How Parachutes Work

When thinking of parachutes and child's play, we see ourselves in gym class playing the many amusing and fun games with parachutes. Some have even made their own miniature parachutes out of different types of materials. The materials to make any size parachute are not expensive. The overall true use for parachutes, however, is for use during free falling. If the deployment of the parachute cannot occur when it is supposed to it can result in death.

In order to ensure safe landings, there have been many trials and phases of development. The concept behind the use of a parachute is not difficult to understand, but the concept of exactly how a parachute works is very important knowledge. In order to ensure that you safely make it to the ground, you need to knowledge of the right deployment sequence.

Riggers or the owners pack the parachutes. It is imperative that a chute be properly packed in order to allow appropriate deployment. With the modern materials used in the construction of parachutes, the chutes have become more difficult to fold properly due to the air not being able to flow through the fabric.

A precautionary measure to the use of a parachute is the reserve parachute. In the event that the main parachute will not deploy, the reserve chute then is utilized. These are also packed by the owner or rigger. If a parachute has been packed for any long period of time, it must be unpacked in order to keep it from getting stiff. It can then be appropriately repacked.

Deployment Sequence

There are some steps that are taken throughout a normal sequence of deployment. The skydiver first pulls the drogue chute. Upon pulling out the drogue chute that is nestled at the bottom of a small pouch in the knapsack or container, the bridle is pulled when the drogue inflates.

A ten to twenty foot long nylon webbing makes up the bridle that ejects the closing pin. After the pin pops it then holds the canopy.

The deployment bag connects to the other bridle end, and houses the parachute and zig zag lines. Every part is unfurled and stretched out as it is pulled upward by way of the bridle and drogue. Upon continuing to unfold the risers are pulled out by the line. The skydiver carries the lines and parachute container which are connected to the risers via nylon straps.
Then tension of the lines in turn will deploy the parachute from the bag, as the wind then inflates the chute. Sliders are utilized with some of the modern designed ram-air parachutes. The sliders are used for keeping the canopy from expanding too quickly as they hold the lines together.

Toggles are used by the skydiver after the parachute has completely opened. The toggles are used for maneuvering the parachute in the direction of the landing site.

There is always the possibility that something could go wrong, such as the main canopy not inflating all the way or at all. The inability of deployment from the bag rips or line tangles are also unfortunate events that could occur. Keep in mind; however, there is the backup plan of the reserve parachute.

Before deploying the reserve parachute the skydiver must first cut the main canopy away with the use of the release handle.

The reserve parachute could then automatically utilize the reserve static line to deploy the reserve parachute. There are those types of parachutes where the skydiver pulls another handle to release the reserve chute after the main chute has been cute away.

In any case, if you are planning to every go skydiving this is good knowledge to have. The difference of having the information or not could make a difference in whether you live or die.