SKYDIVING: An Overview

If you do not know what you are seeing, it is easy to shout what is not right, whenever you see a human form fluttering in the sky under a cloth device. However, if you want to jump into the ranks of connoisseurs, read on and we'll give you an idea of how varied the disciplines are.

Skydiving is not the only way to move in the sky. In fact, it is part of a fairly extensive family. Skydiving is one of a tradition of sports activities that some call "extreme sports", some call "serious sports", some are mixed with "adventure sports" and others simply call it "the best way to spend the day". If you want to know what skydiving is, you should know the rest of the clan.

WHAT IS SKYDIVING?

The Parachute Association of the United States (USPA) defines skydiving, the original "extreme sport" that precipitated the appearance of the term in the cultural lexicon, in the following way:

1: The descent of a person to the surface from an airplane in flight when he or she uses or attempts to use a parachute during all or part of that descent.

2: Jump from an airplane with a parachute.

The key elements here are "planes" and "parachutes". An "airplane" must be just that: a vehicle moving through the air. The plane does not have to be an airplane: it can be a hot air balloon, an ultralight, a paraglider with a tandem harness from which to jump, or a large airship. The "parachute" must be present, but it does not have to be of any type. It can be an old school round or a modern ram-air number (square). These days, it's almost always the last.

The paratroopers are made using a "two parachute system", which consists of a "container" (the backpack in which the fabric is folded) and two parachutes: the main canopy and the reserve parachute (or "reserve") in case of a malfunction In most parachuting systems, there is an installed device that opens the reserve parachute in the event that the parachutist does not or cannot open his own parachute without help. These failures allow the great statistical security of tandem skydiving (which is highly regulated).

WHAT IS BASE JUMPING?

BASE jumping is the sport of jumping - while wearing a one-parachute safety system - from non-moving objects. These systems are designed to open quickly and on-heading in a perilously short space of time. There is no reserve canopy in a BASE-specific container.

By:  Preeti Narula

Content: https://www.skydivelongisland.com/about/articles/what-is-skydiving/