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, antennas, 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.
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who can exit from an aircraft at height and descend safely to earth.
A drop zone (DZ) is a place where parachutists or parachuted supplies land. It can be an area targeted for landing by paratroopers, or a base from which recreational parachutists and skydivers take off in aircraft and land under parachutes. In the latter case, it is often beside a small airport, frequently sharing the facility with other general aviation.
Bill Booth is an American engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur in the skydiving equipment manufacturing industry. His invention of the 3-ring release safety device has enhanced skydiving safety. He founded the companies United Parachute Technologies and Complete Parachute Solutions, which had 150 employees as of 2015.
Tandem skydiving or tandem parachuting refers to a type of skydiving where a student skydiver is connected to an instructor via a harness. The instructor guides the student through the whole jump from exit through freefall, piloting the canopy, and landing. The student needs only minimal instruction before making a tandem jump with the instructor. In the United States most skydiving centers and clubs require that you be 18 years or older to skydive whereas in other countries the minimum age can be lower or higher. This is one of three commonly used training methods for beginning skydivers; the others being Static line, Instructor-assisted deployment (IAD), and Accelerated freefall (AFF) (k).
Accelerated freefall (AFF) (known in Canada as progressive freefall, and in Finland as Nova (NOpeutettu VApaapudotus, a literal translation)) is a method of skydiving training. This method of skydiving training is called "accelerated" because the progression is the fastest way to experience solo freefall, normally from 10,000 to 15,000 feet above ground level (AGL). In static line progression, more jumps are required to experience freefall, but the jumps are less expensive for the student as one instructor can dispatch multiple students per load and students are initially dispatched from lower altitudes. Under accelerated freefall, one or sometimes two instructors are dedicated just to one student.
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.
Vertical formation skydiving (VFS) is a subcategory of formation skydiving using high-speed body positions normally associated with freeflying. Competitors build pre-selected formations in free-fall with multiple people gripping each other's limbs or specially built "grippers" on their jumpsuits.
Steve Sutton was a Canadian skydiver who began the sport in 1965 at the age of nineteen. He was born on May 29, 1946 and died on May 27, 2020.
The Parachute Association of South Africa (PASA) manages the sports of parachuting and skydiving in South Africa on behalf of the South African Civil Aviation Authority.
Lisa Olsen is a Canadian-American skydiver.
Jacques-André Istel is a French-American recreational parachutist and investment banker and later in life, historian, widely responsible for popularizing parachuting in the United States. He is considered "the father of American skydiving." He founded a city in southeastern California, which he named Felicity and it is here that he founded the Museum of History in Granite.
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.
Norman Albert Kent is an aerial cinematographer and skydiver best known for his aerial videography in films such as Cutaway, Drop Zone and Terminal Velocity.
Dan Poynter was an American author, consultant, publisher, professional speaker and parachute designer.
The International Skydiving Museum & Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation governed by a board of trustees. Equipment and documents are being collected, inventoried, and preserved. Funds are being raised to build the museum in Central Florida.
The Parachute Industry Association (PIA) is an business association which seeks to advance and promote the growth, development, training, and safety of military, commercial, and sport parachutes. It consists of more than 210 companies united by a common desire to improve business opportunities in this segment of aviation. The PIA is a nonprofit organization, governed by an elected Board. The Parachute Industry Association was founded in January 1977, as the Parachute Equipment Industry Association.
Adrenaline Rush Project (ARP) is a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for people with physical disabilities to participate in extreme sports. It was founded in 2012 through the joint efforts of nine college students. Its stated mission is: "To give people with physical disabilities the opportunities to participate in adrenaline-inducing activities that reaffirm in them the joy of being alive."
A closing pin is a curved piece of stainless steel metal used in the sport of skydiving. The pin is sewn onto the bridle, which is a 7- to 10-foot-long piece of nylon webbing connected to the pilot chute. The closing pin passes through the closing loop and in doing so, secures the main container of a skydiving rig, keeping the parachute from deploying prematurely. When the pilot chute is thrown out by the skydiver and catches air, it pulls the closing pin from the closing loop and allows the main parachute to be released from the container and inflate.
Lewis B. Sanborn is an early developer of the freefall method of skydiving who along with Jacques-André Istel helped popularize sport parachuting in the United States. He is considered by many to be a pioneer and legend in the sport. In 1959, Sanborn and Istel co-founded Parachutes Incorporated, the first commercial parachuting center in the United States. An accomplished pilot, member of the United States Army’s 82nd Airborne Division from 1948 to 1952, national skydiving champion in 1954 and 1959 and hall of fame skydiver He continues to jump on a regular basis and is still very active in the skydiving community.
