 |
Leslie Leroy Irvin | |
|---|---|
 Irvin wearing an early Irvin Air Chute (not Type A) seat pack on a single-point quick release harness[1] | |
| Born | Leslie Leroy Irvin September 10, 1895 Los Angeles, California |
| Died | October 9, 1966 (aged 71) Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation(s) | Parachute manufacturer and parachutist |
| Employer | Irving Air Chute Company |
| Known for | First premeditated freefall parachute descent & ripcord use |
| Spouse | Velda Kerr (1892–1985) |
| Awards | British Patent |
Leslie Leroy Irvin (September 10, 1895 – October 9, 1966) was a stunt-man for the fledgling Californian film industry. Flying in balloons, he performed using trapeze acrobatics and parachute descents. For the 1914 film Sky High, Irvin made his first jump out of an airplane while flying at 1,000 feet above the ground. In 1918, he developed his own life-saving static line parachute, jumping with it several times and promoting it to the US Army.[2] Irvin joined the Army Air Service's parachute research team at McCook Field near Dayton, Ohio where he made the first premeditated free-fall jump with the modern parachute on April 28, 1919.[3][1]
- ^ a b Heaton, Norman E. "50 Years of Freefall". Parachutist Online.com. Parachutist USPA. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ Armstrong Ingoldsby, Ann. "It All Started in Dayton". uspa.org. Parachutist Official of USPA. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ Ladino, Marie. "Pulling the Rip Cord". USPTO.gov. Retrieved May 7, 2020.