Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-28
= Double Drop From Bombing Plane-

Shleppy brought his rip-cord back
| with him.
It has been the custom at Kelly
Field that any one making a para
| chute jump, either voluntary or
! forced, must bring back the rip-cord
or suffer the penalty of standing treat
to the personnel of the parachute de-
| partment as recompense for the loss
Of the rip-cord. Cadet Krider bought
the cigars, but Cadet Shleppy was the
q, first man who has not had to pay,
| which proves that his mind was on
the job in hand.
The necessity for the jumps oc-
| CURED when two Martins which were
being flown in a sevenship formation
| collided when making left turn. The
upper right wing of ship No.
smashed into the lower left wing Of
i ship No. 3, breaking the lower left
| aileron to such an extent that it was
| impossible to control the ship or bring
the wing up to a level position.
| Cadet Krider related the incident
after leaving his chute:
1--WE were flying in formation at
about $500 feet altitude, just above
the clouds, when one of the planes
dived through my left wing. The ship
went into a spin. Shleppy had been
riding with the left leg strap of his
chute unbuckled, so he could reach in
his pocket and get peanuts. Shleppy
has nerve. He stayed right with me
until l tapped him on the shoulder
and motioned that it was time to
jump. We both started back to the
wings after 1 gave the signal. Shleppy
climbed out ahead of me. He went
out between the motor and fuselage
on the left-hand side. / climbed out
on top of the catwalk over the bomb
| bay, SO we would not get in each
others way.
1.-THE ship was falling sleeper and
| spinning faster all the time. I saw
! Shleppy leave the plane and his chute
| open. could not get out of the ship
| Immediately. I caught my foot in the
| cross-brace wires of the center section.
For a few seconds 1 thought would
| be unable to leave the ship. I could
feel the pressure of the wind increas-
ing rapidly.
Finally I released my foot and got
hold Of the ring in my chute before
turned loose with my hands. 1 merely
let go and fell over on the right side
of the fuSelage. I saw the rudder
flash over my head. When first left
the plane l was falling head down.
ward. 1 gave the rip-cord a good.
healthy jerk and threw it about 10
miles away. Immediately I felt my
self jerked upright to a sitting posi-.
ton.
1--WE were below the clouds before
we got clear of the ship. 1 never saw
the plane after I left it. Shleppy was
slightly below me and very near. 1
waved to him a number of times on
the way down, but he did not see me.
l looked down over the mesquite for
a place to land. I jerked my chute
toward a little cultivated patch of
ground toward the edge of the mes
quite, but did not quite make it, and
fell about 200 feet short. 1 hit little
clear spot and my chute fell clear Of
the trees. l made a good landing,
facing down wind. Rolling up my
chute, I went over to the little cult.
waited patch, where 1 heard Shleppy
shouting to me. He was coming to-
ward me, his chute gathered up and
proudly carrying his rip-cord ring"
X X X
THE latest addition to the club is
Lieut.. Stephen A. Mcclellan, a
Marine Corps Reserve officer. While
he was flight-testing a newly designed
ship at an altitude Of 5000 feet the
plane went into a. vertical dive with
the motor racing at full speed. The
plane crumpled beneath him. Pulling
the 'rip-cord Of his parachute, he
landed unhurt in the Potomac River
near Hams Point. In describing the
fall, he said:
1T just went to pieces on me. I
felt something go, then something
else. guess it was a wing came back
at me, covering the cockpit. I stood
up and pushed on the obstruction with
all my strength and it gave way. Then
L hoped over the side. After turn
ing over twice, found the parachute
cord and gave 1t yank. The rest was
easy, except getting wet. That water
was cold"
When short distance from the
water Lieut.. Mcclellan loosened the
straps of the parachute and dropped
free from it into the river. When the
launch from the Naval Air Station
reached him he was swineesing for
shore.
The plane, which was travelling 210
miles an hour when Mcclellan last
noticed the speed indicator, with its
4,OOl-horsepoWer motor running wide
open and minus wings, swept earth
ward with the speed of q projectile,
and landed with a gigantic splash I'm
the shallow water near Hams Point,
the spray rising more than so feet.
A humorous incident leaked out
among the airmen recently when Nal.
Frank d. Lakeland and Capt. Joseph
II. Davidson left Galveston by rail
for Fort Benning, Ga. 1t was Capt.
Davidson's first trip on a railroad in
five years and Maj. Lackland's first
one in three years. although both have
covered the country by air during
those periods.
In making their Pullman reserva-
tions both asked obviously regarding
the relative safety of upper and lower
berths, and before leaving the ticket
window Capt. Davidson slyly took out
one weeks travellers accident insur.
ance, in view Of the danger Of travel.
ing by rail. Maj. Lakeland followed
ut.tA