Exploring How and Why Parasailing Actually Works

Parasailing is an incredible experience. It takes you soaring into the air with nothing to block your view. It gives you an amazing sense of freedom and wonder and perhaps even a new appreciation for the world around you. It also has a wonderful way of lifting you high above the stress and monotony of everyday life while also leaving you ready to return to the “real world” once the experience is over.

Delving Deeper into Parasailing

The breathtaking view and uplifting experience are reason enough for many people to book a Destin Parasailing adventure. If you’re like most people, though, you may be wondering how parasailing actually works. What takes you up in the air and keeps you there before you settle gently back down to the boat? The physics and aerodynamics that come into play here are fascinating.

How Parasailing Works

In general, parasailing works because of lift, which is the upward force that carries you into the air. Because of the curved shape of the canopy you’ll be attached to, air flows faster over the top it than it does underneath. That, in turn, creates lower pressure over the top of the canopy than inside it, thus allowing you to sail upward. It’s basically the same principle that allows airplanes to fly.

How do you stay in the air, though? After all, it would stand to reason that even after you ascend, your body weight would pull you back down. That’s true, but other forces are at work here. While you’re in the air, the boat is in motion. That increases airflow on the parasail, which creates enough upward force to keep you from sinking.

Your towline’s angle and the speed of the boat determine how high you’ll go and how well you’ll stay there. The faster the boat goes, the higher you’ll fly. Of course, your crew keeps that within reason for your safety.

In addition to those factors, the parasail is designed to provide stability. Though it’s made to create lift and drag and work with the tension of the towline, it also has vents to let a certain amount of air pass through. That gives you a smooth, steady flight and prevents you from being tossed around too much while you’re in the air.

Then, near the end of your flight, the boat starts to slow down. As it does, those forces that took you into the air and allowed you to fly start decreasing and levelling off. As a result, you drift safely back down to the boat with the parasail acting a bit like a parachute at that point to slow your descent.

Letting Physics and Aerodynamics Work for You

Being able to lift off of a boat and fly through the air may seem like magic, but it’s really a fairly simple matter of physics and aerodynamics. That doesn’t make the experience itself any less magical, though. Now that you know more about how parasailing works, why not let those forces work for you to give you an unforgettable excursion?