Leslie Irvin
Leslie Leroy Irvin (born September 10, 1895 in Los Angeles , California - † October 9, 1966 ), nickname "Sky High" Irvin, made the first free fall parachute jump on April 29, 1919.
Irvin was born in Los Angeles. He jumped with a parachute for the first time when he was 14. For the film Sky High, he completed the first jump from an airplane from a height of 1000 feet (about 900 meters) in 1914 . At the age of 23 he joined the Army Air Corps Parachute Rescue Team . In April 1919, he jumped from McCook Air Field near Dayton , Ohio , from a height of 1,000 feet with an umbrella on his back, the ripcord of which he pulled himself after free fall. It was the first jump with a manually operated parachute. The jump was successful except for a hard landing: Irvin broke his leg on return to the ground. The parachute designer, who also piloted the plane, was Floyd Smith. He had worked on the trapeze with Irvin at the circus. The parachute was made by Major EC Hoffman (US Air Service Engineering Division). Lesley Irvin was able to market his jump commercially: less than two months later he founded the Irvin parachute factory in Buffalo , New York, which quickly became the largest manufacturer in the world. He developed his own rescue parachute in 1918 and jumped with it himself many times.
An early Irvin Air Chute Company pamphlet lists William O'Connor of McCook Field as the first person to be rescued from an Irvin parachute on Aug. 24, 1920. Two years later, Irvin's company advertised a gold pin award for pilots who had successfully jumped from a crashing plane using an Irvin glider (see Caterpillar Club ). During the 1930s his parachutes were in service with forty air forces. Irvin parachutes saved over 10,000 lives during World War II .
As aircraft advanced to ever greater heights, the pilots and flight crews were confronted with ever lower temperatures. Irvin designed and produced the classic sheepskin flight jacket to meet their needs. Later the company also made car seat belts, lifting straps for moving loads, and even canning machines. Now known as Airborne Systems , the company specializes in parachutes and inflatable life-saving equipment.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Irvin, Leslie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sky High (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American skydiving pioneer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 10, 1895 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | los Angeles |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 9, 1966 |