1. with Dan Poynter, D-454 2010PIA

2. The Role of Parachutes in Early Aviation Aviation engineers helped people to fly Most flights had one takeoff and one landing Aircraft accomplishments have been well documented Parachute engineers helped people to land When the aircraft failed Parachute successes are documented by the Caterpillar Club PIA 3. What is the Caterpillar Club? Who is eligible? Any person who saves his or her life jumping from a disabled aircraft with a parachute. Does it exist today? An association no one wants to joinPIA 4. First Save from a Plane 1922: Lt. Harold Harris saves his life jumping from an airplane.He used a manually-operated parachute He follows subtitlePIA 5. The Founders - 1922 Milton St. Clair, Government parachute engineer Maurice Hutton, Aviation editor, Dayton Herald Verne Timmerman, photogr apher, Dayton HeraldN: More. (Same slide)PIA 6. The Founders Milton St. Clair, Government parachute engineer Maurice Hutton, Aviation editor, Dayton Herald Verne Timmerman, photogr apher, Dayton Herald PIA 7. IrvinPIA 8. Switlik Switlikfounded in 1920 Began manufacturing parachutes in 1927 Founded their own Club in 1943PIA 9. Pioneer Began business in 1938 Caterpillar plaques for the packers not the usersPIA 10. Club Growth was Slow at First Parachutes could not be manufactured fast enough to equip all pilots Pilots preferred not to use them (Like AADs in the early days) High-weight, high-volume. Aircraft not designed for themPIA 11. Roster of the Caterpillar Club No. DATE 1919 1 July 21 2 July 21 1920 3 August 24NAMERANKPLACENOTEHenry Wacker John BoettnerCivilian CivilianChicago ChicagoBalloon BalloonWilliam O'ConnorCivilianDaytonBalloon-----------------------Caterpillar Club Established---------------------------1922 4 Oct. 20 5 Nov. 11 1924 6 April 23 7 May 13 8 June 5 9 June 13 10 June 18 11 July 11 12 August 29 13 August 29 14 Oct. 16 15 Nov. 4Harold R. Harris Frank B. Tyndall1st Lt. Air Corps 1st Lt. Air CorpsMcCook Field 1st Plane Seattle, Wash.Wilfred Bottomfield Eugene H. Barksdale Will W. White Walter Lees John A. Macready A. R. Crawford W. E. Goggin L. L. Koontz W. M. Coles W. E. LyndCivilian, Demo Jumper 1st Lt. Air Corps 2nd Lt. Air Corps Lieut. A C Reserve 1st Lt. Air Corps 2nd Lt. Air Corps Private Air Corps 1st Lt. Air Corps Gunner U. S. Navy Captain Air CorpsSan Antonio, Tex. Fairfield, 0hio. Kelly Field, Tex. Dayton, Ohio. Dayton, Ohio. Kelly Field, Tex. Bolling Field, DC. Bolling Field, DC. Coronado, Calif. Kelly Field, Tex.PIA 12. Balloon Jumpers1,2 & 3, Wacker, Boettner and OConnor, were grandfathered in 9 years later. They had jumped from a blimp, The Wingfoot Express, over Chicago. The record of their jumps had been forgotten. Many jumped from balloons in WW-I; some jumped from planes. Their records were lost. PIA 13. 1925 16March 5C. D. McAllister2nd Lt. Air CorpsKelly Field, Tex.17* March 5Chas. A. Lindbergh Cadet Air CorpsKelly Field, Tex.18March 20Frank O'D. Hunter1st Lt. Air CorpsDayton19April 6C. V. MixSgt. Marine CorpsQuantico, Va.20April 10J. Thad Johnson1st Lt. Air CorpsEaglesmere, Pa.21May 29C. H. SchildhauerLieut. U. S. NavyLakehurst, N. J.17* June 2Chas. A. Lindbergh 2nd Lt. A. C. Res.St. Louis, Mo.22June 28Mrs. Irene McFarland CivilianCincinnati, 0.23August 17Kirtley J. Gregg2nd Lt. Air CorpsLavernia, Tex.24October 1F. 0. RogersCapt. U.S. MarinesLangley Field, Va.25October 10Fred C. Nelson1st Lt. Air CorpsSt. Louis, Mo.26Nov. 11Leonard S. Flo2nd Lt. A. C. Res.Wright Field, 0hio.27Nov. 11John McGlynnPrivate Air CorpsWright Field, 0hio.* = When they qualified again, they kept their original ranking numbersPIA 14. 