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Pyramid Parachute

Parasol type

Conical parachute

Pack-style parachute

Round parachutes

Square parachutes

Ram-air parachutes

Ribbon/Ring Parachute

In its basic sense, a parachute is neither made for travel and sports, it was created to increase safety while descending from a certain altitude. It is a medium to delay the pull of gravity from earth when deployed form higher altitude.

In short, it makes the dropping of an item, a person or equipment vertically or diagonally slower by reducing the amount of dragging force while maintaining a balance so that the item would remain safe until it reaches the ground. Early physicists have made use of this principle and newer develops in parachuting technology led to the creation of various types of parachutes.

Early types of parachutes

Parasol type – Though not strictly called parachutes, the parasols were commonly used by performers in China to create a slow falling effect onstage.

Conical parachute – Possibly the earliest form of parachute is the conical shaped-parachute which appeared during 1470s in Italy preceding the design conceptualized by Leonardo da Vinci. As an escape device, this type of parachute was intended to allow people to get safely on the ground from burning buildings. However, there are no written records whether this parachute was ever used for that purpose.

Pyramid Parachute – Another design by Leonardo da Vinci, this parachute was conceptualized in Milan during the early part of 1480. It was a canopy that is supported by light wood held by a square bottom frame.

Pack-style parachute – This is the predecessor of all parachutes that are stored in casings these days.

Round parachutes – A basic drag device, round parachute is used in various settings like medical missions, cargo applications and military operations. While being described commonly as round in shape, the parachute actually resembles a dome or a jellyfish. This has been among the most popular type however; present-day parachutists don’t normally use this kind of parachute.

The earliest round parachutes were circulars with flat surfaces that made them unstable, thus causing a number of deaths and injuries on parachutists. To add more stability, military round parachutes were made parabolic or conical in shape.

There are two types of round parachutes- steerable and non-steerable. Like ram-air parachutes, non-steerable parachutes can’t be maneuvered to

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The physics behind a parachute is easy to understand. But making real ones are far from easy. Making toy parachutes seem like a good idea for an easy science project but experimenting with different variations is not as easy as tying strings to a fabric. Making parachutes for use in real life takes a lot of risk and accuracy.

Before modern parachutes gave us the thrill of skydiving it took a lot of guts for early investors to design parachutes that actually work and not fall them to their death. The history of parachutes went through a lot of development and a few deaths.

The modern parachute was invented by Louis-Sébastien Lenormand in 1783. However there are earlier versions of parachutes created by a few centuries earlier. Before the silk parachute was invented, there were basic designs built that worked in the same principles.

Parachutes, past and present

The earliest form was a cloak attached to wooden struts. It was made by an Arab Muslim named Arem Firman in the 9th century. He jumped from a tower in Cordoba and suffered only minor injuries. Parasols were used in China for entertainment. It allows entertainers to jump form high places and float to the ground.

Leonardo da Vinci also sketched parachute with conical designs. It served as an escape device to enable people to jump from burning buildings. In 1617 Faust Vrancic was the first person to be able to make a successful jump with a parachute.

Jean Pierre Blanchard developed his own parachute as a means to get off a hot air balloon. His first demonstrations were done with a dog as the passenger. He later on unintentionally put his invention to the test as he escaped from his ruptured hot air balloon.

In the 1790′s he made a parachute out of silk which were more stringer and lighter than previously used materials. Early parachutes were made of linen with a wooden frame.

Andre Garnerin invented the vented parachute in 1797 and made a successful jump using Blanchard’s design. The vented parachute improved stability during descent. Gleb Kotelnikov invented he knapsack parachute. It was popularized by Katchlen Paulus and Paul Letterman.

The first major use of parachutes was in the military. It was by artillery spotters and pilots. Unfortunately the parachutes were heavy and pilots were not able to use it entirely. The German Air Service provided parachutes to their pilots. Unfortunately there were many setbacks that most of the pilots died when using them.

Leslie Irvin was able to invent

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