text: why do parachutists wear helmets...?? surely, if you smack into to ground at terminal velocity after your chutes fail to open - even if you land on your head, your helmet is unlikely to provide sufficient protection for you to laugh about it in the pub afterwards...?? when i started jumping, they told me that it was mostly to prevent knocking yourself unconscious from hitting (a) the top of the doorway of the plane, (b) the underside of the wing as you exited the door or (c) the little step you jump off of when you exited the plane.