In a last ditch attempt to rescue the family upholstery business from ruin with his new and groundbreaking marketing concept that will “Make the parachute history”, young Gaston de la Vaulx (22) poses in front of his flying machine before the inaugural test flight. (June 1908. Agence France Presse)
Before climbing into the specially adapted cockpit of his 40 hp Quelcon biplane, De la Vaulx announced to the assembled crowd: “I’ve seen the future of aviation safety, and it’s mattress shaped. No more dangling from silken parachutes! Vive le matelas! Vive La France! My bouncy suit will ensure me a place on the front page of Boing Boing very soon!”
(Click to enlarge)
Regrettably, the de la Vaulx family firm went into receivership four weeks after this photo was taken.
The image was sold as a commemorative postcard, and the proceeds went towards the cost of the excavation and subsequent re-interrment of young Gaston.
A historical note from Wikipedia reveals that the parachute was not generally in use until 1919.
The first military use for the parachute was for use by artillery spotters on tethered observation balloons in World War I.
These were tempting targets for enemy fighter aircraft, though difficult to destroy, due to their heavy antiaircraft defenses.Because they were difficult to escape from, and dangerous when on fire due to their hydrogen inflation, observers would abandon them and descend by parachute as soon as enemy aircraft were seen. The ground crew would then attempt to retrieve and deflate the balloon as quickly as possible.
Allied aircraft crews, however, were forbidden from carrying their own parachutes. It was believed to encourage a lack of nerve in action.
As well, early parachutes were very heavy, and fighters lacked the performance to carry the additional load through most of WWI. As a result, a pilot’s only options were to ride their machine into the ground, jump from several thousand feet, or commit suicide using a standard-issued revolver. The German air service, in 1918, became the world’s first to introduce a standard parachute and the only one at the time.
Tethered parachutes were initially tried but caused problems when the aircraft was spinning.
In 1919 Leslie Irvin invented and successfully tested a parachute that the pilot could deploy when clear of the aircraft. He became the first person to make a premeditated freefall parachute jump from an airplane.
An early brochure of the Irvin Air Chute Company credits William O’Connor 24 August 1920 at McCook Field near Dayton, Ohio as the first person to be saved by an Irvin parachute.
Another life-saving jump was made at McCook Field by test pilot Lt. Harold H. Harris on Oct 20, 1922. Shortly after Harris’s jump two Dayton newspaper reporters suggested the creation of the Caterpillar Club for successful parachute jumps from disabled aircraft.
