Evening star., 1946-08-11
Porochutist Makes an UnscheduIed Landing
In Demonstration Leap at Ordnance Show
Wind Change Carries
Jumper Onto Top
Of Navy Building

A civilian parachute jumper car
Iried on yesterday after three Army
paratroopers had been forbidden to
Jump from plane. and spectators
at the Army Ordnance show at the
Washington Monument Grounds
were given even more of a thrill than
they expected when the parachutist
landed on the roof of the nearby
Bureau of Ships Building instead of
on the field.
The civilian parachute Jumper
was Michael Fayad, foreman of the
parachute shop at Andrews Field.
The Army men, banned from Jump
ing with him by War Department
edict, were Capt. Richard Engels
of Madison, Wis, who served over
seas with the 101st Airborne Di-
vision and jumped in Normandy and
Holland Sergt. William Mcintyre of
Philadelphia. who flew on As mis-
sions in the Southwest Pacific and
has Is jumps to his credit, and Staff
Sergt. Everett c. Skinner of An
drews Field, who also has Is leaps
to his record.
1t. Col. Harvey Rivkins, chief of
the Office of Technical Information
for Ordnance, explained Army regu-
lations forbade servicemen from
jumping because they lacked ex-
perience in that kind of jumping
and on account of the hazardous
conditions attendant on parachuting
into small space.
But Mr. Fayad, who was making
his l,000th leap. was under no such
restrictions. AS the 28-year-old
civilian jumper swung down from
the plane toward the Navy Build
ing at Seventeenth street and Con-
stitution avenue NV, many of the
nearly 5000 spectators began run
ming from the grounds toward the
structure. When officials reached
the roof of Temporary Building g.
Wing 8, they found Mr.. Fayad
coolly rolling up his parachute.
The parachute jumper, who lives
at 2l2 A street NE, explained his
failure to hit the Monument
Grounds was caused by the vagary
of the wind.
The wind was Is miles an hour
at the time I prepared to Jump"
he said. "and it suddenly stopped
when I left the plane. I came
straight down instead of being
pulled over onto the grounds as /
had planned"
Mr., Fayad said he left the plane
when it was about 800 feet above
the ground. He dropped nearly
300 feet before opening his para
chute. His drop was so rapid that
spectators began yelling Pull the
cord" The swift descent was alb
ruptly checked once the parachute
spread out its white umbrella. AS
he neared the building, Mr.. Fayad
opened second parachute. but it
failed to spread before he landed.
The 1,500-foot drop took "a min
utes, Army officials at the show said
The plane. piloted by 1t. James L..
Hill of Fort Benning, Ga, circled
over the field four time before Mr.
Fayad felt conditions were right for
the jump. After the jump, Mr.
Fayad said he landed only feet
from the opening in the U-shaped
section between the two wings of
the temporary building. If he had
gone into that area. he said any
things might have happened"
Among those Watching the per-
formance were Mrs Ann w. Fayad
the parachute jumpers wife and
their 24-month-old daughter, Shir-
ley Ann.
A native of Gary, Ind, Mr.. Fayad
has been living in Washington since
l94l. A first lieutenant in the civil
air patrol, has performed at the
national air aces and in other air
shows. His most daring exploit
was a delay jump in 1899 at the
Cleveland air race where ne did
not open his parachute until he had
fallen 5000 feet in a 10,0O0-foot
jump.
The parachuter took an unan-
nounced pfactlce Jump over the
same course on Friday, landing
within few feet of the Monument
that time.
The exhibit of ordnance materiel,
sponsored by the Army Ordnance
Department and the Military Dis
strict of Washington, will remain
open daily from 10 am. to pm.