Zephyr
April 24th, 2011, 10:52 PM
Today in 1937, airshow dare-devil Clem Sohn from Fowler, Michigan, fell to his death during a wingsuit skydive in Vincennes, France, after his main and reserve parachutes literally failed to open. It is suspected that both canopies were damp due to a storm aboard ship during the voyage from the United States.
He and Art Davis invented one of the first successful wingsuits, also known at the time as "bat wings". Clem was one of the pioneers of the art of delayed freefall before pulling the parachute's ripcord and mastered flying their wingsuit. Many of the early pioneers lost their lives developing these techniques and equipment. Seventy-four years after Clem's death, a countless number of parachutists all over the world use these techniques and modern equipment at relatively reduced risk, thanks to Clem and the other pioneers.
photo courtesy of the Daily Express and http://www.old-print.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=G2571857101 1286
He and Art Davis invented one of the first successful wingsuits, also known at the time as "bat wings". Clem was one of the pioneers of the art of delayed freefall before pulling the parachute's ripcord and mastered flying their wingsuit. Many of the early pioneers lost their lives developing these techniques and equipment. Seventy-four years after Clem's death, a countless number of parachutists all over the world use these techniques and modern equipment at relatively reduced risk, thanks to Clem and the other pioneers.
photo courtesy of the Daily Express and http://www.old-print.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=G2571857101 1286