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Smitty The Jumper
H. Truesdell Smith—known variously as "H. T. Smith", "Henry Truesdell Smith", "Harold Truesdell Smith", or "Daredevil Smitty" but best known as "Smitty the Jumper"—was an American exhibition parachutist and skydiver of the 1920s and 1930s. He made periodic returns to skydiving starting in the late 1950s, jumping in every subsequent decade until his death, becoming widely known as "the oldest living skydiver", a title he claimed until his death in 1995 at the age of 96.Powell, Chuck"Remembering Smitty" article photocopied from unknown magazine (possibly ''The Wichitan'') dated October 1995, on the website ''Skydive Kansas'', as downloaded November 17, 2014Garrity JohnThe Vault: "Things Have A Way Of Falling Into Place For A Jaunty Octogenarian" Originally posted April 21, 1986, '' Sports Illustrated,'' as downloaded November 17, 2014 U.L. Gooch, pilotLetter: "Smitty the Jumper" ''Flying Magazine,'' May 1960, page 8Billam, Thomas D., United Press International (UPI), Wichita, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parachutist
Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes. For human skydiving, it may involve a phase of more or less free-falling (the skydiving segment) which is a period when the parachute has not yet been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal velocity. For cargo parachuting, the parachute descent may begin immediately, such as a parachute-airdrop in the lower atmosphere of Earth, or be significantly delayed, such as in a planetary atmosphere where an object is descending "under parachute" following atmospheric entry from space, and may begin only after the hypersonic entry phase and initial deceleration that occurs due to friction with the thin upper atmosphere. History Common uses Parachuting is performed as a recreational activity and a competitive sport, and is widely ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
