Parachutes were first used in
WWI by artillery observers in observation balloons. When an observer saw an
enemy aircraft, he would leap from the balloon and use his parachute to float
to the ground. The parachutes used by the balloon crews were attached to the
observation balloon, and then they were torn free when the man in the balloon
jumped out. The observer would be wearing a waist harness and the weight
exerted on it from the man jumping would pull the parachute from the balloon.
The
parachute was then used by pilots. This early version of the parachute was
difficult to store in the tiny planes, and often got tangled in the falling
plane. Only German pilots used parachutes during the beginning of the war,
because the allied leaders thought if they gave their pilots parachutes they
would bail out rather than fight or save the plane.
Then
a Kentuckian by the name of Solomon Lee Van Meter, Jr. received a patent for
his backpack design parachute, which featured the ripcord. This new parachute
design was then adopted by pilots, and proved more useful than the older
version that was difficult to store and operate.
