The "Guardian Angel" Parachute.
(1) Shows the airman in the harness by which he is attached to the parachute. By means of the star-shaped buckle he can instantly release himself. (2) Shows the parachute two seconds after the airman has jumped from the aeroplane. In (3) he is seen nearing the ground.
(By permission of E. R. Calthrop, Esq.)
So the twenty-four short tapes form twelve V's to the points of which are attached the twelve long tapes which support the man. The reason why tapes are used in this particular parachute and not cords will be referred to later.
In the crown of the silk body there is the usual hole for the purpose of forming the air-rudder to steady the parachute in its descent.
And now we can consider the first great feature of this wonderful invention and ask ourselves these questions: "By what means is it made to open?" "What makes it more reliable than others?"
To answer that we must first see why the others sometimes refused to open. In whatever way an ordinary parachute may be packed it must, when coming into use, assume the state of a shut umbrella with a hole in the top.
In this condition it is assumed that as it falls the air will find a way in through the lower end and will blow the parachute open in precisely the same way that a strong wind will sometimes blow out the folds of an umbrella.
But, as a matter of fact, the loose folds of a parachute, when the edge of the gussets is gathered in, are sure to overlap and enfold each other more or less. Thus, when in the shut-umbrella state, it sometimes happens that air which is inside can escape upwards through the hole more easily than fresh air can get in from below. The parachute, in such a state, is, let us