Evening star., 1927-10-22
Flying With Gen. Patrick
BY MAJ. GEN. NJ. nj. PATRICK.
Chief Of the Army Air Corps.
The Parachute.

| in top.notch shape and that there
| need be little fear Of mechanical
breakdown. Every part Of our plane
| was thoroughly inspected by expert
mechanics before we left the flying
field. Inspection Of aircraft in the
Army service precedes every flight
Not only are the parts Of the plane
inspected for perfect adjustment and
alignment, but they are also kept i'm
maculate, free from dirt and grease
| because dirt on the parts produces eX
cessive friction, which results in loss
| of speed.
Thanks to the painstaking care
which is exercised by airplane manu-
| facturers and the careful inspections
which are made prior to flight, struc
| tural failures In airplanes during
| flight are very rare. The probability
| of engine failure is being reduced
year by year as new designs are per.
fected, but in the event of such fail
| ure a safe landing is usually possible
! with fairly open country below. For
this reason 1t is advisable to maintain
an altitude sufficient to permit an
easy glide to an open field in which q
safe landing is possible. Sometimes
though rarely, 1t becomes necessary
for the pilot and his passengers tC
abandon the plane in midair, leaving
it to fall unguided. This contingency
was anticipated when, before entering
the plane, we strapped our parachutes
about us.
The pilot usually can tell when the
abandonment of the plane would be
The safer path to earth for himself and
! his passengers. and he loses no time
in spreading the warning. Get outr
| is a serious command in the air, and
should be met by immediate compli
ance. Just as the captain of q ship al
| sea is the last to leave it after the
| command Abandon ship" is given
the ethics of the air demand that the
| pilot stay by his controls until all pas.
| sengers have taken to their para.
chutes. Therefore, immediate response
to his signal may save his life as well
as that of his passengers.
Weight Not BurdensOme.
In our interest in the fight we may
have almost forgotten this important
part of our equipment, probably be.
cause we have been sitting on it.
Those who have had occasion to use 1t
will pronounce it a valuable cushion,
even though it may not be as COM
Portable as many others. 1t has saved
the life of many flyer who faced Ger.
tain death unless he brought 1t into
play. Let us notice how 1t Is manipu-
lated and the nature of its makeup.
Although our parachute weighs
about 40 pounds, we do not feel its
weight as particularly burdensome, as
it is strapped to our back. 1t is folded
neatly in a compartment, so that when
it is released no portion of the fabric
or the ropes will become entangled
and fail to respond. The parachute
itself and the ropes are made of silk
to give strength, together with light
ness of weight. An ordinary para.
chute will support approximately 800
pounds.
When one has occasion to abandon
plane in midair and "go over the
side" as the expression goes, the
easiest and quickest means Of depar.
ture, especially if the plane be flying
level, is in a headlong dive over the
side. With the safety belt released,
one foot on the seat and the other on
the cOwling, the dive should be made
as far away from the plane as possi-
Bile. While in the act of jumping. the
right hand should grasp the rip-cord
ring handle, suspended from the har-
ness and usually located at the left
breast Of the wearer. There should
be no delay in pulling the rip-cord
once the jumper is free Of the air.
plane. When it is pulled, the prongs
which extend through grommets and
tend to hold the container of the para
chute intact are withdrawn. Imme.
diately the pack carrier flies wide
open and out jumps the powerful lit
tie pilot chute, built like a small self.
opening umbrella, drawing the main
parachute after 1t. The rushing air
current Immediately initiates the main
chute, and. although the jumper. espe.
cially If it is his first attempt, may
feel that ages have passed since he
yanked the rip-cord, 1t is only q mat.
ter Of seconds before his headlong fall
into space is interrupted, and he feels
welcome tug all about his body,
bringing him right side up. His next
sensation is the most pleasant reali-
zation that he is gliding to earth in
safety.
DO Not Lose Consciousness.
There have been instances where
the jumper failed to pull the release
ring Of his parachute until he had
dropped more than a thousand feet.
Ihis shows that, contrary to popular
impression, one does not lose complete
control Of his muscles in making a
jump OF this sort, and that he can
reach around for his release ring even
after he has fallen a considerable dis.
tance. 1t also explodes the once.popu.
lar theory that human being loses
consciousness during a long fall.
Like the planes themselves, the ut.
most care Is given to parachutes in
the Army service. Every parachute
is unfolded and refolded once q month
and thoroughly examined to guard
against disintegration Of the fabric or
| cords. Once every six months para.
chutes are taken aboard an airplane
and actually tested. Dummies are
| used In making these tests. With con.
stant care and proper handling, the
parachutes, such as are used in the
Army. will last six or seven years.
Every parachute costs the Govern.
ment approximately $500.
obviously, If q plane is flying com.
paratively low. it may at times be
dlfncult to make q satisfactory jump.
experiments and tests have shown
that a minimum Of 200 feet in altitude
is necessary in which to release the
chute and enable 1t to function prop.
| erly. There was one instance where
an aviator. jumping at a lower alti
tude from. a disabled airplane, was
saved by his parachute just as his feet
were about to touch the ground.
| iCopyright 1921