Parachuting, or skydiving, is an activity involving the breaking of a free-fall from a height using a parachute. It’s performed as a recreational activity, competitive sport, deployment of military personnel and occasionally, forest fire-fighters. The history of skydiving begins with descent from hot-air balloons by Andre Jacque Garnerin in 1797. Modern skydiving has been around for about 200 years. Early competitions date back to the 1930s, and it became an international sport in 1951. Skydiving has been used in the military in the early 1900s during World War I, and used in World War II.
Flying the parachute has two basic challenges: to land where planned, often on a target; and to avoid injury. On a more advanced note, some skydivers enjoy performing aerobatic manoeuvres with parachutes. An example of this would be the “Swoop”, an extremely exciting, but dangerous skill which entails a fast speed approach towards the ground, and then levelling off a couple of feet above the ground to cover as much distance as possible (as much as 600 feet), in a fast horizontal swoop.
A modern parachute or canopy “wing” can glide substantial distances. Elliptical canopies go faster and farther, and some small, highly loaded canopies glide faster than a man can run, which can make them very challenging to land. A highly experienced skydiver using a very small canopy can achieve over 60 mph horizontal speeds in landing.
A good landing will not have any discomfort at all, and will land the skydiver within a few feet of his intended location. In competitions, champion accuracy skydivers routinely land less than two inches from the centre of a target.
Nowadays, most of the skydiving related injuries happen under a fully opened and functioning parachute, the most common reasons for these injuries are badly-executed, radical manoeuvres near to the ground, like hook turns, or too-low or too-high landing flares.
Parachuting organizations
National parachuting associations exist in many countries (many affiliated with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)), to promote their sport. In most cases, national representative bodies, as well as prudent local dropzone operators, require that participants carry certification, attesting to their training, their level of experience in the sport, and their proven competence. Anyone who cannot produce such bona-fides is treated as a student, requiring close supervision.
Within the sport, associations promote safety, technical advances, training-and-certification, competition and other interests of their members. Outside their respective communities, they promote their sport to the public, and often intercede with government regulators.
Competitions are organized at regional, national and international levels in most these disciplines. Some of them offer amateur competition. Many of the more photogenic/videogenic variants also enjoy sponsored events with prize money for the winners.
The majority of jumpers tend to be non-competitive, enjoying the opportunity to “get some air” with their friends on weekends and holidays. The atmosphere of their gatherings is relaxed, sociable and welcoming to newcomers. Party events, called “boogies” are arranged at local, national and international scale, each year, attracting both the enthusiastic young jumpers and many of their elders — Parachutists Over Phorty (POPs), Skydivers Over Sixty (SOS) and even older groups who have yet to choose a catchy name for themselves. Famous people associated with this sport include Valery Rozov who is a gold medallist from the 1998 “X” Games, who has had more than 1,500 jumps. Also, there is Georgia Thompson (“Tiny”) Broadwick who is one of the first American skydivers, and she made the first freefall.
Parachuting Records
World’s largest freefall formation: 400. This record was set February 8, 2006 in Udon Thani, Thailand.
Don Kellner holds the record for the most parachute jumps, with a total of over 36,000 jumps.
Cheryl Stearns (USA) holds the record for the most parachute descents by a woman, with a total of 15,560 in August 2003.
Capt. Joe W. Kittinger achieved the highest parachute jump in history on August 16, 1960 as part of a United States Air Force program testing high-altitude escape systems. Wearing a pressure suit, Capt. Kittinger ascended for an hour and a half in an open gondola attached to a balloon to an altitude of 102,800 feet, where he then jumped. The fall lasted more than 13 minutes, during which Capt. Kittinger reached speeds exceeding 600 miles per hour.
