Furious Freefall
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Malaysia Skydive 2006 was held at the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh, Perak for two days from July 15th through 16th, 2006. Two records were broken during this event. One for the most Celebrity Skydive, consisting of 18 celebrities, and the other for the oldest couple jumping on their 37th Wedding Anniversary.? Making the jump for the record Celebrity Skydive were Amber Chia (actress & international Guess model).
A Malaysian couple celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary by jumping out of an aircraft at 2,700 metres, in their first-ever parachute jump. Cheah Sum Beng (64) and wife, Choo Kit Har (61) earned themselves an entry in the Malaysia Book of Records as the oldest pair to skydive from a helicopter. They went into a 30-second freefall before opening their parachutes. It was a true leap of faith, because neither had skydived before. The couple performed the stunt out of curiosity at a skydiving event in northern Perak state in which skydivers from Australia also took part.
Man・s dream of flying as old as humanity.
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The Chinese were the first people to conceive the idea of a parachute. They constructed umbrella-like devices, which they use to jump from special towers. They did not look like the parachutes we know of today but it was the first attempt. In the 15th century, we find the famous genius of all times, Leonardo Da Vinci, painter, sculptor, mathematician, scientist, engineer, designer and builder of many futuristic devices. He studied birds and flight for several years and resolved a number of basic conclusions of aeronautics. The parachute he designed was pyramidal shaped. His original idea was to build a device to rescue people from burning buildings. Although we don・t know if he tried this parachute, many people considered Da Vinci as the ：Father of the Parachute；.
In 1616, another Italian, Fausto De Veranzio published a book called ．Machinae Nova・ in which appeared a diagram titled ．Homo Volans・. It showed a man jumping from a tower, with a square canvas parachute attached to the jumper・s harness with four lines. This drawing is very similar to the parachutes actually used for sports parachuting. In 1779, French physicist Sebastien Le Normand studied parachutes carrying animals. Due to his many studies we can consider him the first systematic parachute constructor.
It was in 1785 that French balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard designed and built the first silk canopy parachute. This canopy could also be packed. Before that, parachutes were built with a rigid framework. In 1793, he completed an emergency jump from a balloon and broke both his legs.
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There are many names that have appeared in historical text as to who was the first person to make a parachute jump. Most often the name Andre-Jacques Garderin appears. It is recorded that he made the first exhibition jump in Paris from a balloon on October 27, 1797.
His wife Genevieve was the first woman to complete a parachute jump in 1798. His niece Elisa jumped 40 times between 1815 and 1836. The first man to use a parachute as a life-saver was, apparently, Judaki Kuparento, who in 1808 jumped over Warsaw from his burning balloon.
In 1885 Thomas Balwing invented the harness.
There are differing opinions as to who was the first person to jump from an aeroplane. Some say it was Grant Morton. Others suggest Captain Albert Berry from the U.S. Army who jumped on March 1, 1912.
Tandem jumping was introduced by Ted Strong and Bill Morrissey into the USA and became extremely popular in the 1980s. It was made possible by the introduction of a ram-air parachute capable of supporting a double load during opening and descent and the assistance of a small drogue to stabilise the jumpers during free fall, and slightly reduce terminal velocity. Tandem is now accepted as a safe and exciting introduction to skydiving.
Tandem skydiving refers to a type of skydiving where a novice skydiver (student or mere passenger) is connected via a harness to an experienced skydiver (the tandem master or instructor). The instructor controls the whole jump from exit through freefall, piloting the canopy, and landing. The student needs only minimal instruction before making a tandem jump.
Tandem skydiving is a popular training method for first time skydivers, but it is more expensive than static line. It exposes first-time jumpers to the entire skydiving routine with minimal expectations from the student.
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Sport parachuting began with the first recorded freefall in 1914. The jump was made with a delayed opening of the parachute. However, the sport did not become popular until the 1950s, when a group of French jumpers began to practice, just for fun. They experimented with free-falls and designed new parachutes, which were easier to steer. The first sport parachuting championship was held in Yugoslavia in 1951.
On August 16, 1960 US Air Force captain Joseph W. Kittinger stepped from an open balloon over New Mexico. The registered height was 102.800 feet (nearly 20 miles high). He reached a terminal speed in freefall at 90,000 feet of 614 mph (nearly 1,000kph); almost supersonic speed! His free fall lasted about four and a half minutes and during this time he used a 6-foot stabiliser. He used a standard 28-foot canopy and the total jump took 13 minutes and 45 seconds. With this jump he achieved the most dazzling challenge in high jumps. This record was registered in the Guinness Book of World Records and no person has jumped from such heights since.
Want to take part?
Interested in participating in Malaysia Skydive 2007,
contact Dann or Jacinta at:
SkyVenture Productions Sdn Bhd
Tel: +603 6201 2000