The Use And Importance In Skydiving Of The Safety Parachute

By Stephanie Schmidt


With the advent of the bucket list craze, more and more people have committed to stepping out not just from their comfort zones but from their safety zones. This accounts for the popularity of certain kinds of extreme sports, like skydiving. Before you embark on this perilous enterprise, however, you should first be equipped with a trusty gizmo called a safety parachute.

The term extreme sports has been hackneyed so much that it is subsumed under definitional gray areas. Theres big wave surfing and base jumping, which we acknowledge to be dangerous and off the top. But theres also snorkeling which some people say with a knowing nod is an extreme sport. Anyway, for the purpose of this discussion, well define the aforementioned term as an activity in which one can die anytime given a niggling accident or mistake.

Anyway, whatever the gradations used, skydiving is overqualified. This sport involves diving from a high altitude, usually from an aircraft tens of thousands of feet in the air, and then freefalling before one deploys a parachute. This aforementioned equipment is typically dome shaped and made from a strong, light fabric, usually nylon. It works by lowering a persons or objects terminal velocity and increasing their air resistance so that they land relatively softly on the ground.

Parachutes are gizmos from the eighteenth century. However, they still have not reached the zenith of their development. Inventors and innovators are still continually perfecting them. In fact, the most important improvements have only been made relatively recently, given the long history.

Therefore, there is no assurance that parachuting is a risk free sport. Thats another way of saying that no one particularly fancies the mortality rate. For instance, injuries occur at one in one thousand, and fatalities stand at one in a hundred thousand.

However, there is still the risk of being THAT ONE among a hundred and thousand people. You can preclude this by undergoing extensive training and ensuring that your equipment is in shipshape condition. There are certain practices you should instill and equipment you should have before you go on with this extreme sport.

First time solo parachutists are required to undergo four to eight hours of ground training. And even after then they may opt for a tandem jump, in which they are strapped to an experienced instructor, who opens the parachute and deals with possible emergencies. All must carry with them a reserve parachute, which is personally inspected and packed by a certified rigger.

Specified attire and gears are required. This includes jumpsuits that protect the skin from corrosive conditions above, footwear that prevent ankle twists, helmets that absorb considerable shock, goggles that protect eyes from stinging winds and debris, and gloves, only if the wearer is comfortable. Reserve parachutes are absolutely and unconditionally important. They are periodically inspected and meticulously packed by a certified professional. The most important development, however, is the automatic activation device, or AAD. This tiny, portable computer calculates your free fall rate and optimum height. If the main parachute is still not opened at the predetermined altitude, it automatically deploys the reserve one.

With these regulations and equipment, the extreme has been made a jot more manageable. Time may come, then, that injury and fatality rates will go even lower. That will be a welcome relief.




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