On Tue, 26 May 2009 10:53:34 -0400, Mike Ash wrote:

And there is of course an entire sport dedicated to this called
paragliding. I believe their parachutes are somewhat different, but that
just means it's harder to thermal a skydiving parachute, not impossible.

Despite some similarities in appearance and construction, a paraglider
is COMPLETELY different from a skydiving parachute. A paraglider is a
wing (PG pilot's don't call them "parachutes"), designed solely for
gliding flight, and cannot be used for jumping (the shock of a free
fall opening would destroy it).

But yes, it's just [barely] possible to thermal a skydiving parachute.
And there are some horror stories of people who have bailed out into
thunderstorms and reached alarming altitudes...

-Dana
--
When you get it right
mighty beasts float up into the sky
When you get it wrong
people die

-Roger Bacon (c1384)