b

FLIGHT.

A U G U S T 25,

1938.

crete road to the left, and it seemed certain that I should have to land on one or the other. I juggled with the shroud lines above me in an attempt to steer the parachute to one side, but, not knowing the correct procedure, did so without any effect at all. I bent my knees and let myself go limp in order to lessen the chance of injury on landing. As luck would have it, the rate of descent was slowed up considerably by an unexpected up-current, and I appeared to hover for a brief second above the pond. Consequently my landing was very soft indeed, and I was able to stand knee-deep in the water without falling over.

'

Controlling Descent

I enjoyed the sensation of the jump so much that I made arrangements to do another the following day. With the experience gained during the first descent I was able to study every little detail of the second. I saw the parachute shoot past me in a streak, and I watched the last few stages of opening. The actual descent was very much the same as before, but this time I finished up by landing in the centre of the aerodrome, although the landing was not so comfortable as before. Many people do not realise that a parachute can be controlled to a certain extent during descent. It is possible to sideslip if there is danger of landing on an obstruction, and this is done by pulling down the rigging lines on the side of the canopy facing the direction in which you wish to travel. For example, if you wish to move to the left, the two left-hand groups of rigging lines must be pulled down. This causes the air to spill out of the right-hand side of the canopy, producing a sideslip to the left. This action increases the rate of descent considerably, and should not be attempted too close to the ground. When you have travelled far enough in the required direction, you release your hold on the rigging lines and the parachute resumes its normal shape once more. It is advisable to face the direction of wind drift during the descent, so that a better landing can be made. If one is not facing the required direction one can turn the parachute by pulling down on the rigging lines with one hand, on the side in which one wishes to turn; then, with the other hand one takes another group of rigging lines on the opposite side and gives a vigorous twist to the canopy in the direction in which one wishes to turn. The parachute then swings one round, and, when one is facing the required direction, the turn can be stopped by releasing the hold on the rigging lines. Again, it is dangerous to do this near the ground. When landing it is essential to let oneself go limp, and as one's feet touch the ground it is best to roll over on to a shoulder. The impact of the touch-down always gives rise to controversy. A large majority of pilots are

under the impression that it is comparable with jumping off a 12ft. wall. In actual fact, the landing may be far heavier, because not only is the parachute .descending at 21ft. per second, but is drifting at the speed of the wind as well. No accurate idea of the impact, therefore, can be given; it depends entirely upon the weight of the jumper, the speed of the wind, and the particular amount of " buoyancy " in the air at the particular time. Once one has touched-down, the canopy must be deflated immediately by pulling the bottom group of rigging lines towards you, otherwise you may be dragged along the ground. If one is wearing a quick-release harness this is simple ; all that is necessary is to turn the knob of the connector box on one's chest and then give it a sharp knock ; the harness then falls away and the parachute collapses in a heap on the ground. Obviously, jumping in an emergency is not nearly such an easy task, because the machine is out of control, and many other factors present themselves. In such circumstances a very quick decision must be made to leave the machine. The rip cord must not be pulled until one has fallen clear of the aircraft, otherwise the parachute may get caught in it. I have heard it suggested that, in future air fighting, a pilot who has escaped by parachute from a disabled machine may be forced to delay opening his parachute until the last possible moment, otherwise he will be liable to be fired at by the enemy aircraft. Apart from the unpleasantness of this situation, such a delayed drop (as it is called) would, in my opinion, necessitate the wearing of a stop-watch with which to time the descent.

Delayed Drops
Without a stop-watch it is almost impossible to judge the distance fallen in a delayed drop. It is more than likely that the escaping pilot would release his parachute at what he imagined to be about 800ft., when in reality he was down to 300ft. or less. The parachute, taking one and three-fifth seconds to open after release, would by that time be of little use. All this may appear to be rather exaggerated ; but it is a fact the judgment of height whilst falling is very misleading indeed. Even if the pilot were equipped with a stop-watch (and remembered to start it on going overboard), it would be of little value unless he had a knowledge of the rate of fall of the human body. I t takes 11 seconds for the human body, falling unsupported through the air, to reach its terminal velocity of 119 m.p.h., and the distance covered in that time is 1,200ft. Therefore, if a pilot has jumped from his aeroplane at 2,000ft. whilst still in danger of enemy fire, he should not delay opening his parachute for longer than 11 seconds, leaving 800ft. for safe descent with an open parachute. As it is obviously impossible for pilots to remember such calculations when faced 1 with an emergency, the only alternative, it seems, would be to have the stop-watch marked off in terms of height. I t may be of interest to conclude this article with a brief review of the various types of parachutes which British manufacturers are at present producing. There are three companies concerned. First may be mentioned the products of the Irving Airchute of Great Britain, Ltd., made in their spacious factory at Letchworth, Herts. Irvin parachutes (the distinction in spelling is curious) are in use in 42 countries and are supplied to the Royal Air Force in this country. They make six different types, the most commonly used being the " s e a t t y p e " which, as its name implies, is used as a cushion fitting into a bucket-type seat; therefore, the pilot is relieved of its bulk and weight. The widely used Irvin seat pack with its quick-connector harness. The wide webbing on the left of the seat carries the rip-cord handle and release fitting.