Page 18 - October 2018

It has been argued that it would be
impossible to evacuate the cabin of a
commercial machine quickly enough in an
emergency for the parachutes to be of any
use, and it has also been said that the
provision of parachutes for the passengers
might have the disastrous effect of
precipitating a panic at a critical moment.

Nevertheless, special seat type parachutes
have been made which are intended for
use in commercial aeroplanes, and there
seems a probability that eventually
parachutes will be fitted for long distance
high flying machines, at any rate. Private
aeroplane owners made little use of
parachutes, and, again, it may be that the
possibilities of using them are small.
Parachutes have been known to open
from a height of only 150 to 2—feet, and
Major Orde Lees made a successful jump
from the Tower Bridge in 1919, the height
being 165 feet; but in the ordinary way a
clear 500feet is necessary.

An interesting sidelight upon parachuting
is the Caterpillar Club, which is composed
of people who have used a parachute to
save their lives. The idea is that the
caterpillar, when it falls, saves itself with
silken threads, and the airman with his
parachute does the same.. The scheme
has been fostered by Mr. L. Irving, who is
the inventor of the “Irvin” parachute used
in the RAF and a small golden caterpillar,
made in the form of a tie-pin, is given to
each member. At the beginning of 1930
there were over 200 members, and by
now the figure has greatly increased.

RUSSIA FILLS THE AIR Photos” Planet News In learning to use a parachute, members
In no country is parachuting so popular as in Soviet Russia, where of late years large numbers of of the Royal Air Force are
young people of both sexes have taken up the new and adventurous pastime with avidity.
Above is seen a “mass jump” of 150 Russian parachutists near Moscow

Ration and small arms ammunition READY TO DROP
be parachute when the ground
wasa impassable for motor The parachutist’s first jump always seems the worst,
But the novice in this photograph - a young Russian
transport. The dropping was done girl worker at a metallurgical plant at Tula – is
by aerplanes of the RFC. But smiling bravely as she clambers out on to the wing
parachutes have so far not been preparatory to her plunge into space.
used for commercial aeroplanes