Editing Parasailing (section)

== History ==

===Early years of Parakiting ===
There is at least one somewhat credible early-19c indication of a person being towed through the air on a kite; the instance is mentioned in passing as having been witnessed by an old sailor telling of it on the 1839-1841 cruise of the USS ''Constitution''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Navy/_Texts/MERLIF/4*.html#parasailing |title=Life in a Man-of‑War|date=1841}}</ref>

===Early years of Parasailing ===
The first ascending-gliding parachute was developed by Pierre-Marcel Lemoigne in 1962.<ref name="parasail_org">{{cite web|url=http://www.parasail.org/ |title=Welcome to the Parasail Safety Council - Mark McCulloh}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alohasurfguide.com/parasailing/|title=Parasailing - Aloha Surf Guide}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.discovery.com/adventure/extreme-sports/parasailing-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-go.htm|title=Parasailing: What You Need to Know Before You Go|first=Talal|last=Al-Khatib|date=5 December 2011}}</ref> The same year, Lemoigne established an Aeronautical Training Center to introduce his new ascending-gliding parachute as a training tool for parachutists. The technique allows parachutists to train more efficiently by towing the parachutist to a suitable altitude, then releasing them to practice landings. This training method proved cheaper than—and just as effective as—an airplane. In 1963, Jacques-André Istel from Pioneer Parachute Company bought a license from Lemoigne to manufacture and sell the 24-gore ascending-gliding parachute which was trade-named "parasail."{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}

===Commercial Parasailing Equipment Inventions ===
In 1974, Mark McCulloh invented the first self-contained parasail launch and recovery vessel that incorporated a hydraulic winch and canopy assist mast that collectively launched and retrieved the parasail canopy and parasailors to and from the vessel flight deck. McCulloh's invention was patented in 1976 and later referred to as a "WINCHBOAT" which set the first parasail equipment industry standard that is utilized by all commercial parasail operations around the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parasail.org/ |title=Welcome to the Parasail Safety Council - Mark McCulloh|publisher=}}</ref>

In 1976, Brian Gaskin designed, created, and tested the first 16-gore canopy design which he named "Waterbird". 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to the Parasail Safety Council |url=http://www.parasail.org/parasailhistory-1970s.html |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.parasail.org}}</ref>

In 1981 Marcel and Azby Chouteau of Westport, Connecticut, designed and built a pontoon-based craft with a fan-shaped back deck and a winch in the front and ran a commercial parasailing operation using their original technology. The company, Old Mill Airlines, offered flights on Long Island Sound during the summer of 1981.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/westport-news-may-20-1981-p-1/ |title=Enthusiasts' hopes soar for boat-drawn parasail (p. 1) - Westport News|date=20 May 1981 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/westport-news-may-20-1981-p-8/ |title=Enthusiasts' hopes soar for boat-drawn parasail (p. 8) - Westport News|date=20 May 1981 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/westport-news-may-20-1981-p-9/ |title=Enthusiasts' hopes soar for boat-drawn parasail (p. 9) - Westport News|date=20 May 1981 }}</ref>

===Commercial Parasailing Weather Standards ===
In April 2013, the ASTM established the first parasail weather standards for commercial parasailing operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.astm.org/f3099-23.html/ |title=Standard Practices for Parasailing - ASTM|publisher=}}</ref>

=== Improved Parasail Canopy Designs ===
In recent years, operators have moved from small (20-foot range) parachutes to large (30–40 feet) parachutes with high-lift, low-drag designs, enabling operators to fly heavier 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 aluminum bar is attached to the yoke of the chute, allowing two or three passenger harnesses to be attached side by side.

===Regulations===
In 2014, the [[National Transportation Safety Board]] issued a press release in which it found the parasailing industry to be largely unregulated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/07/01/ntsb-parasailing-accidents-frequently-caused-by-faulty-equipment/|title=NTSB: Parasailing Accidents 'Frequently Caused By Faulty Equipment'|date=July 2014 }}</ref> The report identified a number of safety concerns which included vessel operators who continued to operate despite hazardous wind conditions, use of inadequate equipment and unserviceable gear, and compromised strength of rope tied to the parasail. In a period from 1998 to the third of July 2013, there were six parasailing fatalities in the Florida area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/parasailing-safety-questioned-accident-florida/story?id=19567438|title=Parasailing Safety Questioned After Accident|work= ABC News|date=8 July 2013}}</ref> The great majority of deaths in parasail incidents have occurred when riders were unable to get out of their harness support system after an unplanned landing in water during high winds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swoperodante.com/parasailing-accident-statistics/|title=Parasailing Accident Statistics & Info - Swope, Rodante, P.A.|date=8 May 2014}}</ref>

Prior to the release of the NTSB report, Florida passed the [[White-Miskell Act]] which added strict regulations parasailing companies must follow including obtaining an insurance policy, and restrictions on parasailing in inclement weather.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wet-n-Wild Parasailing Destin|url=http://destinflboatrentals.com/attractions/parasailing/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207142323/http://destinflboatrentals.com/attractions/parasailing/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2017-02-07}}</ref>