Definition
A tapered, triangular or lens-shaped panel of fabric or material used to form a curved, three-dimensional surface from flat pieces. In aviation, gores are the individual shaped panels sewn or joined together to construct the canopy of a parachute or the envelope of a balloon or airship.
Plain English
A wedge-shaped piece of fabric. Several gores joined edge to edge form a rounded shape, like the segments that make up a parachute canopy or a balloon.
Context Anchor
Seen in balloon, parachute, and fabric-covering maintenance descriptions, especially when identifying panels, seams, or damage.
Derivation
From Old English 'gara,' meaning a triangular piece of land or cloth — the same root as the word for a wedge-shaped slice. The original meaning of a tapered wedge carries directly into modern use: gores are the wedge-shaped panels that, when stitched together, produce a curved surface from flat material.
Why Pilots Care
Parachute strength and deployment depend on intact gores; damage or improper construction can affect reliability in an emergency.
Analogy
Think of the panels that make up a beach ball or an orange peel cut into segments — each curved strip is a gore. Joined together, the flat strips form a sphere.
Intuition Check
Gore does not mean blood or injury here. In this context, it means a shaped fabric panel used as part of a larger covering.
Example Sentence 1
The rigger inspected each gore of the parachute canopy for tears or worn stitching before repacking.
Example Sentence 2
Each gore of the hot-air balloon envelope was reinforced along the seams to handle inflation stresses.