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 30 Vol 4 | Issue 1 |Jan - Feb 2019