| |
In commenting on Floyd Smith's career, I recalled that he had first soloed on June 1, 1912 in a tractor
type that he, Hilder and Frank Shaw had built at Stanton, California, near Santa Ana. On July 19, after installing dual controls, he, Hilder, and
a stowaway Prevost Smith (as yet unborn), flew to Griffith Park, Los Angeles, where the owner wanted $5.00 a day rental. In April 1914,
Glenn Martin needed a girl parachutist to make a jump at the ceremonies dedicating the new Los Angeles Harbor. Hilder had never jumped
or had Floyd. A deal was made that if she would make the jumps (2) that she could use one of the Martin planes for practice and instruction
under Floyd's supervision, and on June 10th she made her first solo. Floyd decided that he had better make a jump first and started him
thinking about parachutes, especially after Hilder's second jump ended in near disaster. As test pilot for Martin, Floyd in 1915 established
three World's Records for altitude using a Martin S plane at San Diego. Two years later he made one of the first simulated carrier landings
at North Island. During WW I, Smith was chief pilot in charge of final inspection of DH's at the acceptance field at Dayton. At this time he
took out his first patent on a parachute, which was an entirely free manually operated pack. It was so simple that it is considered by many
to be the basic disclosure on the method of operation of all personnel type pack parachutes. Although most of the Army Brass did not want
to carry around an extra 25 lbs. to save the life of a man, Billy Mitchell interceded for Floyd and suggested that they have Floyd Smith make
up several samples immediately for practical demonstrations. In January 1919 Floyd was put in charge of all parachute work at McCook Field
where demonstrations of delayed jumps and jumps from as low as 300 feet were made, and later one from 70 feet over water. Competitors to
Smith sprung up on all sides. It was hard to determine who thought up what first. Most of these recognized the Smith claims and paid royalties
to Smith. Floyd was associated with the Russel Parachute Company, in San Diego in the early twenties, and later was the co-founder of the
Pioneer Parachute Company, with the Cheney Silk Mills in Connecticut, and were successful in getting a $15 million dollar contract from the
Navy. While with Pioneer, the son Prevost developed the Pioneer test tower at El Centro, Calif., which is still in use. In the meantime, he and
Floyd started the Smith Parachute Company in San Diego County, which became the Prevost Smith Parachute Co. after Floyd's death in
1956.
By Waldo Waterman, President
The Early Birds of Aviation Newsletter, December 18, 1962
|
|
