How is wing loading calculated for skydiving?

What is wingloading?

  1. Wing-loading is a number indicating the load per unit of surface of a parachute.
  2. You can calculate yours easily by dividing your exit weight (your weight with all your equipment) in pounds by the size of your canopy in square feet.
  3. WL = Weight (lbs)/ Size (sqft)

How is Exit weight calculated in skydiving?

A typical jumper’s exit weight will be about 20 to 25 pounds more than his or her body weight. In this article, the weight given for a jumper is his or her exit weight. Wing loading is equal to your exit weight in pounds divided by your canopy’s surface area in square feet.

What size canopy do I need skydiving?

When you jump solo, the canopy size for your parachute is based on your exit weight, which is your weight plus the weight of your gear. This typically adds 20 to 25 pounds.

How do you measure a parachute size?

The drag area of the parachute is calculated as Pi * D / 4, where D is the reference diameter. For flat sheet chutes like Top Flight, the reference diameter is the flattened diameter of the chute – again the diameter quoted by the manufacturer.

How much does skydiving gear weigh?

For most systems, the limit is 500 lbs total, including the instructor’s weight, your weight, and the gear, which weighs about 60 pounds.

How much does a parachute weigh?

The T-10D main parachute is a parabolic-shape and has a nominal diameter of 35 feet (11 m) with 30 suspension lines. The entire assembly weighs 31 pounds (14 kg). Paratroopers can be dropped from an aircraft at a maximum speed of 173 mph (150 kn), at a minimum of 500 ft (150 m).

What is the best shape for a parachute?

The circle parachute should demonstrate the slowest average descent rate because its natural symmetrical shape would be the most efficient design to maximize wind resistance and create drag.