what advances in safety have there been in parachuting...?
925918
I think the biggest advance in skydiving has been the invetion and introduction of anti-gravity boots... they all but replace the need for anything but a really small back-up/emergency chute... the only drawback is that you have to begin your free fall above 10,000 feet for them to work effectively and their circuitry doesn't work well with the supplemental oxygen systems required for those altitudes... as far as I'm concerned, they are great... give them a try! I bet they are the last pair of skydiving boots you will ever own!!
944784
I think stunt bags are almost atmospheric pressure. The safety is produced by having small air vents that allow the air inside to escape - just like a pile of cardboard boxes, the inside is basically atmospheric. The 'pillow' effect starts when the falling body first hits the bag. But from then on, the air is forced out of the air bag to absorb the weight of the falling body. If it were a sealed bag, the falling body would bounce right off of the bag.
1042790
It seems research on this has continued. Still sounds very preliminary though - experiments on small models or paper planes ;)  But maybe you'd like to check the links.
709439
I heard on a radio show (Coast-to-Coast AM) an amazing and incredible replay of a man in 1970's Los Angeles (via CB radio) who actually became airborne in a chaise lounge with 100 large helium-filled balloons.  It is simply riveting to listen to the recorded account in which his voyage was suddenly jump-started due to the unexpected power of lift from the balloons in which his chaise lounge (anchored to a jeep) was torn away.  He soared to 24,000 feet!  A pilot of a major airline passing by was in shock and had to report to the tower the flying chaise lounge!  It was hysterical!  The man was an engineer, I believe at one of the local aerospace companies.  He maintained CB radio contact with his girlfriend on the ground, who was totally frantic and freaked out.  He took with him a be-be-gun to shoot each balloon gradually to lower his altitude.  Eventually, he brought the chaise lounge back down to the area of Glendale, and he crash landed in a residential backyard right next to another man--- laying on his chaise lounge.  It was unbelievable, and a riot!
1144696
gravity and air resistance.
438308
Look up skydiving places near you.  Some of them have trainer machines that are giant fans that blow air up at 100 mph and you learn to control yourself in them, simulating free fall.  You fly like Superman.  PS, it's very hard on the abs!
668999
I would probably be too busy trying to grow wings, trying to make a drag chute out of my clothes, or aiming for a barn with a hayloft (like in a 3 Stooges bit).  \n\nEither that, or I'd be focused on making myself into as aerodynamic a form as possible for the purpose of making my impact occur head first at the highest possible velocity.\n\nIf you have enough freefall, and you maintain your body in a streamlined head-first attitude with arms flat at your sides and legs tightly together -- so that your body is like a dart streaming throught the air -- you could reach a terminal velocity from 124mph to more than 200mph, depending on your body mass and your skill.\n\nOf course, if you jumped from over 100,000 feet like John Kittinger did, you could break the sound barrier!  He did, at speeds of 714mph in the upper stratosphere.\n\nEven after deploying his drag chute, he rocketed through the stratosphere and at speeds in excess of 600mph.\n\nIf his braking and main chutes had both failed, he could have set the record for the deepest "man-made" impact crater.\n\n\nFor more about record breaking skydiver Kittinger, go to\n\nhttp://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/eagles/kittnger.htm\n\n\nAs a kid I was fascinated by stories of people who survived things that would have usually killed anyone.  For instance, there have been persons who plummeted from great heights and walked away -- like a USAF pilot whose chute failed.  He plummeted thousands of feet and impacted on a hardened concrete runway.  He walked away with a broken nose, and left a small crack in the concrete.\n\nI don't recall reading what went through his mind, but I can surmise what went through his trousers!!!
1150073
That would sort of depend on what you land on, now wouldn't it? If you have a parachute you could jump from the top of the Petronas Towers in Malaysia and survive. I think the farthest a human has fallen accidentally and lived is under fifty feet, unless they just happened to fall into something soft like a snow drift.
558982
This is an estimate, but the last actions of these types were probably used in the Korean conflict, at least to public knowledge.  Bluntly, airborne is how alot of special ops missions are sent out (hence the HALO 'High Altitude Low Opening' jump that the seals and other spec ops do.)
108099
Silk has not been used for a very long time due to instability and tendancy to degrade over time.  Most parachutes are now made with rip-stop nylon (not sure if this is a patented product or a generic name).  Drop me a male if you need any other details :-)
359525
Take a look at the pyrotechnics chapter of this side.\n\nhttp://www.vk2zay.net/\n\nCareful: it is neither simple nor without danger.
1034136
sky - diving... SO much more of a rush.  I've been bungee jumping 3 times and sky-diving once... but i'm going to take my boyfriend sky-diving for his birthday so that will make twice.. i can't wait.. seriously sky diving is much more fun than bungee jumping.
623198
Hot air balloons are the oldest successful human flight technology, dating back to the Montgolfier brothers' invention in Annonay, France in 1783. \n\nRead more on wikipedia!
972281
Jumpin from an airplane with an open chute.\n\n\nPeace.
739724
That balloon with camera thing is a little out-dated. We're just a "little" bit more sophisticated now. We have computer controlled Airial devices that can take pictures and show us areas we might not be able to get to. I'm sure the military is pretty much up to date on most modern technology.
87182
thers a technique where first you do some serious hyperventilation and then some other things.. here we call it the "pilot game"\nI wont give you the details because some ppl pass out.\nDONT try it, its dangerous...and most of all, dont do it alone, you might get injured (hit your head, bite your tongue and what not) its really not worth it!
1167780
Big steps forward in knowledge, understanding and the advance of humanity requires great risks to be taken.\n\nWould the pilgrim fathers have set out in a rickety little wooden ship if the same question was asked?\n\nWhat about the dangers of electricity, flying, medical testing? The list is endless and lots of people have died or been seriously injured making the discoveries that have improved all our lives so much.