| Skydiving has been around since World War I, when | | | | second only to his parachute and his reserve chute. |
| the military used it for stealth missions. Today's | | | | Skydivers today want to get the most fall time as |
| skydiving technology would be unrecognizable by the | | | | they can, so relying on an altimeter can allow them to |
| soldiers of foregone years. The improvements made | | | | calculate the exact moment when they will have to |
| in design and safety have made it possible for ordinary | | | | open. Recent advances have even produced |
| folk to enjoy this sport in greater and greater numbers. | | | | altimeters that correctly read the distance to earth |
| Falling through the sky at more than 120 mph has a | | | | when the diver is doing tricks or flying upside down. |
| great appeal for a lot of thrill seekers. | | | | Choosing a parachute is determined by the type of |
| New parachute designs are one of the biggest | | | | skydiving the person is going to do. Arrowhead shapes |
| technological changes we have witnessed in recent | | | | are popular, as are the wing designs, and some still |
| years. Old parachutes were just a half a ball made of | | | | prefer the old fashioned round parachute. Helmets |
| nylon, with a hole in the middle for the air to go through. | | | | have also undergone some design changes that allow |
| A parachute today looks more like a bird's wing than a | | | | for less injury if the diver hits the ground wrong. Of |
| lightweight ball and this design gives the parachuter a | | | | course, no helmet will help a diver if his chute doesn't |
| great deal of control. Even though the skydiver is falling | | | | open properly or too late. |
| through the sky at over 120 mph, he can quickly stop | | | | Every parachutist should carefully examine their gear |
| that descent by opening the parachute. | | | | every time they parachute. Any weaknesses or tears, |
| Another new development is an altimeter that lets the | | | | any fraying of cords or harness straps should alert the |
| diver know the optimum time for deploying the chute. In | | | | diver that its time for replacement. Even a seemingly |
| the old days, the parachuters relied on visual reckoning | | | | unimportant item such as the skydiving jumpsuit can |
| and gut feelings. | | | | create danger if it is frayed or has holes in it. These |
| This altimeter has now become one of the most | | | | faults will cause the wind to travel over the suit |
| important new pieces of equipment for a skydiver, | | | | diffidently and will affect the fall to earth. |