This heading covers parachutes used for the descent of personnel, military supplies or equipment, meteorological instruments, flares, etc.; certain types are used as tail chutes for slowing jet propelled aircraft. According to their use, they may be of various sizes, and may be made of silk, man-made fibre materials, linen, cotton, paper, etc.
The upper part of the conventional type of parachute, as used by personnel, usually consists of a small pilot chute which opens when the rip cord is pulled. This, in turn, opens the main chute canopy to which are attached a certain number of shroud lines. These cords are brought together at the bottom into two or more risers, attached to the harness which is worn by the parachutist and which consists of an assembly of straps, fitted with buckles and snap-hooks. The pilot chute, the main chute canopy and the shroud lines are packed carefully in a container which is opened by means of the rip cords. This heading also covers paragliders which are designed for launching oneself from the side of a mountain, the top of a cliff, etc., and which consist of a folding canopy or shroud (wing), cord shroud lines for steering in air currents and a harness for the pilot. However, their similarity to parachutes does not extend to aerodynamic behaviour, since under certain conditions and if air currents so permit, paragliders may follow ascending trajectories. The heading also includes rotochutes, a type of apparatus with a rotating wing unit, used in meteorology to control the descent of rocket-launched radio-sounding instruments. The heading also covers parts and accessories for parachutes, such as the container, harness and spring frames for opening the parachute, and parts and accessories for rotochutes.
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