Birdie Viola Draper (1916-2005) was a

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 ...

and

stunt performer A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

who made her first jump on June 6, 1937."My First Jump" Memoir by Birdie Draper, Birdie Draper Collection, The San Diego Air and Space Museum. She traveled around the country as a member of the Thrill Day Performers and became known as the "Queen of the Daredevils."

Early life

Draper was born in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

in 1916. In 1937 at the age of 20, Draper began her training as a parachutist with Stub Chrissinger, an instructor for Hincks flying service and one of two licensed

parachute rigger A parachute rigger is a person who is trained or licensed to pack, maintain or repair parachutes. A rigger is required to understand fabrics, hardware, webbing, regulations, sewing, packing, and other aspects related to the building, packing, rep ...

s in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Career

After her training, Draper joined the stunt group Thrill Day Performers traveling to

State Fairs State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

. She was paired up with Captain F. F. "Bowser" Frakes who was best known for his daring

plane Plane(s) most often refers to: * Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft * Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface Plane or planes may also refer to: Biology * Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant * Planes (gen ...

crashing stunts and was known as the "Monarch of the Air." Draper was recognized for crashing through sixteen sticks of

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...

with her

car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

, as well as solid

masonry wall Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

s, a stunt for which she received $42.50.Contract between Birdie Draper and Bill Breitenstein in the Birdie Draper Collection at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. By 1940, Draper completed thirty-five

parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...

jumps.Parachute log of Birdie Draper, housed in the Birdie Draper Collection at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. She retired in 1941 as a

daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...

once she received her license as a parachute rigger from the

Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...

. Shortly afterwards she took a position as a rigger for

Ryan Aeronautical Company The Ryan Aeronautical Company was founded by T. Claude Ryan in San Diego, California, in 1934. It became part of Teledyne in 1969, and of Northrop Grumman when the latter company purchased Ryan in 1999. Ryan built several historically and tech ...

. Draper married George Griffin, a local attorney, and retired from Ryan Aeronautical Company in 1945. Draper died on November 1, 2005.

References

External links

* https://sandiegoairandspace.org/collection/item/birdie-draper-collection Birdie Draper Collection at the San Diego Air and Space Museum * https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/albums/72157650330477326 Images from the Birdie Draper Collection on Flickr. {{DEFAULTSORT:Draper, Birdie American stunt performers 1916 births 2005 deaths