Grant Morton

Grant Morton (1857-19??) born William H. Morton is one of the first people to successfully attempt skydiving, and is sometimes credited with the first skydive and jump from a powered aeroplane, in 1911.[1] Supposedly, at age 54, Morton, a veteran career parachutist, made the first dive by jumping from a Wright Model B over Venice, California.[2]

Morton vs. Albert Berry controversy

An article in Air and Space Magazine published by the Smithsonian (dated February 29 and March 1, 2012)[3] makes a claim that U.S. Army Captain Albert Berry was the first to jump from a powered airplane on March 1, 1912 (with Anthony Jannus as his pilot) and that Morton did so on April 28, 1912 which would certainly give credit to Berry, providing it was Morton's first airplane jump and not his second or third. The article states Morton's jump of April 28, 1912 to have been at 2,600 feet over Venice Beach with Phil Parmalee as his pilot. Several accounts published throughout the last one hundred years consistently give the 1911 jump date for Morton' first airplane jump and that it was at 4,000 plus feet and closer to Los Angeles itself, Venice Beach being a suburb of the larger city. This would be a difference of over 1400 feet, significant differences in altitude.[4] [5] [6] [7]

References

  1. ↑ Meeks, Christopher (1991). Skydiving. Capstone Press. ISBN 978-1-56065-051-5.
  2. ↑ Bates, Jim (1990). Parachuting: from student to skydiver. Tab Books. ISBN 978-0-8306-3406-4.
  3. ↑ Berry's Leap, The Daily Planet, Air & Space Magazine, Smithsonian part one (February 29, 2012) and part two (March 1, 2012)
  4. ↑ The Parachute Manual: A Technical Treatise on Aerodynamic Decelerators by Dan Poynter, c.1984
  5. ↑ United States Air Force 60th Anniversary: lessons learned in airpower throughout the ages by Gary Gault, Brian Pierson, Stacy Hecht; Department of the United States Air Force, c.2007
  6. ↑ Walking on Air: The Aerial Adventures of Phoebe Omlie by Janaan Sherman,c.2011
  7. ↑ Google Books readout of some sources claiming Grant Morton's first jump from a plane (*note older sources are more definite in their claiming of Morton, rather than saying 'some sources')
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