Home >> Hobbies >> Aviation

How to Make a Tiny Cloth Parachute

Invented in 1785 by François Blanchard, a French astronaut, the parachute is a device designed to help slow an object's momentum when falling from high altitudes. The original parachutes had a canopy constructed out of a large piece of silk, which gave way to nylon by the late 1930s. Attached to the falling object through a system of suspension cables, the parachute's large canopy creates air resistance, also known as "drag." You can make a tiny cloth parachute using the same principle. A lightweight fabric can serve as the parachute's canopy, and you can use all-purpose twine for the cables.

Things You'll Need

1 foot lightweight cotton
Protractor
Scissors
Metal eyelets
Eyelet pliers
All-purpose twine
Metal washer (1-inch diameter and 0.2 oz.)

Instructions

- 1
  Fold a 1-foot square of lightweight cotton fabric into fours, and draw an arch around the edge of the top layer using a protractor and pencil. Cut along this arch, through all the layers of fabric, with scissors. When you open the fabric, it should have an even circular shape.
- 2
  Mark eight dots along the circumference of the circle approximately 2 1/2 inches apart from each other using a pencil. Make the dots about 1/4 inch away from the circle's edge. Punch a metal eyelet through each hole using eyelet pliers. This device works like a fabric hole puncher, but it also inserts a metal ring through the hole, which helps reinforce it.
- 3
  Cut eight equal pieces of all-purpose twine with a pair of scissors. Each strand of twine should measure about 15 inches. Thread each piece of twine through one of the metal eyelets, and secure it with a double knot.
- 4
  Gather the ends of the parachute line together, and tie them with a single knot. Thread the parachute's cables through a 1-inch-diameter, 0.2 oz. metal washer until the metal ring lies about 2 inches away from the knot. Fold the knot above the twine, and split the twine evenly around the washer to create four stings on each side. Thread the washer through this hole, and pull the twine to secure the knot.
- 5
  Test the tiny parachute by holding it above your head and releasing it. If the knots are secure and the weight is heavy enough, the parachute should open and descend slowly to the ground. If not, double-check that you have tied all the knots tightly, or use a slightly heavy washer (approximately 0.4 oz.).

Aviation