Page 17 - October 2018

service. Dobbs did everything with a drags out the main canopy.
parachute that could be done. He The free fall done by Leading
jumped at many different heights from Aircraftsman Dobbs, Corporal East,
all kinds of different machines, and he and later, John Tranum, gave
made remarkable free falls, or “delay authorities belated confidence in
drops” as they were called, in which he
parachutes, and not only was the
allowed himself to fall for a long time entire air force provided with
before opening his parachute by pulling them, but regulations were made
the rip cord. It was found that instead of forbidding pilots to fly without
continuing to increase speed to some them. Manufactures’ test pilots
fantastic velocity during these free falls, took to wearing them, and some of
the human body reached only about 119 the most astonishing escapes ever
mile an hour and then continued recorded have been made by these
indefinitely at that speed.
pilots by means of their
There was a no question of losing parachutes. More than once, pilots
consciousness, and Dobbs once describe have escaped even when their
to the writer the sensation of a free fall aeroplanes have got into
as resembling lying on a feather bed. uncontrollable spins. Flight
The method of judging the fall is Lientenant C. S. Stanilnad, for The Irvin Airchute of Great Britain ltd.
interesting. For ordinary use the instance, once found the machine CATERPILLAR NO. 1
parachutist just counts three, but for a he was testing go out of control Inventor of the Irvin parachute used in the air forces of
Britain and the USA, Mr. L. Irving (above) is a parachutist if
long free fall he carries a stop-watch and develop a quick flat spin, from
international renown. It was he who founded the
strapped to is hand, and estimates the which it was impossible to extricate Caterpillar Club, membership of which is confined to
distance he has fallen by the time taken it. He decided that he must jump, persons who owe their lives to the parachute. Some
hundreds have now the right to wear the gold tiepin,
on the decent. and did so, only to be hurled back made in the shape of a caterpillar, tht is the club’s
into the cockpit again. A second emblem.
Before jumping, he decides how far he
proposes to fall before pulling the rip time he jumped, and managed to the parachute opened. Tranum
get clear, to miss the falling
cord, and works out the time that will be eventually met his death during a flight
taken. He then watches his stop-watch aeroplane by inches. Parachutes on which he was to have made
have also saved the occupants of
as he dives through space - usually on another record free fall attempt.
his back and slightly head down – and aeroplanes after collisions, fire,
when the hand comes to the correct jammed controls, engine failure Dobbs was killed while taking part in
figure, pulls the rip cord. What happens over impossible country at night, the entirely useless “sport” of balloon
then depends upon the type of and after structural failure jumping. In this the jumper was
parachute used. In some the main Tranum increased the height of the attached to a small balloon andmade
canopy is at once sprung out of the pack free fall record to some 17,000 hops across the country with the wind,
and allowed to trail out and open. feet, and started a form of most of his weight being taken by the
competition which cannot be said
In others a small pilot parachute springs balloon. Dobbs came into contact with
out and, upon opening, to have had much real value once it high tension cables while making a hop.
had demonstrated that long falls
could be made before Parachutes have been used on many
occasions for revictuailing ground

“CHAIRCHUTE” IN READINESS troops. The Belgian army, during
The Irving parachute, known as the Chairchute is operations in the north half of the
designed for use in cabin machines. The pack Ypres salient inn 1918 was kept
takes the place of the back cushion of the seat, supplied with iron
and the passenger and pilot don the harness on
entering the machine and in the case of an
emergency would open the door and make their
exit. The design permits the chute to remain
normally in position in the machine. The occupant
simply couples up and uncouples the harness on
entering and leaving his seat