This document serves as the third revision of the USAF Parachute Handbook which was first published in 1951. The data and information represent the current state of the art relative to recovery system design and development. The initial chapters describe representative recovery applications, components, subsystems, material, manufacture and testing. The final chapters provide empirical data and analytical methods useful for predicting performance and presenting a definitive design of selected components into a reliable recovery system.

BASE 66 is the true, nerve-wracking account of three young skydivers and their quest for membership in the most select extreme sports club on earth: The BASE club. In order to become a full-fledged member, Jevto Dedijer, Bernard Poirier, and Scott Elder had to parachute from the top of a building, an antenna tower, a bridge and a cliff, and survive to tell the story--a feat only some 800 adrenaline addicted people have succeeded in doing. In BASE 66, Jevto Dedijer tells the tale of his hunger for the ultimate adrenaline rush. He and his companions shared several near death experiences while traveling across Europe with their parachutes and beer in Bernard's dented Renault 4. They were pioneers in a sport so dangerous that several of their fellow BASE jumpers died in action. "BASE 66 is a fascinating story about life and death, terror and joy, and intimate friendship. It is an account of extraordinary people taking a step beyond the edge." Yuri Kuznetsov--BASE 416 "Everyone will enjoy reading Jevto's thrilling and humorous tale of his fascinating BASE odyssey and his discovery of a way of life that surpasses artificial boundaries and provides lifelong inspiration." Jean Boenish--BASE 3