Parachutists use air friction to slow down their fall.During downward fall,their weight and air friction,whch are opposite in direction,balance each other.This makes their landing safe.
With parachutes, it's the slowing-down effect that we want. If you fall from a plane without a parachute, your relatively compact body zooms through the air like a stone; open your parachute and you create more air resistance, drifting to the ground more slowly and safely—much more like a feather