8 February 2012 Last updated at 08:18 ET

7 questions on skydiving and parachuting

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7 questions on skydiving

Austrian adventurer Felix Baumgartner has announced he will attempt the highest skydive in history later this year. He will jump from a balloon 36.5km (120,000ft) high. How much do you know about skydiving?

1.) Multiple Choice Question

Famous painter Leonardo da Vinci designed a parachute, but what shape was it?

1. Pyramid-shaped
   
2. Cube-shaped
   
3. Doughnut-shaped
   

Info

Leonardo's design has been tested a couple of times. The one pictured was carried out in 2008 by Swiss Olivier Vietti-Teppa.

2.) Multiple Choice Question

During World War I parachutes were used by which of the following?

1. Aeroplane pilots
   
2. Observation balloon crew
   
3. Paratroopers
   

3.) Multiple Choice Question

The world record for the largest formation of skydivers in free-fall was set in Thailand in 2006. But how many people were linked?

1. 200
   
2. 400
   
3. 600
   

4.) Multiple Choice Question

Formation Skydiving is described as the art of building formations or patterns in freefall. Which of the following is also used to describe formation skydiving?

1. Atmonauti
   
2. Whuffo
   
3. Relative work
   

5.) Multiple Choice Question

Which former US president is a skydiving fan?

1. George HW Bush
   
2. Bill Clinton
   
3. Ronald Reagan
   

6.) Multiple Choice Question

Swiss pilot Yves Rossy - otherwise known as "Jetman" - became the first man in history to fly with a jet-pack in 2006. Which of the following feats did he complete in just eight minutes?

1. The English Channel, 2008
   
2. The Grand Canyon, 2011
   

7.) Multiple Choice Question

Felix Baumgartner has completed jumps from all of the following places EXCEPT...

1. The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio, Brazil
   
2. The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
   
3. The top of a 623-foot-deep cave
   
4. A balloon over the Namibian Desert
   

Answers

1. It's pyramid-shaped. The design consisted of a sealed linen cloth held open by a pyramid of wooden poles, about seven metres long.
2. It's observation balloon crew. The parachutes were fixed on to the sides of the baskets as parachutes were the only means of escaping from a balloon.
3. It's 400. They jumped on 8th February 2006 in Udon Thani, Thailand.
4. It's relative work (RW), according to the British Parachute Association (BPA). A whuffo is a person who doesn't skydive and atmonauti is a type of freeflying where skydivers fly at an angle between head-down and flat, according to the BPA.
5. It's George HW Bush. The former US President has skydived at least six times since leaving the presidency - one of which was on in 85th birthday in June 2009.
6. It was the Grand Canyon. He flew over the English Channel in just less than 10 minutes.
7. It's a balloon over the Namibian Desert. The jumper, Joe Kittinger, set a record for the highest manned balloon flight, and will help coach Baumgartner for his forthcoming jump.

Your Score

0 - 2 : Overshoot

3 - 5 : Undershoot

6 - 7 : Upwind

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