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📘 Gravity starts the fall, but air pushes back

A person stepping from an aircraft has a downward force from gravity and an upward force from air resistance.

3
lessons
~15 min
to learn
Adults
level
Start the course →

What you’ll learn

  1. Drag and terminal speedExplain weight, drag, projected area, and terminal speed balance.A canopy increases opposing force until drag balances weight at a lower steady speed.
  2. Canopy and load pathDescribe inflation shock, suspension lines, and vent porosity.Deployment is transient; lines and fabric shape carry aerodynamic load to the payload.
  3. Descent and landingConnect steering, wind drift, landing energy, and the full descent chain.Vertical speed is one part of motion; flare and site choice finish the safety chain.

Questions this course answers

Why does a parachute slow a falling payload?

The inflated canopy creates a much larger opposing aerodynamic force.

What happens at terminal speed?

Equal opposing forces produce a steady descent speed.

Why does projected canopy area matter?

Area is a multiplier in the drag equation.

What do suspension lines do?

Lines form the structural load path between canopy and payload.

Why does cutting descent speed reduce landing energy so strongly?

The speed-squared relationship makes slower landings much less energetic.

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