1926 28(Date ?)J. T. CoburnMachinist Mate U.S.N.San Diego, Calif.18*March 5Frank O'D. Hunter1st Lt. Air CorpsSelfridge Field, Mich.7*March 2Eugene H. Barksdale 1st Lt. Air CorpsMcCook Field, 0.29May 10Horace M. HickamMajor. Air CorpsLangley Field, Va.30May 10Harold GeigerMajor Air CorpsLangley Field, Va.31June 2S. E. IngersollLieut. U. S. NavyPensacola, Fla.32June 17J. T. Hutchison1st Lt. Air CorpsMcCook Field, 0.33June 17Paul StanleyCivilian ObserverMcCook Field, 0.34July 5Walter M. Williams Capt. Nat'l GuardNashville, Tenn.35July 5John W. MacKenzie 2nd Lt. Nat'l GuardNashville, Tenn.36July 24Victor E. Bertrandias 1st Lt. Air CorpsBaltimore, Md.37August 8John I. MooreGeorgetown, Tex.17*Sept. 16Chas. A. Lindbergh Air Mail PilotOttawa, Ill.38Sept. 17C.L. WilliamsHawaii17*Nov. 3Chas. A. Lindbergh Air Mail Pilot1st Lt. Air Corps 1st Lt. Air CorpsCovell, Ill.PIA * = When they qualified again, they kept their original ranking numbers 15. Charles LindberghN: MoreMade demo jumps to pay for flying lessons. As a test pilot, he jumped twicePIA 16. He Flew the Mail and Joined the Club 2 More TimesLindbergh (in the cockpit) and Frank Robertson (in his flying suit) taking the mail to Chicago in 1928. PIA 17. Fay Gillis Wells Second woman Caterpillar, 1929. Co-founder of the Ninety-Nines Passed away at 94 in 2002PIA 18. The Club Grew 1922: 5 1925: 27 1926: 40 1927: 78 1928: 120 1930: 210 --WW-II-1946: >100,000 (estimated) saved. 34,000 joined the Irvin Club. 1950: 80,000 in the Irvin Club.PIA 19. Jimmy Doolittles Membership Four emergency bailouts. The last: April 18, 1942 over China when his B-25 ran out of fuel after his historic raid over Tokyo. PIA 20. The Best Silk Came From JapanSilent Film CaptionPIA 21. Weaving Silk FabricPIA 22. George Bush (41) Switllik QAS. Canopy made of silk from Japan. This Caterpillar jumped againPIA 23. Nylon 1938: DuPont announces nylon 1941: Japan cuts off silk supply 1942: Other countries tried linen, hemp, Rayon, etc. U.S. switched to nylonBetty GrablePIA 24. Worm Spit or Coal?Should the pin be changed? PIA 25. The Sport of Parachuting 1950s: A Sport is Born Rapid growthQuestion? Are sport parachutists eligible to join? Pilots use a plane and a parachute. Skydivers use a main and a reserve Each has two means of escape: One primary and one secondaryPIA 26. The Skydivers Handbook Not Just a How-to Book A Have-to Book for a Must-do sport(Commercial message) N: Everyone is readingPIA 27. Everyone reads The Skydivers HandbookPIA 28. Do Skydivers Qualify? Jumped from aircraft (balloons) not airplanes 2. John Boettner 19191. Henry Wacker 1919 3. William OConnor1920Demo jumper using a reserve parachute 6. Wilifred Bottomfield 1924Neither a pilot nor member of the crewPIA 29. What is the Membership Criteria? Any person who saves his or her life jumping from a disabled aircraft with a parachute. Life must be saved Deploying a reserve from a minor malfunction of the main does not countIs a parachute an aircraft? If a balloon is an aircraft, isnt a canopy an aircraft?PIA 30. Dont Skydivers Qualify? The skydiver of today who must use a reserve has as much right to membership as: Stunt jumpers in the 1920s All airmen who have bailed out since(Old Skydivers Never Die. They go to a Higher Plane)PIA 31. 8 July 03Dear Dan Irvin does still run the Irvin Caterpillar Club and maintain their records. We do still accept new members (they must provide proof of bail out) and we provide replacement pins and cards for existing members. Records for North America are maintained here at our offices in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, and the rest are located at our UK offices. Hope this helps. Let me know if you require any more specific information. Yours Sincerely Eileen Carlton Secretary Irvin Caterpillar ClubPIA 32. Do We Care? The original purpose was to bring attention to the value of a parachute Is there a need now? Does recognizing that reserves work demonstrate that mains can fail? PIA 33. The Role of the Parachute Saved many of the pioneers Allowed them to continue their workStill saving aviators todayPIA 34. Tough Ways to Join the ClubA: 1930B: 1962PIA 35. Thunderbird F-16 EjectionSept 2003, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. Once-in-a-lifetime photographPIA 36. Split-S AGL v MSL. 2,500 v 1,500 (1,670) Knock it off = code for big problemPIA 37. 250 mph, 140 high 8/10th second from impactPIA 38. From Inside the Cockpit Watch for the endPIA 39. See Ejecting PilotPIA 40. 100 feetSee Photographer on Tower Catwalk PIAPlane stopped 100 short of tower 41. Thunderbird F-16 EjectionLets look at that ejection againPIA 42. 1945N: EndPIA 43. Caterpillar Club Membership for LifePIA