Steve Sutton (skydiver)

Steve Sutton was a Canadian skydiver who began the sport in 1965 at the age of nineteen. He was born on May 29, 1946, and died on May 27, 2020.[1]

Steve Sutton
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's Parachuting
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1972 USA Individual Accuracy

On July 3, 1969, Sutton set a then-world record by making 200 jumps in a 24-hour period.[2][3]

He was a member of Canada's National Parachute Team from 1970 to 1972, competing in two World Championships, and winning the Silver Medal in Men's Individual Accuracy at the XI World Parachuting Championships in the United States in 1972.[4]

As part of his skydiving career, Sutton also researched improvements in parachute design in the 1970s. These endeavors led Sutton to design the FlowForm kite, a kite based roughly on the idea of the ram air parachute but also self-regulating and adapting to significant changes in wind conditions.[5] He was married to Kathy Sutton,[6] herself a Gold Medalist in Women's Individual Accuracy at the XV World Parachuting Championships in Bulgaria in 1980.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Mark, Gary. "Empty Spaces in the Sky, Steve Sutton (1946-2020)". Kiting, The Journal of American Kitefliers Association. No. Fall, 2020.
  2. ^ "History of Parachuting and CSPA". Canadian Sport Parachuting Association. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  3. ^ Parachutist Magazine, Volume 49, Number 6, Issue 584, June 2008, page 15
  4. ^ a b "Canadian Medal Winners at the Past WPC's". Canadian Sport Parachuting Association. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  5. ^ "Development of the FlowForm Kite". Thomas-Michael Rudolph. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  6. ^ "Our Flight to Florida, Christmas 2002". Cessna 150-152 Pilot. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
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