| “Parachuting is an activity involving a preplanned drop from a height using a deployable parachute.One type of parachuting is skydiving, which is recreational parachuting, also called sport parachuting.The history of parachuting is not clear. It’s known that Andre-Jacques Garnerin made successful parachute jumps from a hot-air balloon in 1797. The military developed parachuting technology first as a way to save aircrews from emergencies aboard balloons and aircraft in flight, later as a way of delivering soldiers to the battlefield. Early competitions date back to the 1930s, and it became an international sport in 1951.
Today it is performed as a recreational activity and a competitive sport, as well as for the deployment of military personnel Airborne forces and occasionally forest firefighters.” {read more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skydiving} |
