Parachuting

People jump from high up in the sky. They fall fast through the air. This is called freefall.

Next, they open a large cloth. This cloth is a parachute. It helps them float down slowly.

Some people do this for fun. It is a sport. Others use it for work. Soldiers and fire fighters use it.

People must be very careful. They learn how to land well. They learn to use their muscles. This keeps them safe.

It is a big way to see the world. It is very exciting.

Parachuting is a way to move from high up to the ground. People use gravity and a parachute to do this. The trip has three parts. First is freefall. This is when the person falls fast through the air. Second is when they open the parachute. This helps them float down. The last part is the landing.

Many people do this for fun. It is a sport with many styles. Some people do formation skydiving. This is when they fly in groups. Others try wingsuit flying.

Others do canopy piloting. This is how they fly their parachute.

People also use parachutes for work. Soldiers use them to move into new places. In the U.S., smokejumpers use them. These are forest firefighters. They jump near fires in far places.

Safety is very important. Most injuries happen when landing.

Jumpers learn a special landing fall. This uses large muscles to stay safe. Most skydivers wear two parachutes. They have a main one and a reserve. The reserve is built to be very reliable.

Parachuting is a way to move from a high place to the ground.

People use the force of gravity and a parachute to make this trip. The experience happens in three main stages. First, there is freefall, where the person falls very fast through the air. During this time, the body reaches a speed called terminal velocity. Next comes parachute deployment, which is when the parachute opens to slow the person down. Finally, there is the landing on the surface.

Many people enjoy this as a fun hobby or a competitive sport. There are many different ways to do it. Some people try formation skydiving, where they fly in groups. Others enjoy freeflying, which includes freestyle skydiving or skysurfing. Some people even use wingsuits to fly through the air.

The United States Parachute Association (USPA) tracks many of these styles. In 2024, the 41,000 members of the USPA reported making 3.88 million skydives.

Parachuting has a long and interesting history. The very first parachute jump happened on October 22, 1797. A Frenchman named André-Jacques Garnerin made this historic jump. He jumped from a hot air balloon above Parc Monceau in Paris. He used a parachute made of silk to descend about 3,000 feet. Today, people use parachutes for many important jobs. Soldiers use them to move into new areas. In the United States, forest firefighters called "smokejumpers" jump into remote areas to fight fires.

Safety is a very big part of the sport. Most injuries happen during the landing phase.

About 85% of injuries occur when the person touches the ground. To stay safe, jumpers learn a special move called a parachute landing fall. This move uses large muscles to help absorb the impact. In 2024, there were 9 civilian skydiving deaths in the United States. Most skydivers in the US wear two parachutes. They have a main parachute and a reliable reserve parachute.

There are many ways to keep these jumps safe. Experts called parachute riggers inspect and repack reserve parachutes every 180 days.

Many jumpers also use an automatic activation device (AAD). This device can open the reserve parachute if it senses the person is still falling. Other risks include changing winds or collisions with other parachutes. If parachutes hit each other, they might deflate.

In those cases, jumpers must quickly use their reserve parachutes to land safely.

Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from high altitudes to the ground.

These activities use the force of gravity and a parachute to control a descent. The process is divided into three distinct phases. First is freefall, where the jumper falls without a deployed parachute. During this time, the body accelerates until it reaches terminal velocity. The second phase is parachute deployment, when the canopy opens. The final phase is the landing on the surface.

Skydiving is often practiced as a recreational activity or a competitive sport. It is considered an extreme sport because of the inherent risks. Modern militaries also use parachuting to deploy airborne forces and supplies. Special operations forces often use free-fall parachuting for rapid insertion. In the United States, forest firefighters known as "smokejumpers" jump into remote areas to fight fires. Historically, aviators used parachutes to escape aircraft that could not land safely. During World War I and World War II, this was a common method of escape. Today, most pilots use ejection seats to exit aircraft in distress. These seats use explosive charges or rocket propulsion to carry the occupant away safely.

The United States Parachute Association (USPA) recognizes many different skydiving disciplines. Formation skydiving involves jumpers working together in groups. Freeflying includes freestyle skydiving and skysurfing. Some jumpers use wingsuits to change their flight path. Other disciplines include canopy piloting, night jumps, and high altitude jumps. There are also movement jumps, such as tracking and angle flying. Speed skydiving is another recognized category. Stunt skydiving is a non-routine form used for demonstrations or films. These jumps require intense planning and coordination with pilots.

Parachuting has a long history of human achievement. The first recorded parachute jump occurred on October 22, 1797. A Frenchman named André-Jacques Garnerin performed this feat. He jumped from a hot air balloon over Parc Monceau in Paris. He used a parachute made of silk to descend approximately 3,000 feet. This event helped prove that humans could descend safely from great heights using a canopy.

Safety is a primary concern for all participants in the sport. In 2024, the 41,000 members of the USPA reported making 3.88 million skydives. During that same year, there were 9 civilian fatalities in the United States. About 5.6% of USPA members reported injuries requiring medical treatment. Most injuries, roughly 85%, occur during the landing phase.

Improper landings are a major cause of injury. This includes "swooping," which is an advanced discipline of gliding at high speeds parallel to the ground. Sudden wind changes or turbulence can also cause problems. Shifting winds can lead to crosswind landings, which increase impact speed.

Equipment reliability is vital for preventing accidents. In the United States, skydivers are required to carry two parachutes. This includes a main parachute and a reserve parachute.

Reserve parachutes are built to much stricter standards than main canopies. In 2024, approximately one in 764 jumps required a reserve parachute. Certified parachute riggers must inspect and repack reserves every 180 days. Many jumpers also use an Automatic Activation Device (AAD). An AAD can automatically deploy the reserve parachute if it detects freefall at a low altitude.

To prevent injuries during landing, jumpers learn the Parachute Landing Fall, or PLF. The PLF helps the body absorb impact through large muscles. These muscles include the gastrocnemius and the tibialis anterior. This technique protects smaller bones and ligaments from breaking.

Jumpers are also encouraged to wear supportive footwear. This helps prevent ankle injuries during the landing process. Proper training, which can last 4 to 8 hours for beginners, is essential for safety.