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From Wikipedia

Tandem skydiving

Tandem skydiving refers to a type of skydiving where a novice skydiver ("student" or "passenger") is connected via a harness to an experienced skydiver ("tandem master" or "tandem instructor"). The instructor controls the whole jump from exit through freefall, piloting the canopy, and landing. The student needs only minimal instruction before making a tandem jump. Tandem skydiving is a very popular training method for first time skydivers, but it is more expensive than a static line skydive. It exposes first-time jumpers to the skydiving routine with minimal expectations from the student. Some training programs instruct first-time jumpers on how and when to deploy the main canopy themselves. In these programs, about half of the first-jump students succeed. However, the tandem master remains primarily responsible for safe and timely parachute deployment. Parachuting is an activity involving a preplanned drop from a height using a deployable parachute.

The history of parachuting is not clear. It's known that Andre-Jacques Garnerin made successful parachute jumps from a hot-air balloon in 1797. The military developed parachuting technology first as a way to save aircrews from emergencies aboard balloons and aircraft in flight, later as a way of delivering soldiers to the battlefield. Early competitions date back to the 1930s, and it became an international sport in 1951.

Today it is performed as a recreational activity and a competitive sport, as well as for the deployment of military personnel Airborne forces and occasionally forest firefighters.

Types

There are several different disciplines to embrace within parachuting. Each of these is enjoyed by both the recreational (weekend) and the competitive participants. There is even a small group of professionals who earn their living with parachuting. They win competitions having cash prizes or are employed or sponsored by skydiving related manufacturers.

Parachutists can participate both in competitive and in purely recreational skydiving events. World championships are held regularly in locations offering flat terrain and clear skies. An exception is Paraski, where winter weather and ski-hill terrain are required.

Types of parachuting include:

* Accuracy landing - Landing as close as possible to a target.
* BASE jumping - From buildings, antennas, bridges (spans) and cliffs (earth).
* Blade running - A kind of slalom with a parachute.
* Big-ways - Formation skydiving with many people all falling belly to earth.
* Canopy formation - Making formations with other parachutists while under canopies. (Known also as canopy relative work or simply CRW (CRew))
* Canopy piloting - Also known as 'swooping'.
* Formation skydiving - Making formations during freefall. (Known also as relative work or simply deployment-position RW)
* Freefall style
* Freeflying - Flying in multiple orientations (i.e. head down, flocking, and sitflying). A more advanced approach to skydiving.
* Freestyle skydiving
* Military Parachuting
o HALO/HAHO
o Treejumping
* Para-ski
* Skysurfing - Skydiving with a board strapped to one's feet.
* Vertical Formation Skydiving - a subset of Formation skydiving that uses high-speed freeflying body positions instead of bellyflying. (Known also as VRW)
* Wingsuit flying - Skydiving with a suit which provides extra lift.