Parachute And Its Pilot,The: The Ultimate Guide For The Ram-Air Aviator Paperback – January 5, 2004

This book is fantastic. Brian's friendly yet eloquent writing style brings the reader easily digestible knowledge of canopy flight - from theory to equipment to skills and techniques. My canopy piloting and love of the sport as a whole has increased even more having read this book. I highly recommend it to experienced and new skydivers alike!

Not a beginning skydiver's book, but some great info in this. He does a great job explaining how the canopy works and other aspects of the entire systems such as the risers. Unless you are a swooper, or wanting to learn to swoop, the second 1/3 of the book will be pretty much lost on you. However, the last part of the book dealing with fear and the human mind is outstanding. I liked that part so much, I turned right around and got Germain's other book "Transcending Fear: The Doorway to Freedom" to get the full intent of the last part of the this book. Overall, a great book to learn about the canopy and the way it works.

Great advice and wisdom. I’m landing my canopy better already. A must read for skydivers and everyone.Thx BrianDr. Mike

As an aircraft pilot and a certified flight instructor, With 15 jumps flying a canopy I 100% recommend this to anyone who wants to learn to fly a canopy with understanding. Greatly increasing your ability to become who you want to be under canopy from a Parachute designer and test pilot there is no better source! combined with your jump coach you will progress much faster. Developing essential skills that any pilot of any wing must have.

First of all, beware that this is a physically large book. The size is 8.5"x11" (A4 size), the same as what probably goes into your home printer.I am an inexperienced jumper, sub-100 jumps and on my first non-student canopy. I found a lot of good information in this book, teaching me the basics of how the parachute works and why it does what it does when I pull the toggles. It's worth reading it with a highlighter in your hand, to mark the most important tips for future reference. I read the book from the beginning, stopping when I came to the chapter on high-performance landings. I am too new to be putting those ideas into my head. I also didn't read the hippy self-improvement stuff in the second half of the book.My biggest problem with the book, and the reason I took off a star, is the apparent lack of proof-reading. There were many spelling and grammatical mistakes, more than in most things I read. Maybe a nitpick, but it is a book and should be proofread properly.

Short of attending one of Brian Germain's canopy piloting courses, this book is a must for any safe jumper looking to better understand the inner workings of a ram air canopy. It's descriptive, yet easy to understand. It focuses on what makes a canopy fly the way it does, how to manipulate and control your canopy beyond the obvious toggle turns, and how to avoid situations that could end your skydiving career. Brian Germain is a subject matter expert on canopy design and performance. The knowledge written in this book will help you take your canopy ride to the next level while still giving you the know-how to stay safe.

An excellent book for anyone wanting to improve their canopy piloting. One read and you’ll have more info than most “experts” on the drop zone.

I can't say enough about this book. Reading through a second time and highlighting. Loads of canopy performance info and things to ponder/understand to make one safer after deployment. Brian does a great job weaving the psych aspects of the sport into stuff I can understand and then improve. I'm not going to be a serious swooper but the info is applicable in other way too. IMO, a must have for ANY jumper. Thanks Brian.

Para quem deseja conhecer mais sobre pousos e velames é essencial a leitura.

A must read for any skydiver.

Most part of this book focuses on swooping. Not enough focus on different ways of steering the canopy and landing precision. A little bit disappointing.

I don't jump much these days, but this book is terrific even for non-jumpers. Why? Two reasons. First, it treats parachuting as the complex system it is, giving low-numbers skydivers like me a depth and breadth of knowledge about canopy flight that far exceeds what you learn on an AFF or FS1 course. And a more knowledgeable skydiver is a safer skydiver.But second, the book on every page is what you might call a "celebration of the human spirit", taking adventure and excitement not as entertainments to rush headlong into, but rather challenges that can be met with the right skills and training (and how much better they are if you go in prepared!)It's a classic book among jumpers, but I hadn't read it before I had 100 jumps in my logbook and wish I had. Not just the What and How of canopy flight, but the Why.

Brilliant book! My canopy skills have improved a ton as a result of reading this book. Also has great general life lessons