Skydiving – How It All Began (part 2 of 2)

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World War II used parachute-equipped soldiers – paratroopers. Paratroopers were employed on D-Day – the invasion of Normandy, France – on June 6, 1944, where more than 1,000 transports dropped them to secure the flanks and beach exits on the assault area.

The excess of unused nylon parachutes after World War II and military sport parachuting associations by the US Army paved the way for parachute diving in the United States as a form of leisure activity. Experimentation with aerodynamics, such as coming up with radical modifications and new designs and materials that improved steering and flight all together, led to enhanced parachutes suited for extreme sports use.

Modern developments

Apart from use of sport skydivers, various parachute designs – such as the military HAHO (high altitude, high opening) designs, smoke jumping designs, and other structures and equipment for two- and four-person tandem diving – were developed for different functions. The HAHO allows soldiers to fly over large areas stealthily, while the smoke jumping designs allows firefighters to reach into remote forest fires from low altitude.

From the 1980s onwards, the sport became more and more popular. This is also because with further technological developments, equipment used to skydive became more and more reliable, lightweight and easier to operate and maneuver. From there, sky’s the limit for people who wish to experience the adventure of free falling in mid air.

Appearing much safer, fun and accessible to almost anyone, skydiving has since established itself to be one of the most treasured leisure activity and extreme sport alike.