PARACHUTE DESCENT

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 366, 7 March 1932, Page 3

PARACHUTE DESCENT

Crowd at Wigram Aerodrome Thrilled. FUNDS FOR MEMORIAL. Diving head first into space from the lower wing of an aeroplane at an altitude of 1500 ft, Pilot Officer J. S. (“Scotty”) Fraser thrilled a crowd of over 2000 persons at the Wigram Aerodrome yesterday afternoon by making two perfect parachute descents. Pilot Officer Fraser undertook the descents in order that a collection might be taken up towards defraying the cost of a memorial headstone on the grave of the late Lieutenant Qviller, who was accidentally killed after jumping with a parachute from an aeroplane at Oamaru about a year ago. Dressed in white, Pilot Officer Fraser made his ascent in Squadron-Leader M. C. M’Gregor’s new three-seater Spartan aeroplane. After the machine had circled the aerodrome twice, the watchers below observed the parachutist leave the front cockpit and advance a few steps along the bottom wing. A second or two later, he made his sensational dive. For the first 700 ft of his drop he made three separate somersaults. He then pulled the rip-cord which released the pilot chute. This opened up, and at the same time the large ’chute, which has a diameter for 28ft, spread out. The descent was then made gracefully at a speed of about 16ft a second, the parachute making perfect landings on both occasions. Yesterday’s descents bring Pilot Officer Fraser’s total up to fiftyfour. He will leave for the North Island to-night, and on his return he will organise a Sunday afternoon exhibition at Rangiora in conjunction with the Canterbury Aero Club.

During the afternoon, SquadronLeader M’Gregor and Messrs J. C. Mercer and W. Busch made a number of passenger flights.