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 c , also known as  

, is the action of performing acrobatics during freefall,
followed by deployment of a parachute.

The history of skydiving starts with Andre-Jacques Garnerin who made successful parachute
jumps from a hot-air balloon in 1797. The military developed parachuting technology 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.

Parachuting 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.

A fixed base operator at a sky diving airport operates one or more aircraft that takes groups of
skydivers up for a fee. An individual jumper can go up in a light aircraft such as a Cessna C-172
or C-182. In busier drop zones (DZ) larger aircraft may be used such as the Cessna Caravan
C208, De Havilland Twin Otter DHC6 or Short Skyvan.

A typical jump involves individuals jumping out of an aircraft (usually an airplane, but
sometimes a helicopter or even the gondola of a balloon), at approximately 4,000 meters (around
13,000 feet) altitude, and free-falling for a period of time (about a minute)[1] before activating a
parachute to slow the landing down to safe speeds (about 5 to 7 minutes).

When the parachute opens (usually the parachute will be fully inflated by 800 meters or 2,600
feet) the jumper can control the direction and speed with toggles on the end of steering lines
attached to the trailing edge of the parachute, and can aim for the landing site and come to a
relatively gentle stop. All modern sport parachutes are self-inflating "ram-air" wings that provide
control of speed and direction similar to the related paragliders. Purists in either sport would note
that paragliders have much greater lift and range, but that parachutes are designed to absorb the
stresses of deployment at terminal velocity.

By manipulating the shape of the body a skydiver can generate turns, forward motion, backwards
motion, and even lift.

When leaving an aircraft, for a few seconds a skydiver continues to travel forward as well as
down, due to the momentum created by the plane's speed (known as "forward throw"). The
perception of a change from horizontal to vertical flight is known as the "relative wind", or
informally as "being on the hill". In freefall, skydivers generally do not experience a "falling"
sensation because the resistance of the air to their body at speeds above about 50 mph (80 km/h)
provides some feeling of weight and direction. At normal exit speeds for aircraft (approx 90 mph
(140 km/h)) there is little feeling of falling just after exit, but jumping from a balloon or
helicopter can create this sensation. Skydivers reach terminal velocity (around 120 mph
(190 km/h) for belly to Earth orientations, 150-200 mph (240±320 km/h) for head down
orientations) and are no longer accelerating towards the ground. At this point the sensation is as
of a forceful wind.
Many people make their first jump with an experienced and trained instructor - this type of
skydive may be in the form of a tandem skydive. During the tandem jump the instructor is
responsible for emergency procedures in the unlikely event that they will be needed, therefore
freeing the student to concentrate on learning to skydive. Other training methods include static
line, IAD (Instructor Assisted Deployment), and AFF (Accelerated Free fall) also known as
Progressive Free-Fall (PFF) in Canada.

At larger dropzones, training in the sport is often conducted by full-time instructors and coaches.
Commercial centers often provide year-round availability.

In areas where winter (or monsoons) gets in the way of year-round operation, commercial
skydiving centers are less common and the parachuting activity may be by clubs. These clubs
tend to use smaller aircraft. Training may be offered (by instructors who are tested and certified
in exactly the same way as their commercial counterparts) in occasional classes or as demand
warrants. These clubs tend to be weekend only operations as the majority of the staff have full-
time jobs during the week. Club members will often visit larger centers for holidays, events, and
for some concentrated exposure to the latest techniques.

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 c 
An apparatus used to retard free fall from an aircraft, consisting of a light, usually
hemispherical canopy attached by cords to a harness and worn or stored folded until deployed in
descent.
Any of various similar unpowered devices that are used for retarding free-speeding or free-
falling motion.
 
 c  - descent with a parachute; "he had done a lot of parachuting in
the army"
jump
skydiving - performing acrobatics in free fall before pulling the ripcord of a
parachute
descent - the act of changing your location in a downward direction

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