Narrator: DAREDEVILS HAVE
PARACHUTED FROM CLIFFS OR TOWERS
FOR CENTURIES.
WHEN AIRPLANES FIRST TOOK OFF,
SO DID PARACHUTES
AS THE BEST ESCAPE.
TODAY'S AERODYNAMIC,
LIGHTWEIGHT CHUTES
ENABLE CARGO AND PEOPLE
TO DESCEND SAFELY
AND LAND RIGHT ON TARGET.
THIS COMPANY
MAKES MILITARY PARACHUTES.
EACH ONE HAS A 9-METER WINGSPAN
AND CARRIES UP TO 200 KILOGRAMS.
MAKING THE CHUTE'S CANOPY
STARTS WITH A RUGGED WOVEN
NYLON FABRIC WITH NYLON RIBBING.
THIS LIGHT TABLE LETS A WORKER
DETECT ANY FLAWS IN THE FABRIC.
THE ALIGNMENT BETWEEN
THE RIBBING MUST BE CONSISTENT,
SPACED NO MORE
THAN 3.8 CENTIMETERS APART.
THEY TEST THE STRENGTH
OF THE FABRIC
BY PULLING THE MATERIAL
UNTIL IT RIPS.
TO PASS,
THE FABRIC MUST WITHSTAND
A MINIMUM OF 20 KILOS
OF PULLING FORCE.
A LASER CUTS OUT
THE PARACHUTE PARTS,
30 TO 100 OF THEM,
DEPENDING ON THE MODEL.
A VACUUM SYSTEM
STABILIZES THE FABRIC
BY SUCKING IT TO THE TABLE
DURING CUTTING.
THE FABRIC
IS USUALLY SILVER-COLORED
TO BLEND IN AGAINST
THE DAYTIME SKY.
A SEAMSTRESS
NOW SEWS ON NYLON TAPE
TO ATTACH THE PARTS
AND REINFORCE THE SEAMS.
SOME PANELS HAVE HOLES ABOUT
THE SIZE OF A DINNER PLATE
TO FUNNEL AIR BETWEEN
THE TWO LAYERS OF THE CANOPY
AND KEEP IT RIGID DURING FLIGHT.
ONCE THEY FINISH SEWING,
WORKERS METICULOUSLY INSPECT
THE STITCHING.
EVERY 2.5 CENTIMETERS OF STITCHING
MUST HAVE BETWEEN 7 AND 10 STITCHES.
IF THE STITCHING IS TOO CLOSE
OR TOO FAR APART,
THE FABRIC COULD RIP, AND THAT'S
THE LAST THING YOU WANT
WHEN YOUR CHUTE IS DESCENDING
AT A RATE
OF UP TO 4 METERS PER SECOND.
SO THEY MARK ANY PROBLEM SPOTS
WITH A RED RIBBON
AND RESEW THEM.
HERE, A WORKER SEWS NYLON TAPE
TO REINFORCE
AN AREA CALLED A FLARE,
WHICH IS A TRIANGULAR PATCH
OF NYLON
REINFORCED
WITH SILICONE COATING.
SHE LOOPS THE TAPE
AT ONE OF THE FLARE'S POINTS
TO LATER INSERT
WHAT'S CALLED A SUSPENSION LINE.
THE 60 LINES LINK THE 60 FLARES
ON THE CANOPY
TO THE JUMPER'S HARNESS.
TO REINFORCE EACH FLARE,
SHE SEWS 42 ZIGZAG STITCHES
IN A 2.5-CENTIMETER AREA.
THE NYLON SUSPENSION LINE
ARRIVES ON SPOOLS,
SO WORKERS USE THIS MACHINE
TO STRETCH IT STRAIGHT.
A WORKER MARKS OFF
UP TO 4.5 METERS PER LINE
AND CUTS IT ON AN ANGLE
TO REDUCE FRAYING.
WORKERS LATER SEW THE ENDS
INTO LOOPS
SO THEY CAN ATTACH EACH ONE
TO THE LOOP ON THE FLARES.
A WORKER MAKES
A LARK'S HEAD KNOT IN EACH LINE
AND TIES IT TO A FLARE.
THIS TYPE OF KNOT IS EASY TO
UNDO IF A LINE NEEDS REPLACING.
CONNECTING THE 60 LINES
TO THE CANOPY'S 60 FLARES
TAKES ABOUT TWO HOURS.
ONLY AFTER ALL THESE KNOTS
ARE SECURE
CAN THEY PACK THE CHUTE
INTO THE BACKPACK
AND SHIP IT TO THE CUSTOMER.
THE NYLON BACKPACK
HAS TWO IDENTICAL PARACHUTES,
THE MAIN CHUTE AND A RESERVE.
THIS WORKER IS SEWING THE PANELS
THAT WILL ENCASE
THE RESERVE CHUTE.
EXTRA STITCHING REINFORCES
THE STRAP CONNECTING
THE STEEL BUCKLE,
WHICH FASTENS AN EXTRA PACK
FOR UP TO 45 KILOS.
IT'S CRITICAL TO STRICTLY FOLLOW
THE COMPANY'S INSTRUCTIONS
WHEN PACKING THE CHUTE.
YOU ROLL THE ENDS,
THEN FOLD THE REST INTO LAYERS.
BEFORE EACH JUMP,
YOU HAVE TO UNTANGLE THE LINES
AND CHECK FOR ANY TEARS
FROM THE PREVIOUS JUMP.
THEN YOU INSERT THE LINES
AND CANOPY INTO THE PACK.
YOU PULL ON THIS RED NYLON
HANDLE TO DEPLOY THE MAIN CHUTE.
THE YELLOW HANDLE
IS FOR THE RESERVE CHUTE.
THERE ARE STRAPS
OVER THE SHOULDERS,
CHEST, BELLY, AND LEGS.
AND THREE BUCKLES ATTACH
THE HARNESS TO THE JUMPER.
