Parachutes?

I am sorry but I do not know quite where to fit my question...weathere in the 'people' or 'aircraft' sections. My question relates to the use of parachutes on the various fronts of WWI.
I recently read that the Russians did not use them at all during their campaigns....how about the Wesern Front? Italy? Artur

[rammjaeger]

Artur,

to my knowledge the Entente aviators did not use parachutes but I have heard about some pilots trying to use chutes on private initiative.

The Germans used parachutes starting in Fall 1917 but more widespread since Spring/Summer 1918. I have heard also about the use of parachutes by Austrian-Hungarian aviators.

Before a PC crash a while ago I had a list of ca 70 incidents with parachuting German airmen - despite of the parachute ca 1/3 of the number died because of different reasons (parachute burned, parachute did not open because of low altitude or was damaged by Flak or MG fire or parachute worked but aviator was already badly wounded etc.).

We had a lot of threads about the topic parachutes in the past but it is always a new thread worth.

VBR
Rammjaeger

[Cigogne]

I have heard that Maximilian von Chelius of Jasta 2, in Sept. 1917 died while using a parachute. This was something that was in the notes to Neal O'Connor's vol. V. Neal said that in the documentation that he had it stated this.

Cigogne

[Immo_Frese]

Cigogne,

that's really interesting. Did von Chelius really use a parachute when he jumped from his burning Albatros DVa on 14 Sep 1917?
I have a note that he got seperated from his patrol and joined in error a combat patrol of 48.Sqdn. RFC and was shot down in flames by 2/Lts. KR Park and H Owen.

Do you have more info regarding his parachute jump. I always thougt he decided to jump from his crippled plane to avoid the flames... ???

Regards, Immo

[William]

Gentlemen,
Perhaps my memory is faulty but I seem to recall Billy Barker stating in his account of his last and most famous air battle that he was distracted momentarily by watching his first victim in that battle parachute from his damaged aircraft. He was returned to reality by the impact of a round in his leg and "the rest is history" as they say.
Best regards,
William

Hi everyone,

In 'German Fighter Units, June 1917-1918' by Alex Imrie, it states that the first successful Parachute descent from a German single-seater was accomplished on June 27th, 1918. Lt. Steinbrecher, part of a formation of Albatros D.Va's from Jasta 46, had his fuel tank punctured by a British fighter, and was forced to bail out. Two days later, Lt. Udet was forced to do the very same thing.

regards

[Cigogne]

Immo,

It is interesting. I questioned him about it when I saw it in the original caption that Neal wrote. I asked him about it and he said that in his source that he got it mentioned the parachute. I never got a look at where the source or what the source was. But, I remember asking him about it on the phone. He was going to check up on it to try and verify it. We took it out for the time being and he was going to add it in the "Errata" section of VI or VII.

Cigogne

[Immo_Frese]

Cigogne,

thank you very much
I found it in 'Errata and Addenda" of Vol.VI on page 382. Obviously the information came from the british "G70" report.

VBR, Immo

[Dan_San_Abbott]

kacsuzia:
I spent my entire adult life in the design and manufacturing of parachutes.
Using intelligence data and the Heinecke Manual, I calculated the design strength and it was marginal at best. there were 22 lines of 80 lbs. tensile strength which totals 1760lbs. The line were tied to metal grommets set in the parachute skirt. Tieing knots in cord reduces their strength about 25 %. The the line strenght was 1320 lbs.
Parachute were designed for jumping from stationary balloons. The jumper's velocity would be quite low and would experience an opening force in the magnitude of 3g's or about 540 lbs. At 100 mph the opening force would be 6 to 8 g's, 1000 to 1500 lbs.
Parachutes designed prior to WW2 were designed by trial and error. Plain and simple there was no science to it. During WW2, German engineers and scientists developed the engineering data and methods to accurately calculate and predict parachute performance. Fortunately these German engineers and scientist immigrated to the USA after the war along with all the Rocket scientist and engineers.
The method used during WW1 was you would design a parachute of the size you thought would let you down safely. You made a test model and you drop tested it. If it came apart, you went back the drawing board and tried again, and so on, and so on, until it stayed together. But don't raise the airspeed!
I am surprised that there were as few German pilots fatalies as there were. However, it was better than being fried!
From the spring of 1918, the Heinecke Parachutes were delivered with the aircraft as a piece of the equipment.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[KlausTho]

Hi everyone:

The MFJ 1 received midth of 1918 parachutes, but not enough for all, so they didn´t use them until
everybody could dispose of a parachute some time later.
Probably it was the same in the other Marine Feldjagdstaffeln in Flanders.

Greetings Klaus