Pilots Have Emergency Parachute For Safety Purposes

By Stephanie Jones


Man has always wanted to be a bird. It if were possible to grow wings and fly on its own, it would. But sadly the body is not built for flight. Unlike the birds the human bones are solid and heavy. The pectoral muscles could not have lifted if it did not jump. That is why when a body descends from the sky he has to have an emergency parachute.

Tool using was an important milestone in the evolution of civilizations. Other creatures also used tools but the routine use and application that took place separated hominids from the apes. Early tools were crafted from materials that would rot such as sticks and animal bones. Stones were chipped to create sharp edges. Examples of this from as far back as two point five million years ago can be seen in museums.

Early hominid tools were simple but were used in everyday life. Sharpened wooden staves were utilized as weapons as spears. Life was simple then and things were not as fast paced as it is at present. Wooden branches were used as levers to move heavy objects and animal skins were trimmed becoming the first missile launcher as a sling.

Human beings are adventurers and it finds ways to satisfy its curiosity. When it first looked up at the skies envied the birds in flight. It dreamed of being able to fly and glide into the air as effortlessly as the avian. Jumping from high cliffs and into the sea must have given it a thrill almost like that of flying. The problem was that it could not be sustained.

Later on when it was acknowledge that the human anatomy itself was not designed for flying, other means of power were invented that could be used to make flying achievable. The internal combustions engine development along with oil exploration complemented the raw engineering designs of rudimentary airplanes. These were made of wood and fabric and had to be light.

Almost all objects are heavier than air. Gravity has the tendency to pull objects that are large. The force is actually the weight of the person. Lighter than air elements were used for the successful ascension of man unto the skies. Hydrogen and helium were pumped into huge dirigibles that became the first carriers of people across oceans through the air.

As aircraft technology improved, the airplane was utilized for civilian and military applications. Armies began to create air forces to observe and harass enemy positions. But unlike cars that drove in the land, airplanes had no available hangars in the sky. If something went wrong it would crash and along with it the pilot.

The modern chute descended from a crude device made of wooden spokes hooded by fabric. Legend has it that the umbrella was the first form of chute and this happened when a man jumped of a building to safety using bamboo umbrella. The veracity of this legend cannot be proven though. Nevertheless the chute does resemble an umbrella.

Chutes come vary in forms and sizes. The round ones are purely for drag and have no lift. It is just intended to retard the speed of the descent. The cruciform chute is primarily a military device used in special operations. Sports enthusiasts use the wing chutes which tend to move forward at high speeds but can be controlled during landings.




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