THOMAS DEFENCE SYSTEMS

Founded in 1982, Performance Designs is the realization of Bill Coe’s dream to deliver improved performance of ram-air parachutes to the sport of skydiving. Bill’s passion ignited in 1976 following his first jump, at the age of 18, and burned fiercely. He relocated to chase year-round jumping, but was dissatisfied with the canopies he encountered. First modifying, then building new designs from the ground up (all self-funded), he set out to revolutionize the sport and did so with the release of an early version of the PD 9-cell from his shop in DeLand, FL. Bill’s friend and also ardent skydiver, John LeBlanc, matched Bill’s passion and drive for modernized designs and joined PD as Vice President. With their combined efforts, the company thrived, yielding cutting-edge developments such as Microline, cross-bracing, and zero porosity fabric, all of which endure as standards in today’s parachute industry.