3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue 1 & 2 Jan - Apr 2 3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue | Page 30

The Waterbird was revolutionary in its
canopy design, its unique tow yoke
harness arrangement, its construction
and the use of zero porosity fabrics
which allowed it to be used over
water safely. The majority of commercial
parasail operators then moved to the
16-gore canopy arrangement. In 1976
Gaskin founded his company, Waterbird
Parakites, which is still in operation
today, producing commercial and
recreational 16-gore parasails.
In April 2013, the first ASTM parasail
weather standard was approved. With
the help of the WSIA, and the chair of the
parasail committee, Matthew Dvorak,
owner and operator of Daytona Beach
Parasail, Inc. the new standard was
implemented. This is the first standard
in the parasail industry with three more
in the works to be approved later this
year. This standard was the first step in
bringing the otherwise unregulated
industry into a more uniformed and safe
industry!
Improved Parasail Canopy Designs
In recent years, operators have moved
from small (20-foot range) parachutes
to large (30–40 feet) parachutes that
utilize high-lift, low-drag designs
enabling operators to fly higher
payloads in lower (typically safer) winds.
Most operators now offer double and
triple flights using an adjustable side
by side bar arrangement. The side-by-
side bar is aluminum attached to the
yoke of the chute, allowing two or three
passenger harnesses to be attached
side by side.
In the late 1990s, Waterbird Parakites
waterbird.co.ukand Custom Chutes Inc,
redesigned the original Gaskin design
to allow parasails to carry more weight
(double rides and triple rides), but still
ensure they could operate in the same
operating conditions. As a result, a
completely new design, much larger
in diameter but with much smaller
increased air resistance, was born.
Source: wikipedia
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Vol 4 | Issue 1 |Jan - Feb 2019