MAKING FLYING SAFE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18852, 15 April 1931, Page 7

MAKING FLYING SAFE.

PARACHUTIST IN TIMARU. LIEUT. HAAKON QUILLER. A parachutist of note, in the person of Lieut. Haakon Quiller, of Oslo, Norway, arrived in Timaru yesterday from Christchurch. Interviewed subsequent to his arrival Lieut. Quiller, had something to say respecting his experiences in and impressions of New Zealand. In reply to a question he said that he first became interested in New Zealand as the result of a lecture given by Trygve Gron, in his home town, and the latter’s return from the South Pole whether he went with Captain Scott. “Gron was very disgusted,” said Lieut. Quiller, “when Scott’s party reached the South Pole and found that Amundsen had reached it ahead of them. On returning to New Zealand, Gron became interested in the beauty of the country, and took the opportunity of seeing a great deal of it before going back to Norway. He then undertook a lecturing tour and his lectures for the most part were confined to interesting accounts of life in this country. Being a fluent speaker, Gron attracted large audiences, and he thrilled thousands of people with his description of the scenery, including the beautiful snow clad mountain peaks, many of the latter being climbed by Gron while here.” Lieut. Quiller said that what he had heard from Gron he had, since arriving in the Dominion, verified for himself. “You have an excellent country,” he observed, “and everything grows profusely. After hearing Gron’s eulogy of New Zealand I had a longing to see it for myself, because he said it was one of the best countries in the world to live in. The first thing I noticed on landing at Auckland, was that this country is different from any other I have visited in that the people, notwithstanding the cry of depression, appear to be moving about their business as though normal conditions were ruling. In the matter of enjoyment they get the best there is out of life, and they keep smiling. Most of them appear to be happy, and in addition want other people to be happy. I have been shown greater kindness here than I have in any other country I have visited, and I cannot thank too heartily the members of the Canterbury Aero Club. When I return to Norway I intend making known the wonders of New Zealand even to a greater extent than they are known by

my countrymen to-day.” Lieut. Quiller is a journalist by pro-

fession, but for some years he has been experimenting with the parachute with the idea of providing a safety link for flying machines. Speaking of parachuting, he said the parachute should be to the airman what the lifebelt is to the mariner. He claimed to have proved that a parachutist, without opening his parachute, could so work his body as to “fly” through the air; practically after the manner of a ’plane. He had tried out the Government’s parachutes, and had found them quite serviceable, although quite different from his own.

This latter was what he described as the “Rolls-Royce” in parachutes. It was not his own invention, but he had been helpful in developing it. It was

an aerial life-saving device, and was automatic, not being dependent upon human nature. This was very necessary especially in times of war, when there were 'planes all round and missies flying everywhere. In cases of emergency it became absolutely necessary for a man to act in a matter of seconds, and with this lifebuoy he could get away quickly. In Christchurch he left a ’plane at a height of 4000 feet and dropped 3500 feet before pulling the release rope of the parachute. In doing this he travelled through the air at approximately 350 miles per hour, and this eclipsed even Segrave’s speed efforts. It had been said that travelling at that speed the force of the air would blow a man’s head off. “It did not happen to me,” he observed. “I tumbled over 10 or 15 times before pulling the release rope and opening the parachute. Then I found that I could use my body after the manner of a flying machine. 3 worked' it into a horizontal position, and never in my life had I experienced anything like it. You have to keep your \'its working, but I am satisfied that the body can be worked so as to regulate the speed at which you pass through the air before using the parachute. I have calculated that the time which would have elapsed from the moment that I pulled the release till I reached the ground would have been three-quarters of a second, had I not pulled the release. This means that I would have traversed 700 ft. in about a second.

THE SHARE MARKET. By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND. April 14. Sales on ’Change.—Government Bonds, 1933, 5.\ per cent., £9B/7/6; Inscr. Stock, 1933, 5i per cent., £9B; Commercial Bank of Australia, 15/8; Westport Coal, £l/6/-; Auckland Gas (con.), 16/10; New Zealand Breweries. £l/16/3; Development Steam, 20/6; Waihi Grand Junction (late sale Monday), 2/6; King Solomon, 1/11 (2). CHRISTCHURCH, April 14. Sales on "Change.—Goidsbrough Mort, 21/8 (3); New Zealand Refrigerating (£1 paid), 10/8; Westport Coal, 25/9; Mt. Lyell, 20/6 (2); King Solomon, 1/11 (5); Mahakipawa, 9d (3).

Sales reported.—National Bank of Australasia (£lO paid), £ll/5/; Commercial Bank, 12/8,

Breweries — Carlton 1 2 6 1 6 9 New Zealand . . . 1 16 8 1 16 9 Timaru (5/- pd) . 0 5 1 0 5 9 Tooths 1 0 2 1 0 9 White Star . . . 0 5 0 — Miscellaneous — Amalgamated Wireless (cont.) Aust. Iron & Steel - 1 0 0 (pref.) .... — 0 14 9 Beath and Co. . . Beath and Co. (1/1 2 0 — paid) 0 2 9 — British Tobacco 1 9 10 1 10 9 Colonial Sugar . . Dunlop Perdriau 31 10 0 35 0 0 Rubber .... — 0 10 0 Electrolytic Zinc (ord.) 0 10 0 Glenmore Brick & Tile — 1 0 0 Mount L.yell . . . 1 0 6 1 0 7 N.Z. Drug Co. . . N.Z. P a r m e r s’ 2 9 6 2 16 0 Co-op. (1st pref .) — 3 10 0 United Pictures Whitcombe and 0 16 0 1 5 0 Tombs 2 14 9 3 1 0 Wilson’s Cement . 1 19 0 2 0 0 Mining— Cornish Point . . 0 0 54 King Solomon . . 0 1 10 0 1 11 Mahakipawa . . . 0 0 84 0 0 9 Waihi W a i h i Grand 0 15 4 — Junction . . . 0 2 2 0 2 6 Winding Creek (1/paid) 0 0 1 0 0 11 Golden Point (10/paid) 0 9 6 0 10 9 Do. (101d paid) 0 1 0 0 1 2 North Broken Hill 1 14 9 2 2 6