“Tell me what I have to do, then,” said Bill.
The parachute Sergeant picked up a parachute and arranged it so that the pack was suspended from Bill’s back.
“This is a back type,” said Ruhs. “When you jump tomorrow you will have two chutes on, a back pack and a lap pack. That is to insure that at least one will open. While we have never had a failure, it is always well to be prepared for the unforeseen. These chutes are training type. That is, they are much larger than the service packs. The larger area gives a greater supporting surface and you will not hit the ground so hard. You can open both of them as you drop if you wish.”
“How hard do you hit the ground with one of these?” asked Bill.
“With the service type, it is about the same as jumping from a fifteen-foot wall. With the training type, the falling speed is much slower.”
By this time Bill had both chutes strapped to him. One pack was on his back and the other hanging down in front of him.
“Now what do I do when I want to jump?” he asked.
“Climb over the side of the plane and count three. By that time you will have cleared the wings, tail surfaces and landing gear. Then pull this ring. The parachute will fly out and open up. The best jumpers always bring their rings back with them.”
“How can you find that ring when you are flying through space?” asked Bill.
“It doesn’t make much difference whether you find it right away or not, for you will be sure to find it before you drop very far. I have found out that even though I am falling head first, I have had no difficulty in locating the ring.”