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Author: Performance Designs

OUR DREAM OF FLIGHT We are dreamers, creators, testers, and producers.  Driven by a true love for skydiving and an insatiable curiosity for possibility in parachute design, we’ve delivered revolutionary canopies and unrivaled customer service for over 30 years.  Our sport will never stop evolving. Neither will we. OUR HISTORY Combine one man, one skydive, and boundless ambition and you end up with one of the most successful companies in the skydiving industry to date. Founded in 1982, Performance Designs is the realization of Bill Coe’s dream to deliver improved performance of ram-air parachutes to the sport of skydiving. Bill’s passion ignited following his first jump at the age of 18 in 1976 and burned fiercely. He relocated to chase year-round jumping, but was dissatisfied with the canopies he encountered. First modifying, then building new designs from the ground up (all self-funded), he set out to revolutionize the sport and did so with the release of an early version of the PD 9-cell from his shop in DeLand, FL. Bill’s friend and also ardent skydiver, John LeBlanc, matched Bill’s passion and drive for modernized designs and joined PD as VP. With their combined efforts, the company thrived, yielding cutting-edge developments such as Microline, cross-bracing, and zero porosity fabric, all of which endure as standards in today’s parachute industry. Today Performance Designs calls DeLand, FL home, where Bill and John continue to lead and inspire their team to create progressive designs, and still encourage lunch break skydives.

The Making of a PD Canopy

Posted on30th April 202130th April 2021AuthorPerformance Designs

Watch a PD canopy being crafted in 3 minutes… Read More …

CategoriesExperienced Base Jumper, Gear, New SkydiverTagscanopies, canopy, gear, PD, Performance Designs

Tip Tuesday: Tension Knots

Posted on28th April 202128th April 2021AuthorPerformance Designs

How tension knots occur and how to prevent them Read More …

CategoriesExperienced Skydiver, Gear, New Skydiver, Skills, Staying AliveTagslines, packer, packing, Performance Designs, rigging, stayalive, staying alive

PD’s Rigger Roll challenge, Nintendo style

Posted on17th March 202117th March 2021AuthorPerformance Designs

Which rigger will win PD’s Quickest Roller comp?… Read More …

CategoriesExperienced Skydiver, Gear, New SkydiverTagscanopy, canopy skills, PD, Performance Designs, rigger

5 Things to Ask Before Downsizing

Posted on19th February 20219th March 2023AuthorPerformance Designs

Are you ready for downsizing? Read More …

CategoriesExperienced Skydiver, Gear, New Skydiver, Staying AliveTagscanopy, canopy piloting, canopy skills, Flight-1, gear, PD, PD Factory Team, Performance Designs, Skydiving gear

Tip Tuesday: Riser Length

Posted on9th February 20219th February 2021AuthorPerformance Designs

Different length risers affect your canopy’s flying characteristics Read More …

CategoriesExperienced Skydiver, Gear, New SkydiverTagscanopy, geaar, gear, packing, Performance Designs, rigging, Skydiving gear

Tip Tuesday: Washing your Canopy

Posted on19th January 202119th January 2021AuthorPerformance Designs

How to wash and dry your canopy… Read More …

CategoriesExperienced Skydiver, Gear, New Skydiver, SkillsTagscanopy, gear, gear maintenance, PD, Performance Designs, Skydiving gear

Tip Tuesday: How to check lines

Posted on8th December 20208th December 2020AuthorPerformance Designs

How to check your lines… Read More …

CategoriesExperienced Skydiver, Gear, New SkydiverTagsgear, PD, Performance Designs, Skydiving gear, video tutorial

Tip Tuesday: Airspeed & Groundspeed

Posted on3rd November 20203rd November 2020AuthorPerformance Designs

Airspeed and groundspeed, demoed from a Twin Otter cockpit Read More …

CategoriesExperienced Skydiver, New Skydiver, Staying AliveTagsPD, Performance Designs, video tutorial

Slider Snaps

Posted on19th October 202029th October 2020AuthorPerformance Designs

What are slider snaps for and how do you use them? Read More …

CategoriesExperienced Skydiver, Gear, New SkydiverTagscanopy, PD, Performance Designs, video tutorial

Tip Tuesday: Removing the RDS

Posted on6th October 202029th October 2020AuthorPerformance Designs

Easy way to remove and stash your RDS Read More …

CategoriesExperienced SkydiverTagsPD, Performance Designs, Tip Tuesday, video tutorial

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