Simple definition
Skydiving or Parachuting is an adventure sport (extreme sport) where the players are lifted by an aircraft and they return to the Earth with the aid of gravity, later upon the return is being slowed down by the use of a parachute.
Brief History
Andre-Jaques Garnerin made a successful fall by using a canvas canopy and a small basket which was tethered beneath a hot-air balloon during the start of the last millennium. But the first ever international freefall jump was done by Leslie Irvin in the year 1919 by using a ripcord operated deployment.
The skydiving is now not limited to a sport only. Even militaries of many countries have their own skydivers and use them effectively at the time of war or even at the time of natural calamities. The earliest date of a full fledged skydiving competition is believed to be in the 1930s and it got recognition as an international sport in the year 1952.
Skydiving Centers
As the game became more and more popular in the west, the skydivers have started Skydiving Centers where they not only enjoy skydiving but also train the skydiving enthusiasts as well. Such clubs normally operate near an airport, which can provide more aircrafts. There are many skydiving clubs in the world who can take an enthusiast for a skydiving experience for free!
The normally used aircrafts for skydiving are
Cessna 208, Cessna 172, Cessna 182, GippsAero GA8 Airvan or Short SC.7 Skyvan and de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.
Normal distance a skydiver has to cover from air to the land.
Normally an airplane is used for a skydive but sometimes even a helicopter or the gondola of a balloon is also used for it, hence the height varies. But it can be anywhere from 1, 000 ft to 3, 000 to even 13, 000 ft. A free fall can be 1000m per one minute. Once the parachute opens the jumper can then control the speed and the direction and can steer the lines which are attached to the parachute.
Skydiving can be done either alone, with a partner or in a group also. A group skydiving also involves amazing acrobats as well.
Skydiving or Parachuting Variations
- Hit and Rock
- Freeflying
- Tracking
- Formation Skydiving
- Pond Swooping
- Cross Country
- Camera Flying
- Night Jumps
- Stuff Jumps
- Skysurfing
- BASE Jumping
- Wingsuit Flying
- Tunnel Flying