Page 26 - August 2019

High-glide parachutes allow a special forces solider, for A smaller aerial response kit is being designed for the light
example, to land anywhere from 20 to 40 kilometres aircraft of CASARA (the Canadian Air Search and Rescue
from being dropped. The new Unicross parachute is Association.)
designed (in Belleville!) as a special low-cost parachute While there are other companies interested in the
to take supplies to troops in isolated strong points, thus
parachute field, said Campbell, “this is basically our
reducing supply vehicles’ exposure to improvised
lifeblood; we are the experts.”
explosive devices.
“As you can see,” said Campbell, “Airborne Systems is

steeped in history.”

To prevent the parachute (once on the ground) from
catching a breeze and carrying its cargo away from the
recipients, it’s fitted with a sensor that detects the fall- Letters to the Editor
off in weight as the load lands on the ground and Hi Mr. Munro,
releases the load, and lets the low-cost parachute go
Just wanted to drop you a line to tell you how much we
where the wind takes it. A most peculiar call was for a
parachute that might be used to drop a ransom to enjoy your work. Tell your writers we enjoy reading their
stories. We encourage you to continue as we sure enjoy
Somali pirates. The firm’s engineering services arm
your book shelf & we love to go back & re read some
works in such areas as ejection systems. “Basically, we’re
so diversified there’s no one company that’s doing all the books on your shelf. Love the sound it makes as we turn
the pages. Computers are wonderful eh?
things we’re doing.”
Keep up the good work.
Moreover, more people can fit into its harness than into
other models and the At the other end of the parachute HP
size spectrum, it makes tiny parachutes intended to land

tracking devices on North Atlantic icebergs; “some of the
testing is just dropping parachutes from the roof of the Really enjoyed "Barry Needhams" adventures in the
facility,” said Campbell, a veteran Canadian Forces army Spitfire Story awhile back. I tried really hard to get in that
reserve officer. group BUT 3 years TOO YOUNG. Probably wouldn't be
around now...IF I had made it. ANYWAY I got in 16,000
Airborne Systems also produces a number of air-
hours of flying Choppers in Northern Canada.
droppable survival kits. For the Canadian Forces, the firm
developed SKAD, which put a survival kit into a pod that Thanks for the picture of me in my younger days...testing
can be hung under the wing of a CF-18 jet fighter that the Homebuilt, Open Cockpit; "Baby Ace”, in North
can fly at high speed toward the site of, say, an airliner Battleford, that's when I flew for Howdy McPhail. He
down in open water or in the Arctic. taught me to fly on his famous Piper J-3's.

Thanks Tim!