Grant Morton (1857?–1920), born William H. Morton, was 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. Supposedly, at age 54, Morton, a veteran career parachutist, made the first dive by jumping from a

Wright Model B The Wright Model B was an early pusher biplane designed by the Wright brothers in the United States in 1910. It was the first of their designs to be built in quantity. Unlike the Model A, it featured a true elevator carried at the tail rat ...

over Venice, California.

Near death incidents

On May 15, 1905 Grant Morton ascended in a balloon to . At some point he became injured and began bleeding, becoming unconscious, but descended safely with his body lashed to the balloon's trapeze. On July 2, 1905 Morton was nearly killed during an exhibition at Urbita Springs, San Bernardino, California. He was ascending in a hot-air balloon when the balloon hit tree limbs and gas began to escape. The balloon, however, reached a height of 200 feet before falling rapidly and hitting another tree. Morton was taken to the county hospital with a broken shoulder amongst other injuries but was expected to recover. Some weeks later in August 1905 Morton had another incident in a balloon, again at Urbita Springs, when the balloon he was ascending in became a runaway and Morton jumped clear allowing the vessel to float away on its own. Because of his various injuries Morton had become incapacitated by October and was unable to work putting him and his wife in poverty. His wife sought to go out and work which angered Morton and he is reported to have engaged in spousal abuse over his wife working against his wishes.

Morton vs. Albert Berry controversy

An article in '' Air & Space/Smithsonian'' magazine (dated February 29 and March 1, 2012) 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 Antony Habersack Jannus, more familiarly known as Tony Jannus (July 22, 1889 – October 12, 1916), was an early American pilot whose aerial exploits were widely publicized in aviation's pre-World War I period. He flew the first airplane from ...

as his pilot) and that Morton did so on April 28, 1912, which would give priority 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 Philip Orin Parmelee (March 8, 1887 – June 1, 1912) was an American aviation pioneer trained by the Wright brothers and credited with several early world aviation records and "firsts" in flight. He turned a keen interest in small engines into ...

as his pilot. Several accounts published throughout the last one hundred years consistently give the 1911 jump date for Morton's 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.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')
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Grant 1850s births 1920 deaths American skydivers American stunt performers