The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-03-04
PARACHUTE USE
ON PASSENGER
PLANES ARGUED
U. S. Officials Deny Value
of Safety Device for
National Lines.
This is the fourth and concluding
article of the series on SAFETY In
aviation.
BY ERNIE PYLE
scripps-Howard Aviation Editor


serinps- Howard Aviation Editor
WASHINGTON, March 4.-What
about providing all passengers on
airlines with parachutes9
When Knute Rockne and seven
others died last year in crash IN
Kansas. there was considerable dis
cussion over whether the occupants
could have been saved with chutes.
Will Rogers, an aviation enthu-
siast, declared all passenger planes
should carry parachutes. More re-
Gently. an article in the magazine
Forum has aroused intense inter-
est. It virtually accuses airline OPP
orators of being murderers, for their
opposition to chutes.
A few days ago a bill was intro
duced in congress making it COM
pulsory for all airlines to provide
each pilot and passenger with
parachute.
Deny Chute Value
Government officials have made
close study of airline accidents.
They have found not a single case
in the history of passenger air
transport in this country in which a
parachute would have saved any
one. They deny that chutes would
have done any good in the Rockne
accident.
In nearly every case Of fatal
crashes on the airlines, the planes
have got into trouble at low alti-
tudes, too low to jump.
There are only three conceivable
circumstances under which passen-
gers would have to jump from a
scheduled airline plane:
/. Fire in the air. There never
has yet been a serious fire in the
air on the airlines, and the posi-
bilities are exceedingly remote.
2. Structural failure, such as hap
pened in the Rockne accident, when
wing came off. When this hap
pens, the plane is instantly and
violently thrown over on its back,
scrambling the passengers up into
such a heap they could not olsen
tangle themselves in time to jump.
Experiment is Cited
3. Encountering bad weather,
which would force the plane to
stay up until it ran out of gas.
This never has happened to an
airpIane, and considering the
regulations under which airlines
operate, would be almost impos-
sible.
An interesting experience with
parachutes is recorded by the Boz
ing Air Transport, which for years
carried passengers along with the
air mail between Chicago and San
Francisco. Pilot and passengers al
ways were provided with chutes.
But the passengers didn't want
to wear them. Many absolutely re-
fused Finally the passengers had
their way, and the chutes were
merely kept available if any one
wanted them. Nobody did.
At last the chutes hung idle on
the walls Neither pilot nor pas
sengers were them, and don't tc
this day. That started back in the
days when passengers went with
the night mail, and flying was much
more dangerous than it is today.
Good for Tests
No one denies the value of a
parachute for certain types of fly
ing-military and naval aviation,
test work, exhibition stunning, the
air mail and even on any open cock
pit plane. Chutes have saved more
than 700 lives in this type of flying.
But the same conditions would
not apply to a large cabin plane,
carrying from ten to twenty pas
sengers.
Those informed on airline opera
ton as it is today feel that the
compulsory wearing of parachutes
by all passengers would take more
lives than it would save.