PARACHUTE DESCENT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22421, 18 May 1936, Page 10

PARACHUTE DESCENT

JUMP FROM 2000 FEET MANGERE CROWD THRILLED All the thrills of parachuting from the onlookers' point of view were experienced by a large crowd at the Mangere aerodrome of the Auckland Aero Club yesterday afternoon, when a young New Zealander, Mr. G. W. Sellars, made a descent from 2000 ft. Although no prior publicity had been given to the parachutist's attempt the perfect autumn weather had induced a crowd of fully 1000 to visit the aerodrome, which has become a popular rendezvous of city and suburban residents on Sunday afternoons. Young and old alike were thrilled when it was announced that Mr. Sellars would go aloft with Flight-Lieutenant D. M. Allan, the club's instructor, and make a jump from about 2000 ft. Prior to the attempt the instructor gave a display of aerobatics. In accordance with the new regulations governing parachute descents Mr. Sellars wore two parachutes when he entered the aeroplane. One was mounted in the ordinary manner on the parachutist's shoulders, while the emergency one was fastened across the breast. Mr. Sellars said the regulations had been framed to eliminate accidents caused by the fouling of a parachute when the rip-cord failed to operate. A parachutist would now have recourse to his second complete equipment in the event of any mishap. The aeroplane reached the desired nltitude in two hirelings of the ground and the spectators watched with bated breath as the white-costumed figure of the parachutist appeared on the wing of the machine. He took off as the aeroplane climbed steeply into a stall and lie dropped as a white streak, which lengthened and broadened as the parachute ripped clear and ballooned in a shimmer of white against the cloudless blue sky. lhe slight southerly breeze carried the parachutist across the clubhouse, and he made a faultless landing near a gorse hedge at the south-east end of the aerodrome. Mr. Sellars, who comes from Balclutha, is an experienced parachutist and has made over 30 descents in the last six months. One of the parachutes which he carried yesterday was taken by Admiral Bvrd on his expedition to tiie South Polar regions two years ago and was procured by Mr. Sellars on the return of the admiral's ship to Dunedin.