Show ARMY KEEPS CAREFUL CHECK CHECK ON ON PARACHUTES BECAUSE SLIPS CANT CAN'T EVER BE TRIED OVER I T Two o Men Spend Spend Hours Daily Examining Fine Silk at Airport Slips cant can't be tried over when it lt comes to parachute jumping which is s why two men spend hour after hour our each day daj studying fine line Japanese silk ilk in Sn the army army- air corps hangar atthe at athe atthe the he airport These para parachute hute men Sergeant Donald C. C Derby of the bombardment bombard ment squadron March field River side ide Cal Cat and J J. J C C. C Davis chief mechanic me me- hanic of the observation squad squad- ron on air corps corns reserve know an emer ency gency may be lurking behind the next pilot wears m must st be In perfect ct t condition tion Fe v fliers have to resort tc to em emergency emer emer- r rency jency gency jumps but Frank OD Hunter chief of of operations s l in in inthe the west western vestern rn air all mail maU zone with headquarters ers here herc h has lS saved his life three Limes by parachute j sn te Captain Cap ranking g ace of the World var war nt fliers still in the army only recently r recovered covered from Injuries in Sn his last thrilling escape from rom death in February 1933 c He lie and Captain H Rugh M M. Elmen Elmen- lorf dorl were s sent to nent-to to Wright field Dayon Dayton Dayton Day Day- ton on Ohio to test a new type two seat er cr pur pursuit uit pl plane he For several lights flights the he officers had alternated in han han- han I dung he c controls and occupying the thc gurm gunn rs r's which faced the tail On Ott- this p particular test Captain Hunter Hunt Hunt- er was in the gunners gunner's seat unable to tc toco rec co ec the pilot without turning Ship Goes Into Spin Suddenly the ship went Ven into a tail spin pin Down down it whirled Only when the ground loomed dangerously lose close did Captain Hunter suspect something might be amiss and twist so Ia he could see see sec his companion To Tc horror his iSs horror he discovered Captain Elmendorf Elmendorf El- El mendorf was wasu unconscious conscious There were no controls in Captain Huners Huner's cockpit and it was vas ble ble f t him to climb into the narrow w scat scat- cat cat- catin in which Captain Elmendorf had bad slumped lumped Feverishly Captain Hunter Huntee struggled to free his companion bulhe but bul the he gyrations of the falling ship made action almost impossible The ground was vas rushing toward him him lim when Captain Hunter leaped rom the side of the plane and jerked the he ripcord of his parachute Suffered Broken Back The chute had barely barcly opened when he e struck the ground He suffered i a I broken back and was confined toI to toIa toa Ia a I hospital for for- 10 10 mont months Captain was vas killed Whether he le e put the plane in the spin to test itIc it or Ic r lost consciousness first is still a 3 mystery Captain Hunter became an ace by winning five live citations for heroism in owning downIng seven enemy planes during he the war Only a perfect parachute saved Captain Hunt Hunters life which explains expiates he the importance of the parachute department de- de at the airport More than 75 5 chutes have been tested there theren n the past put three weeks Are Tested d Annually Every parachute is given a drop est eat once a year car and examined thoroughly thor thoro every 30 days or if he the weather cather is stormy and the silk has las as had a chance to get damp In akop a drop kop test the parachute is str strapped to Protecting Pro the thc lives of oil oft arm i army airmail fliers filers who may have e to 0 bail out In l their parachutes es ii In ill a an all emergency is the be eternal vigil vigilance of Sergeant Donald C. C Derby shown examining the para parachute ara ara- chute chit fastenings on the dum dun dummy dummy nih my my used in making iia drop tests tests and amI Chief Mechanic J. J C. C Davis Dalls who is repacking repack repack- ing a chute after afler testing every cry ever square in inch b of the canopy caIlOp shrouds shroud and aul packIng pack pack- Ing for possible sible defects ts In Insert lu- lu 11 sert crt Ca Captain Era Frank i. i OD aD H Hunter er I 7 t I S s a Do a. dummy taken feet aloft nd A wire fastened tossed overboard to t the e plane jerks the ripcord when the dummy is is- feet below the ship It takes three hours to inspect every square square inch of the parachute and repack it after the drop t test st and an hour to make the monthly tion lion Sergeant Derby explained After being checked carefully for lo tears grease spots or other defects the chutes are suspended in a n dryer a s special cial in closed room where an au anair air fan drys out an any possible damp damp- ness Folding the shrouds and silk canopy back into the linen pack requires requires re re- requires quires an exact routine so that the cloth will open rapidly in th the air The silk gets dead and l loses cs it T r iS t fl II NA J f 4 k V 2 T J I spring unless the parachute is ripened Opened Davis said Each chute costs nearly and andis andis andis is replaced every six years years- There are two sizes in general use in the theair theair theair air corps those with a canopy 24 feet teet in diameter for lor fliers weighing not more than pounds and others with a foot 28 canopy for lor heavy heavy- weights Only the purest Japanese silk is used in the canopy and shrouds fastening it to the linen pack strapped to the fliers flier's body The whole outfit out fit It weighs 25 23 pounds including the cushion which m makes es the pack more comfortable le to sit on The important thing to remember when jumping is to count 3 2 3 2 3 slowly to make certain you ou fall rall far enough for the canopy to clear the tail tall surfaces sur sur- ur 5 faces of the plane when it opens a veteran pilot explains A pound 10 pull on the ripcord releases releases releases re re- re- re leases the catch taut elastic clastic bands jerk open the flaps of the pack and anda chute to a spring sprin causes a tiny pilot jump out The air blast blut on this this- small chute jerks the large canopy out The canopy is open three seconds sec see after the ripcord is jerked Army fliers are arc not required to tomake tomake tomake make practice jumps during their training period although they may jump if they care to using two parachutes parachutes para para- chutes as an extra safety measure The parachute department a at the airport is the only one of its kind between the Pacific coast and Den Den- Denver ver Both Sergeant Derby and Mr Davis have been trained for their work in inthe the air corps technical school at Chanute field Rantoul Dl |