THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH

摘要

Stronger, lighter and more durable materials coupled with advances in aerodynamic design have enabled parachutes to evolve from simple drag-producing devices designed to slow the airspeed of the descending person or object, to fully steerable parafoils (a non-rigid textile airfoil with a wind-inflated aerodynamic cell structure) that skilled parachutists can guide with precision to a chosen landing spot. Although simple in principal, there has always been what Manley Butler, the owner of Butler Parachutes based in California, describes as "wild variation" in the market, particularly in the United States, leading many customers to ask for individually-tailored parachutes.