The weight is the same in either case. This actually applies only to Newtonian fluids like air and water. More about Gravity and Drag Our discussion of the physics of skydiving in Gravity and Drag assumes that the skydiver is falling straight down. In fact, there is also horizontal movement. These chutes tended to fall straight down through the air.
Modern parachutes are more like airplane wings and skydiving is actually like gliding.
You move both forward and downward as indicated by the green arrow. There are other air sports that are related to skydiving. Hang gliding is similar, but the hang glider has a rigid frame supporting the fabric wing, and instead of jumping out of a plane one generally launches by jumping from a hill or cliff. In the sport of soaring, people fly airplanes without engines. These gliders, or sailplanes, have rigid, smooth wings and bodies.