Skydiving, also called parachuting, is considered to be an extreme sport in which athletes jump out of an airplane at a certain altitude and perform acrobatic movements in free fall. Then they open their parachutes to slow down and return safely to Earth.

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Skydiving is not as young as it may seem.  At the end of the 18th century, a Frenchman, Andre Garnerin, jumped from a hot air balloon and was thought to be the first real parachutist. Later on, skydiving became important for the army and air force. Pilots could jump out of a plane and land on earth safely if something went wrong.

 

Competitions in skydiving are held regularly.  Events include landing close to a target and performing acrobatic movements in the air, as well as flying in formation. In the last few years another event, sky surfing, in which a surfboard is attached to a jumper, has become popular.

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For skydiving, airplanes climb to an altitude of 7,000 to 15,000 feet (2000 to 4,600 meters) before letting out the jumpers. The freefall stage lasts between 45 and 80 seconds and jumpers reach a speed of up to 130 miles an hour (210 kmh).

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