Welcome to Maxx Sports Guides
Learn To Paraglide Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Parasailing Started After Parachute Attached to a Moving Car
from: Maxx Sports GuidesParachute teacher Piere Lamoigne was teaching his students about the use of parachutes when he had an ingenious idea: attaching a parachute to a car.
As the vehicle went faster, the parachute filled with air and lifted, along with the attached student. At a certain height, the vehicle slowed down and the student was dropped.
Originally, this was called parascending.
Parasailing Born
Soon after, Pioneer Parachute Company applied for the exclusive rights on the name -- parasail. Thus parasailing was born.
During the 70s Mark McCulloh used parasails at sea, resulting in parasailing becoming a popular recreational activity. He raised parachutes from the seashore and went on to design a platform with a motor.
McCulloh decided that a boat could heave the parachute to a specific ship, leading to the most popular form of modern parasailing known as winchboat parasailing.
Records show that winchboat parasailing (also known as the Parasail Launching and Retrieving Apparatus) had numerous accidents before its complete commercial launching in the 80s.
Declared a Sport
The parasailor's safety was a major concern, especially after the first accident during a 1977 media event. After major setbacks, parasailing eventually became one of the most-loved family sports activities in the world.
Most parasailing hobbies or competitions are held over water or in the air. In fact, parasailing started becoming popular after being declared as a form of sports.
Today, parasailing contests are held on land in various parts of the world. Finland and Northern Europe are famous for land-based parasailing.
Parasailing is now a famous sport for individuals and families, while a number of groups look at it as a hobby.
Still others spice up their vacations by going to beaches or other vacation spots that offer parasailing. The fun and thrill of the ride makes it a unique sport.
The military and most commercial operators use parasailing in their training programs for water survival. And note this: NASA has used Mark McCulloh's idea in their C-38 Crew Rescue Vehicle!
Parasailing has come a long, long way since its birth in the 60s. Whether you view as a type of sports, a hobby, or maybe just a one-time experience, it's fun and exhilarating.
So stop being a chicken; try parasailing soon and fly with the eagles.
Learn To Paraglide News
The wind beneath her wings
I was once asked which animal I would choose to be if I were an animal on Noah’s Ark. I Replied a gazelle because I’ve always admired the gazelle for its combination of grace and speed. Oh, to be graceful like a gazelle.
Read more...Lemani Godinez: Hang-gliding instructor accused of swallowing memory card that may have recorded how she fell
William Jon Orders, 50, has been accused of swallowing a memory card which could contain video footage of Lenami Godinez, from British Columbia, Canada, slipping from her harness seconds after their take off.
Read more...Gallic meets the Pacific
If France could be improved, it would be a tropical island. Andrew Bock knows a place that already fits the bill.
Read more...Body of fallen hang glider found near Agassiz
Rescuers find woman's body just before nightfall, after unusual accident at Mt. Woodside
Read more...Lemani Godinez grabbed instructor's feet before falling 1,000 feet from hang glider
Lemani Godinez, 27, pictured, was hang gliding on Saturday in British Columbia, Canada for the first time after her boyfriend bought her lessons for an anniversary present.
Read more...