The worlds smallest parachute is 3.25m square [0] This is only possible because it's behaving like a wing and generating lift if you look at the shape closely.

The worlds smallest parachute is 3.25m square [0] This is only possible because it's behaving like a wing and generating lift if you look at the shape closely... probably out of luck to find a piece of debris that is going to behave like an airfoil well enough, but this parachute user can land with zero injuries, if you only want to survive, perhaps some concessions can be made, and this made me wonder: If you found such a flat and light enough piece of material with a useful surface area - how best to use it? even if it's not the right shape to generate significant lift, there are different ways to use it, and one of them causes the smallest terminal velocity - the obvious use is directly against the airflow like a flat parachute - but would it work better if you tried to convert your downward force into a horizontal one by deflecting the air into one direction? (like a really bad glider, or those wingman suits). My instinct says yes, but without lift I can't explain why, I suppose because I can see where the force is going (horizontal) rather than just "dissipating" through turbulence. I suppose at the minimum, by directing the flow to one side you provide yourself with significantly more horizontal mobility for choice of landing site. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/88729-smallest-parachute https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/88729-sma...