · FAA-H-8083-17B, PDF page 99

6. What size packing table does 14 CFR 65.127(a) call for?

   • A.At least 3 feet wide by 40 feet long
   • B.4 by 60 feet, with a padded top surface
   • C.3 by 10 feet
   Show answer

   A. At least 3 feet wide by 40 feet long

   RIG-49 · Tools and the loft · FAA-H-8083-17B, PDF page 173

7. How is canopy mesh tested for an acid condition?

   • A.With a pull test
   • B.With a black light in a darkened room
   • C.With Bromo Cresol Green indicator
   Show answer

   C. With Bromo Cresol Green indicator

   RIG-54 · Repairs, cleaning and alterations · FAA-H-8083-17B, PDF page 109

8. A Master Parachute Rigger candidate needs:

   • A.3 years as a rigger and 100 pack jobs on each of two types
   • B.5 years and 500 pack jobs of any type
   • C.Only a senior certificate, an oral test and a practical test
   Show answer

   A. 3 years as a rigger and 100 pack jobs on each of two types

   RIG-2 · Certificates and regulations · FAA-H-8083-17B, PDF page 16

9. The harness/container assembly includes:

   • A.Only the harness webbing
   • B.Only the parts sewn to the container, not the harness or risers
   • C.Everything needed for an airworthy system except the canopies
   Show answer

   C. Everything needed for an airworthy system except the canopies

   RIG-17 · Design and construction · FAA-H-8083-17B, PDF page 26

10. Why did ram-air canopies need very low permeability fabric?

    • A.To pack smaller and open more softly at high speed
    • B.To resist acid
    • C.To stay inflated and hold the airfoil shape
    Show answer

    C. To stay inflated and hold the airfoil shape

    RIG-28 · Materials · FAA-H-8083-17B, PDF page 30

What the study guide does

• Short study rounds and flip cards.
• A practice test built like the real one: 50 questions, 35 to pass.
• Pass Meter: your chance of passing if you sat the test today, worked out from your own answers.
• An explanation for every answer.