Evening star., 1925-09-07
Special Dispatch to The Star.

san DIEGO. Calf. Sept. 7.-Fol-
lowing the free parachute drops" Of
SerSt. Randle Bose of the llth Photo
! Section and Private Arthur Bergo OF
/ the 9th Observation Squadron, re-
Gently. when the two intrepid men at
Mitchell Field went over at 5000 feet
and gave the trial bv ordeal to
the Army parachute by dropping
from 500 to 1,500 feet before opening
their chuteS. permission was obtained
FROM The army 10 publish what has
hitherto been guarded by the Air
Sc vice-the account Of the develop
ment Of tha Army no porachute and in
structionS in general how to use ii in
jumping from aircraft.
With tie immortal names Of SerGt.
! Bose and Private BerSo. whose cour-
age put the final stamp of safety on
the new Army parachutes. ringing in
his ears as. indeed, they are in the
ears of the entire Nation after their
!, famous l,500-foot drops, this writer
in order to test the chutes under civil
, flying conditions. jumped from a
mercantile passenger plane flying at
an altitude of 5000 feet.
Plans Test.
After considering for some time the
various manners of leaving a COM
mercial plane with chute the
writer. despite q strong prediction
for Ihe method known as the pull
off. at length decided that a bettel
test could be obtained by a jump
from the cockpit
Noting the 5,000-foot level gradual
ly turning on the altimeter of the
rear cockpit. the writer began TO
muster up the final courage TO go
over. At 5000 feet the pilot raised
his hand above the cowlinG of the
forward cockpit, the agreed-upon
signal.
Upon looking forward again the
writer observed the pilot take both
hands from the controls and raise
them above the cowling He was tell
ing that the ship was sailing so stead
lily that he didn't even have to
guide it,
Prepares to Leap.
Suddenly callousing his mind to
possible eventualities, the writer
quickly unloosed his belt and began
to climb upon his seat. The whip of
the slip stream made him take a firm
grip on the cowling to prevent being
blown backward. He found one foot
over the cowling without understand
ing how it got there.
Then. or a sudden. without sensi-
tive premeditation. he suddenly gave
his body great life and leaped over
the side and began falling head first.
Almost Immediately he pulled the rip
cord.
A brief instant elapsed while the
pilot parachute ran out and almost
simultaneously a rush, slapping of
harness and he was swinging slowly
in wide sweep as the main chute
took the air. At this moment the SEN
sation was a most delightful one
At no time, even during the jump,
after one has left the vicinity of the
propeller's slip-stream is there felt a
rush of air. And, so far as losing
ones powers of consciousness are
concerned, it seems to this writer that
the principal deterrent to deliberate
thought is occasioned by the strange
novelty of what is about Repetition
of the act should render it real
pleasure.
Safety Arrived.
Safety in aeronautics, then. has ar
rived and for its arrival the Army is
mainly responsible-well justifying
every expenditure of money ever
made for the American Air Services
The instructions for the use of the
chutes may prove of vital Importance
to all those who may fly, and by per-
mission of the Army they will be pub
lished in these columns.
For commercial liners flying over
the land a simple parachute is suffi-
cient, but where lines pass over the
sea, as they will be doing in the COM
paratvely near future, a kapok jacket
might be issued to each passenger in
addition to his parachute, SO that when
1t may be necessary to jump the pas
senger will find himself supported on
the water until succor arrives. The
kapok jacket is simply a life preserver
for the water as the parachute is for
the air.
Instructions. both verbally and on
printed announcement forms tackled
up in the passenger cabins, will inform
passengers that only on a signal from
the pilot will they be permitted to
jump. The pilot will also have open
the proper ports from which jumps
are to be made.
When one finds himself, or herself,
actually in the air after leaving the
ship, the first thing to do will be to
look up to see if the shroud lines are
twisted. If they are. they must be
promptly untwisted.
May Be Guided.
If falling over land and Instructions
OF any kind appear below on which it
seems likely one will land, the course
of the chute may be altered consid-
erably by simply pulling on the
shrouds in the direction in which one
desires to slip. A parachute may be
slipped as much as 10 feet sidewise in
each 100 feet of drop by this meth
cd of guidance.
The Army says a parachute's s GER
tainty of operation varies directly with
-. ,r;,r . h.,
by making 1000 live jumps with its
present type pack with not single
accident.
The eNnerience of Sersr Bose and