Parachuting
A skydiver holding the aircraft door immediately before exit at altitude | |
| Highest governing body | Fédération Aéronautique Internationale |
|---|---|
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | No |
| Mixed-sex | Yes |
| Type | Air sports |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Worldwide |
| Olympic | No |
| World Games | 1997 – 2017 |
Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from altitude to the surface using the power of gravity, and a parachute.
The three phases of parachuting are freefall, parachute deployment and landing. Skydiving takes place during the freefall phase where the parachute has not yet been deployed and the body accelerates to terminal velocity.