Source: The Pratt Tribune
Date: July 29, 1944
Instructions In Jumping With Parachute Given Fliers At Pratt Air Base
Should any of the combat crew members passing through the Pratt air base suffer any injury when jumping with a parachute, it won't be the fault of Captain J. L. McGowan, base personal equipment officer, the Pratt army air field Tailwind reports in a recent article. In conjunction with the group personal equipment officers and Pvt. Joe De Vita of Section “E” of the base unit, who served as instructor and demonstrator, Capt. McGowan is supervising the instruction of all combat crew members of the bomb group in the proper way to hit the silk.
Classes are being held every day in the area next to the obstacle course. By the time the series is finished, each combat crew member will have had one full hour of instruction in the safe way to leave a plane and live.
Nearly everyone knows that, after leaving the ship, the jumper should count “one thousand, two thousand, three thousand,” before he pulls the ripcord, but the full purpose of this count is not so widely known. It makes sure the silk does not become fouled in the plane; it enables the jumper to check his position, seeing to it that his feet point down and his legs are together; and it slows down the forward speed that the jumper had from the plane's movement.
'Chute Can Be Controlled
The chute is connected to the harness by means of four straps, or risers. Pulling these risers controls the drop to a remarkable degree. A gentle pull and slow release of two, diagonally opposite risers for example will check the oscillation, or swaying, that is the bane of all parachutists. By pulling on any two parallel risers, (the front, back, left or right pairs,) the direction of the drop may be controlled.
The risers also play an important part in landing. Since the jumper hits the ground at the same speed as if he had dropped 20 feet with no parachute, it is obvious that unless proper landing technique is followed many injuries will result. The jumper must be facing downwind when he lands, and it is here that the risers come into play. To turn himself so that he is facing downwind, the jumper reaches behind his neck and around the risers with his right hand and grasps the two left risers. Then the two right risers are held in the left hand, which crosses in front of the face; and both hands pull until the jumper is facing the right direction. When the risers are released, the chute will unwind, leaving the jumper in the proper position.
Must Hit Relaxed
The landing itself should be performed with the feet together and the knees slightly bent to absorb the shock. The jumper should be relaxed, and when he hits, he should fall with a slight, twisting motion, so that after he leaves his feet, he lands on the fleshy part of his legs. If he is landing in trees or wire, or is making the descent at night, he should cross his arms in front of his face, thereby keeping lacerations to a minimum.
A landing in water is an entirely different proposition. Upon approaching the water, the jumper unbuckles the chest straps, slides the seat straps well down on his thighs, and then unbuckles them.
This leaves him merely sitting in the chute, not fastened in, but holding the risers with his crossed hands. About five to ten feet from the surface, the jumper should slide out of the chute, hitting the surface in a free fall.
The reasons for this are two-fold. First, it does away with the possibility of the jumper's becoming entangled in the chute itself. Second, after the harness becomes wet, it shrinks, often becoming so tight the jumper cannot unbuckle the straps.
The men attending are strapped into harness themselves to practice manipulation of the risers, and jump from an eight foot platform to perfect their landing technique. They have parachutes strapped on them so that they can learn the method of spilling the air from the chute to avoid being dragged along the ground. Every training procedure short of actual jumps from planes is undergone, in a compact action crammed hour.
Note: Transcribed by Madeline Martin on 05/27/2009