Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-26
JU MP!
Lieut.. Harris Floats to
Safety When Plane Crum-
bles Over Dayton, Ohio.
Falls Long Distance With
out Sensation Before He
Gets Chute Open.
BY DON GLAssMAN.

BY DON GLASSMAN.
A group of officers visiting McCook
Field, Dayton, on october 20, 1922, were
discussing parachutes.
They had never seen the service pack
and Lieut.. Harold r. Harris, chief OF
the flying section, showed them how the
harness was fitted over the shoulders,
around the legs and across the chest
and how the pull ring released the silk
umbrella.
Although impressed, several ventured
to doubt distressed pilots ability to
release himself from an airplane and
pull the ring. They commended that
such parachute had never saved life
| from wrecked plane.
1T is surprising" remarked Lieut..
Harris ironically, what one can do
under stress"
Then the chief asked Lieut.. Fair
child to continue flying tests on the
tail surfaces of Thomas Morse. He
followed Fairchild up as soon as the
| engine of his Looming monoplane had
warmed up.
A new type of aileron had been in
stalled on the monoplane the day be-
fore and it had been flown in q pre-
liminary test at low speeds by Lieut.
Wade.
Terrific Vibration.
On october 20 Lieut.. Harris had
hours experience flying q dual-con-
trolled plane and 1,071 hours solo
experience. He had piloted the Looming
but once before.
McCook Field was less than one mile
from the heart of Dayton. Harris and
Fairchild met over the city at an alti-
tude Of $500 feet. They engaged in
nnV nfSnn
The Thomas Morse drove directly at
the Looming, "as If he were firing his
forward guns" said Harris.
81 flew directly at him. As we closed,
he veered and gave me an opportunity
to attack his tail. Fairchild dived at
about five degrees, with full power. I
followed him over the junction of the
Miami and Mad Rivers.
"He started q very slight turn left.
followed AZ $50 miles per hour, keeping
the ring and bead sight on the Thomas
Morse. The turn could not have been
Of smaller radius than IL miles-in
fact, the ship was banked at such a
slight angle that ordinarily her pilot
would not think of any motion of the
ailerons. In order to keep my sights
fixed on Fairchild it was necessary to
begin a gradual left turn.
"A terrific lateral vibration shook her
AtOtu pkOpCAlCA W IuQUtI. Lie AllcEO1
oscillation became violent and the stick
oscillated about q thousand times q
minute, striking against my leg between
the hip and knee. My right hand was
badly bruised.
Leaving the Cockpit.
Longitudinal control remained in
tact. Closing the throttle and climbing,
attempted to decrease speed and re-
gain the lateral control.
II found it impossible. The stick
knocked my hand clear. 1t was hunt
ing from one extreme Of the cockpit
to the other.
mo sooner than discovered that
control was completely lost, I knew
there was only one way to save my life.
Collapse of this kind made 1t impossible
to land safely; II stayed with the plane
would be killed.
'I have seen many planes crash and
helped pick up dead pilots. had never
made parachute jump and vowed that
never would except in an emergency
of this kind. In plotting airplanes for
live jumps I watched the expression
on the man about to jump and decided
it looked too much like mental strain
to suit me.
But the thing for me to do now was
to leave the Looming and trust my para
chute.
THAT was not as hard as it seems,
for the plane was falling at an angle
Of about 80 degrees. Portions of the
wing structure were beginning to blow
on.
IT opened the clasp on my belt and
slid through the top of the fuselage.
I did not plan to jump, as the ire
mendous wind pressure, about 200 miles
an hour, would fling me clear Of the
ship.
That's Just what happened. I vast
ed no effort in leaving the cockpit. She
was blowing furiously.
''The wind carried my body free at
about TOO feet. My mind was alert;
the left wings aileron was stationary at
right angles to the wing, the balance
being up. Strips Of wing and aileron
cloth were flying from the left wing
just as I left. I made no observation
of the right wing.
No Sensation Of Falling.
after clearing the Pw, clutched my
hand on what thought was the para
chute rip cord. pulled 1t. I could
neither see nor feel the sail breaking
loose. Something resembling a rip cord
was in my hand. couldn't see it.
Three times I pulled. Three times
spinning. I think 1 was head down
because I remember looking at my feet
three times with the understanding that
they were pointing skyward.
SUDDENLY / became conscious that I
didn't have the rip cord in my hand
I was jerking the leg strap fitting of
the harness, about 3 inches below
the ring.
"Painstakingly, allowed my hand to
span the 3 inches separating it and
the ring. You see, I'd been thinking /
was upright-that is, with feet pointing
earthward. But my position was re-
| versed, head down and the soles of my
feet facing heaven and I couldn't tell
which was up and which down.
"All this while my speed must have
been high, but at nc time did feel
any sensation of falling. Even with
extremely high wind velocity had per-
feet control of my arms and could move
| them up and down at will.
During the whole experience did
-aA II -