San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-14

Chicago he became very sick and y
were due in Nashville before be ocul
possibly get well. He had g ~ u4
jump then or cancel the enRageme1<
| took the balloon to Nashville 90
made successful jump, and have -
jumping ever since"
Movies Wanted Hin
Sergeant Bottriell Joined the ard
in 1909. enlisting in the cavalry. ~
1917 he Joined the air service.
Have the movies ever been eftGI
your he was asked. 81
Yes" was his answer, "but it's 10
army for me after spending IA yearo
in it."
Sergeant BottrieIl is the parachute
instructor at Kelly Field. All pflot4
are given instruction in parachufo
jumping, and an order for 1863 paraS'
chutes all of the ''free" type, is bofuf
filled. The air service plans to euui6
every pilot with a parachute. Test
pilots are now equipped to wear them.
After serving at Kelly Field during
the war Sergeant Bottriell was sent Is
McCook Field, the engineering school
of the air service, and there W en-
gagged in the development of q standard
type of parachute for the army. The
free type was the result. There ara.
only two types of parachutes, the
free" type and the attached type,
which are almost self explanatory
The jumper opens the 'free" type By
pulling rip cord any time he wantn
to, while the ATTACHED" type is fast
, ened to the plane and opens when the
jumper leaves the ship. This type II,
not considered satisfactory as the ropo
which attaches the jumper and h-S|
parachute might become tangled in rhoI
plane. allowing the jumper to fall
This has occurred in several instances-
Sergeant Bottriell was the first mani
to ever jump with "free" type para-
chute.
How 1t Feels to Step Off.
"Of course" he said, I'VE had ex-
perimented with them many times. bue
still it was a funny feeling to jump
overheard with nothing to hold to.
After falling second or two l pulled
the rip cord and it was a great relief
to see the parachute unfold above me.~
In explaining the sensations OF
jumping with a parachute, Sergeant
DOttIltlt sdlu tudL tueEe was no QUICK
jar when it opened. but made one feel
more like he was tied to a big rubber
or spring. 1t is a quick but easy
change from a fast to low speed OF
falling.
1--WE usually hit the ground pretty
hard" he said. 1T gives one quite
a jar. but if he hits right the is no
serious danger. A jumper should al
ways try to land on open ground. IL
he lands in a tree or on house the
parachute is sure to pull him further
along unless he is coming straight
down. The release of press-re will
cause the parachute to collapse and
when the jumper falls he will be too
close to the ground for it to open
again.
The parachutes used at Kelly Field
are "a feet in diameter at the base and
weigh IA pounds. They drop at the
rate of is feet a second. The para
chute, Sergeant Bottriell explained. is
as carefully constructed as an air
plane, and every thread th--t goes into
them is tested. They have a breaking
strength. under test, of 5000 pounds.
Two emergency jumps have already
been made by pilots at McCook Field,
and in each instance a life was saved.
Each plane got out of control while in
the air. They risked their life on the
free" type parachute and it worked
as well in the emergency as in expert
ments.