§ 56 Mr. VIANTasked the Secretary of State for Air (1) the precise object of the trial descent in the new parachute on 26th May last, when Corporal Wilson was killed; if Corporal Wilson was ordered to make a trial descent; and, if so, by whom;
(2) if the parachute used on 26th May last by Corporal Wilson was an Irving free-type; if he was told of the danger of pulling the rip-cord before the parachute was clear of the aeroplane; and if he was told that the pilot would open out his engine as he stepped off the ladder, so as to avoid fouling the parachute;
(3) if, for the parachute trial on 26th May last, the automatic arrangement was installed whereby the hand rip-cord could not become effective until after the automatic line had exerted its pull and the parachutist was clear of the machine?
§ Sir S. HOAREI will answer the hon. Member's three questions together. As regards the first, Corporal Wilson was an aerial gunner, and the object of the descent was to practise him in a mode of escape which may at any time be necessary for life-saving. As stated in my reply on 15th June to the hon. Member for Peckham (Mr. Dalton), these trial descents are purely voluntary, and no pressure of any kind is brought to bear on any officer or airman to induce him to take part in them. As regards the second question, the answer to all three parts of the question is in the affirmative, except that the object of the opening out of the engine is to give the jumper a greater forward movement, rather than to prevent fouling the parachute. As regards the third question, the hon. Member would appear to be confusing the static type of parachute with the free type, which was used in this case. In the latter there is no automatic arrangement for pulling the rip-cord; its operation depends entirely on the pulling of 498 the rip-cord by the jumper himself after a period of at least a second has elapsed from the time of the jumping.