Ralph W. Bottriell (1885 – December 26, 1943) was the first

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

military member to jump from an aircraft using a manually operated backpack

parachute A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...

. Bottriell was considered "the dean of parachute jumpers" and made over 500 jumps.

Life

Bottriell performed his first parachute jump in

Nashville, Michigan Nashville is a village in Barry County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,537 at the 2020 census. The township exists largely within Castleton Township, with a small portion extending south into Maple Grove Township. History ...

, at the age of 16. He enlisted in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

in 1917. On May 19, 1919, Bottriell jumped from a U.S. Army airplane in McCook Field, Ohio, using a backpack parachute he designed. It featured a "D" ring which allowed the jumper to open the parachute at will. This parachute design was credited with being the forerunner for parachutes developed later by the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

. He made his last jump in 1927 at the

Brooks Air Force Base Brooks Air Force Base was a United States Air Force facility located in San Antonio, Texas, southeast of Downtown San Antonio. In 2002, Brooks Air Force Base was renamed Brooks City-Base when the property was conveyed to the Brooks Developm ...

in Texas, where he was a parachute instructor. Bottriell received the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1932. At the time, he was stationed at

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-use airport, Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he ...

in Texas. Bottriell retired in 1940. He died on December 26, 1943, of natural causes.

References

American military aviation Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) American skydivers Year of birth missing 1943 deaths {{US-army-bio-stub