The largest parafoil parachute ever flown has a span of 43.6 m. (143 ft.) giving it a surface area of 700 sq. m. (7,500 sq. ft.), nearly one and a half times the size of the wings of a Boeing 747. Essentially a parachute that is ‘inflated’ by air pressure as it descends, the parafoil was developed by NASA to bring its X-38 spacecraft back to the surface after re-entering the atmosphere.

Most paragliders, which are also parafoils, have a surface area of between 25 and 30 sq. m. (270 and 323 sq. ft.).