BASE jumping is the recreational sport of jumping from fixed objects, using a parachute to descend safely to the ground. "BASE" is an acronym that stands for four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: buildings, antennae, spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs). Participants exit from a fixed object such as a cliff, and after an optional freefall delay, deploy a parachute to slow their descent and land. A popular form of BASE jumping is wingsuit BASE jumping.
Parasailing, also known as parascending, paraskiing orparakiting, is a recreational kiting activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle while attached to a specially designed canopy wing that resembles a parachute, known as a parasail wing. The manned kite's moving anchor may be a car, truck, or boat. The harness attaches the occupant to the parasail, which is connected to the boat, or land vehicle, by the tow rope. The vehicle then drives off, carrying the parascender and person into the air. If the boat is powerful enough, two or three people can parasail behind it at the same time. The parascender has little or no control over the parachute. The activity is primarily a fun ride, not to be confused with the sport of paragliding.
The Rogallo wing is a flexible type of wing. In 1948, Francis Rogallo, a NASA engineer, and his wife Gertrude Rogallo, invented a self-inflating flexible wing they called the Parawing, also known after them as the "Rogallo Wing" and flexible wing. NASA considered Rogallo's flexible wing as an alternative recovery system for the Mercury and Gemini space capsules, and for possible use in other spacecraft landings, but the idea was dropped from Gemini in 1964 in favor of conventional parachutes.
Powered paragliding, also known as paramotoring or PPG, is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a back-pack motor which provides enough thrust to take off using a paraglider. It can be launched in still air, and on level ground, by the pilot alone—no assistance is required.
Snowkiting or kite skiing is an outdoor winter sport where people use kite power to glide on snow or ice. The skier uses a kite to give them power over large jumps. The sport is similar to water-based kiteboarding, but with the footwear used in snowboarding or skiing. The principles of using the kite are the same, but in different terrain. In the early days of snowkiting, foil kites were the most common type; nowadays many kiteboarders use inflatable kites. However, since 2013, newly developed racing foil kites seem to dominate speed races and expedition races, like Red Bull Ragnarok and the Vake mini-expedition race. Snowkiting differs from other alpine sports in that it is possible for the snowkiter to travel uphill and downhill with any wind direction. Like kiteboarding, snowkiting can be very hazardous and should be learned and practiced with care. Snowkiting has become more popular in places often associated with skiing and snowboarding, such as Russia, Canada, Iceland, France, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Northern and Central United States. The sport has become more diverse as adventurers use kites to travel great distances and sports enthusiasts push the boundaries of freestyle, big air, speed and back country exploration.
A parafoil is a nonrigid (textile) airfoil with an aerodynamic cell structure which is inflated by the wind. Ram-air inflation forces the parafoil into a classic wing cross-section. Parafoils are most commonly constructed out of ripstop nylon.
Goderich Airport, also known as Goderich Municipal Airport, is a registered aerodrome located 1.5 nautical miles north of Goderich, Ontario, Canada.
A parachute rigger is a person who is trained or licensed to pack, maintain or repair parachutes. A rigger is required to understand fabrics, hardware, webbing, regulations, sewing, packing, and other aspects related to the building, packing, repair, and maintenance of parachutes.
The United States Army Parachute Team, nicknamed the Golden Knights, is a demonstration and competition parachute team of the United States Army. It consists of demonstration and competition parachutist teams, drawn from all branches of the U.S. Army. Members must demonstrate excellence in parachuting.
Berta Zerón de García was the first woman in Mexico to obtain a Commercial Pilot's License and an Unlimited Public Transport License. She was the first woman to pilot a jet airplane, participate in international air races, and become a skydiver.
The Canadian Sport Parachuting Association (CSPA), through affiliation with the Aero Club of Canada (ACC), is Canada's representative to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) and the International Parachuting Commission (IPC). Thus, the CSPA is the official sport organization for sport parachuting in Canada.
Kathy Cox, CM, now known as Kathy Sutton, is a Canadian skydiver. Cox placed first overall at the Canadian National Parachuting Championships in 1973, 1978, and 1980 (tie). In 1975, while practicing with her team, Cox seriously fractured her fibula and tibia. She returned to jumping in Florida in March 1976. She is also noted for having won the Gold Medal in Women's Individual Accuracy at the XV World Parachuting Championships in Bulgaria in 1980. She was voted Canadian Athlete of the Month in August 1980 by the Sports Federation of Canada, and was CBC Athlete of the Year, also in 1980. She was also the Women's Overall Champion at a 3-country invitational competition in Canton, China in 1981. Cox was named to the Order of Canada in 1984 in recognition of her achievements in sport parachuting. She is married to Steve Sutton, himself a Silver Medalist in Men's Individual Accuracy at the XI World Parachuting Championships in the United States in 1972. After leaving sport parachuting, Cox went on to work as a researcher for DRDC Toronto for many years before retiring.
Lisa Olsen is a Canadian-American skydiver.
Domina Cleophas Jalbert (1904–1991) invented the ram-air inflated flexible wing, often called the "Jalbert parafoil".
Jay Moledzki is a Canadian skydiver/canopy pilot. Moledzki is noted for having won many medals in canopy piloting since the first Canopy Piloting World Parachuting Championships in Vienna, Austria in 2006, the second Canopy Piloting World Championships in Pretoria, South Africa in 2008, the third Canopy Piloting World Championships in Kolomna, Russia in 2010, and the fourth Canopy Piloting World Championships in Dubai, UAE in 2012.
Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes.
Parachute School of Toronto is a Canadian Sport Parachuting Association affiliated parachuting centre and skydiving drop zone operating from the Seagrave/North Port Aerodrome near Scugog.
LIMITLESS - An Autobiography published by Rachel Thomas in January 2023
Thomas Jeannerot is a French professional athlete in parachuting. He is currently high-level athlete and member of the French Team of Parachuting in the double discipline Accuracy landing and Style.
Kathleen "Kathy" Carol Fox is a Canadian parachutist, pilot, flight instructor, air traffic controller, and business executive. After spending over 30 years in air traffic control, she was appointed chair of the Canadian Transportation Safety Board in 2014. In 2016, she was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame.
Canada 