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]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Canada
| ||
| Men's Parachuting | ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
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
edit- ^ Mark, Gary. "Empty Spaces in the Sky, Steve Sutton (1946-2020)". Kiting, The Journal of American Kitefliers Association. No. Fall, 2020.
- ^ "History of Parachuting and CSPA". Canadian Sport Parachuting Association. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
- ^ Parachutist Magazine, Volume 49, Number 6, Issue 584, June 2008, page 15
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Development of the FlowForm Kite". Thomas-Michael Rudolph. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
- ^ "Our Flight to Florida, Christmas 2002". Cessna 150-152 Pilot. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
External links
edit- CSPA Canadian Records - Describing his 200 jumps in a 24-hour period in 1969.
- Canadian Medal Winners at Past WPC's - Silver Medal at the XI World Parachuting Championships and other achievements.
- Our Flight to Florida, Christmas 2002 - Trip to Florida from Toronto in Fluffy, a Cessna 150, in December 2002-January 2003.
- Development of the FlowForm kite - Research into new parachute designs and how it led him to develop the FlowForm kite.