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pieces. Smith offered to prove them wrong by live-jumping his chute himself. He was denied permission.

On April 28, 1919, professional jumper Leslie L. Irvin, 22, arrived at McCook Field with the startling news that he had been designated by the Army to test Smith's chute. Churning with suppressed indignation, Smith piloted Irvin aloft in a DH-4 as the brash youth prepared to make the world's first free-fall parachute jump. Irvin leaped into instant, international fame, while Smith was shunted into the shadows of historical controversy.

Irvin opened the chute immediately and landed safely but hard, breaking his ankle - a fact that prompted skeptics to assert that the parachute was not safe, after all.

The doubters had something to think about on May 14, 1919. 17 days after Irvin made his jump, when Floyd Smith stepped over the side of a DH-4 cruising at 1,200 feet and fell free for 300 feet before pulling his ripcord. The chute cracked open - and lowered Smith gently to the ground.

With minor modifications Smith's first chute was to remain the standard service chute for nearly 50 years. It was 28 feet in diameter with a 48 inch flexible vent. It had 40 shroud lines, arranged in groups of 10 each, tied to a "D" ring sewn into the harness webbing with a breaking strength of 3,400 pounds. The chute could be opened manually or by static line.

Floyd's business sense was inferior to his inventive genius. His patent rights to the free fall parachute were challenged by others eager to manufacture it, and although he was always upheld eventually by the courts he received relatively little credit in the public mind as the inventor who realized an age-old dream of mankind - to glide independently to earth like a bird. Nevertheless, he devoted the remainder of his working days to the further perfection and refinement of the parachute.

He died in 1956. His survivors include his wife, son, and four grandchildren.

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Floyd Smith models the free-fall parachute he designed and demonstrated in 1919.

Pilot
BRIEFS

• INSURANCE SAFETY INCENTIVES OFFERED . . . Airway Insurance Underwriters, in conjunction with FAA's General Aviation Accident Prevention Program, have developed two new premium savings programs. A five per cent premium reduction will be given for all aircraft insured by a company whose aircraft are transponder-equipped, and a five per cent premium reduction will be given for aircraft flown by pilots who have had a biennial voluntary safety checkride with an FAA-certified flight instructor.
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• AIRPORT'S INITIATIVE WINS AWARD . . . the community of Harlingen, Texas, was presented with an FAA Airport Beautification Award for their efforts in converting a former military air base into a functional, modern aviation facility serving both commercial and general aviation. Improvements contributing to the beautification program included construction of a modern terminal building, painting and renovation of hangars and removal of numerous old buildings.

• "AGRICOPTER" SUBJECT TO FAA RULES . . . FAA has alerted farmers and landowners to the erroneous information published on the Bensen Aircraft Corp. B-8MA "Agricopter." Available in various kit forms, the aircraft must be FAA certified and operated by a licensed pilot. Published statements are not correct that these regulations do not apply if the aircraft is flown below 150 feet and if the spraying of crops is limited to the operator's land. Individuals who operate the aircraft without complying with the agency's regulations are subject to FAA enforcement action for violating safety rules.

• ORDER FARs FROM GPO, NOT FAA . . . Instructions for ordering Federal Aviation Regulations not yet put into volumed form, as given in the April issue of the FAA AVIATION NEWS, should have read, "Order from: Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 20402." FARs should [[underline]] not [[/underline]] be ordered from FAA. Orders sent by error to FAA will be forwarded to the Superintendent of Documents, but there will be some delay in processing them.

• SPECIAL REGULATIONS FOR FLORIDA AREA REVOKED . . . FAA has revoked Special Federal Aviation Regulation No. 15, concerning flights over water and outside the land mass of Florida. The area involved lies within a rectangle beginning at 29 N lat., 85 W. long., thence clockwise to 29 N lat., 79 30'W long., to 24 N lat., 79 30'W long., to 24 N lat., 85 N lat., to the point of origin; or over land South of 25 N lat. Flights over this area previously required flight plan approval by appropriate military authority and functioning two-way radio equipment on board. 
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Pilots planning to fly over Southern Florida or adjacent water should check their flight service station for current regulations, or consult the "Airman's Information Manual."


FAA Aviation News / May 1970  13