"REALLY TRIVIAL."

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 150, 26 June 1937, Page 14

"REALLY TRIVIAL."

PARACHUTISTS STORY.

INCIDENT AT WIGRAM.

PACK TAMPERED WITH ?

"There was no question of any possibility of fatal results to my jump," declared the young Xew Zealand parachutist, Mr. G. W. Sellars, referring to a report published in the "Star" and emanating from Chrifltchurch. The report stated that as Mr. Sellars was standing on the wing of a 'plane about to make a jump at the Canterbury Aero Club's field day at Wigram aerodrome on Sunday he found that part of the parachute was already streaming out behind him.

Mr. Sellars said that although he had found that a portion of the parachute had apparently been tampered with, it was not enough to cause any great dan-

Not Misadventure. "It was not a misadventure," said Mr. Sellars. "It was really a trivial matter as far as any danger to me was concerned. Actually the parachute protection flap had been opened by somebody —I don't know who—while I was on the ground. This flap fastens over the ripcord to prevent the cord being pulled out accidentally. We had checked over the parachute, watched by two policemen, and I left it for a few minutes while I went up to speak to the secretary of the Canterbury Aero Club, Mr. P. R. Climic. The flap must have been opened while I was awav.

"I didn't notice it open until we were up i" the air. I happened to put my hand behind me and I felt the flap was open. Had I had the slightest doubt that the parachute itself had been tampered with just before the 'plane took off I would have asked the pilot to go back and land, but I didn't think it could have been interfered with in the short time I had left it on the ground. "I got out on to the wing, where I let goseveial boxes of confetti which is used to help make the demonstration spectacular. This cloud of confetti may have been mistaken by people on the ground for the parachute opening. However, I made quite a normal jump and pulled the npcord after I was about 50ft from the plane, and the parachute opened in the usual way."

Aware Of It. Mr. Sellars again stressed the fact that although the flap had apparently been tampered with, it was not enough to cause any danger to him as he made his jump, especially in view of the fact that he was aware of it before he left the cockpit. He added that the jump was witnessed by Flying-Officer F. Truman parachute officer, Xe w Zealand division of the Royal Air Force, who had made no comment on any unusual feature of the demonstration.