The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-03-02
CHAPTER XVII.

TN warm weather these suits &C
L quired an odor similar to that OF
a goat which has been in the barn
all winter and the fur itself was
far from comfortable.
On the trip back piston froze
in the engine. For two days the
cadet was alternately roasting in the
southern sun and freezing in the
Texas nights while he guarded his
ship and waited for a new engine.
After our return from Galveston
while we were practicing formation
attack on two seaters. experienced
one of the incidents of the military
pilots life.
I made my first emergency para
chute jump. When an Army plane
crashes, the pilot is required to
write a detailed report Of the crash.
My account was as follows:
"a nine-ship SE-5 formation,
commanded by Lieutenant Black
burn, was attacking DH-4B,
flown by Lieutenant Maughin at
about a 5000 foot altitude and
several hundred feet above the
clouds.
st was flying on the left of the
top unit, Lieutenant McAllister on
my right, and Cadet Love leading.
When we nosed down on the OH,
I attacked from the left and
Lieutenant McAllister from the
right. After Cadet Love pulled up,
1 continued to dive on the OH for
a short time before pulling up to
the left. saw no other ship
nearby.
81 passed above the OH and a
moment later felt slight jolt fol-
lowed by a crash. My head was
thrown forward against the cowl-
ing and my plane seemed to turn
around and hang nearly motion
less for an instant.
IT closed the throttle and saw
an SE-5 with Lieutenant McAllister
in the cockpit, few feet on my
left. He was apparently unhurt
and getting ready to jump.
"Our ships were locked together
with the fuselages approximately
parallel. My right wing was dam
aged and had folded back slightly,
covering the forward right-hand
corner Of the cockpit.
Then the ships started to mill
around and the wires began
whistling. The right wing COM
menced vibrating and striking my
head at the bottom Of each oscilla-
alton.
II removed the rubber band
Safetying the belt, unbuckled it,
climbed out past the trailing edge
of the damaged wing, and with my
feet on the cowling on the right
side of the cockpit, which was then
in nearly vertical position, I
jumped backwards, as far as pos
sible.
II had no difficulty In locating
the pull-ring and experienced no
sensation Of falling. The wreckage
was falling nearly straight down
and for some time I fell in line with
its path and only slightly to one
side. Fearing the wreckage might
fall on me, / did not pull the rip
cord until I dropped several
hundred feet and into the clouds.
During this time I had turned
one-half revolution and was fall
ing flat face downward. The para
chute functioned perfectly; almost
as soon as I pulled the rip cord the
riser perked on my shoulders, the
leg straps frightened, my head went
down, and the chute fully opened.
i saw Lieutenant McAllister
floating above me and the wrecked
ships pass about 100 yards to one
side, continuing to spin to the right
and leaving trail of lighter frag-
ments along their path. I watched
them until, still locked together.
they crashed in the mesquite about
1000 feet below and burst into
flames several seconds after impact.
"Next I turned my attention to
locating a landing place. I was
over mesquite and drifting in the
general direction of a plowed field
which I reached by slipping the
chute.
Shortly before striking the
ground, I was drifting backwards,
but was able to swing around in
the harness just as I landed on the
side Of a ditch less than 100 feet
from the edge of the mesquite.
Although the impact of landing
was too great for me to remain
standing, was not injured in any
way. The parachute was still held
open by the wind and did not
collapse until I had pulled in one
group Of ground lines.
During my descent lost my
goggles, a vest pocket camera which
fitted tightly in my hip pocket, and
the rip cord of the parachute"
During the descent all the other
planes broke formation and arched
around us. Every ship within sight
proceeded at full speed to the spot
and before long the air was full of
machines.
Several of the De Havilands
landed in the blowing and within
half an hour two planes with extra
parachutes were sent to take us
back to Kelly. About an hour after
the crash we had two new SE-5s
and were back in the air again."
The parachute is marvellous in
vention, experimental with as early
as the sixteenth century by Leon
ardo da Vinci.