Ralph Bottriell

Ralph W. Bottriell (1885[1] – December 26, 1943) was the first American military member to jump from an aircraft using a manually operated backpack parachute.[2] Bottriell was considered "the dean of parachute jumpers" and made over 500 jumps.[3]

Life

Bottriell performed his first parachute jump in Nashville, Michigan, at the age of 16.[2] He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917.[2]

On May 19, 1919, Bottriell jumped from a U.S. Army airplane in McCook Field, Ohio, using a backpack parachute he designed.[2] 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.[4][2]

He made his last jump in 1927 at the Brooks Air Force Base in Texas, where he was a parachute instructor.[3]

Bottriell received the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1932.[1] At the time, he was stationed at Kelly Field in Texas.[4]

Bottriell retired in 1940. He died on December 26, 1943, of natural causes.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Sgt. Bottrell [i.e. Bottriell], parachute jumper | Library of Congress". www.loc.gov. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  2. ^ a b c d e "MSgt Ralph Bottriell" (PDF). Air University.
  3. ^ a b "Army's Parachute Pioneer to Retire After 30 Years". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1940-03-31. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-06-02 – via Newspapers.com .
  4. ^ a b Watson, Anne-Marie (1942). "Cochran Field Wings over America". University of Lincoln.
  5. ^ "Pioneer Parachutist Dies Natural Death". The Brownsville Herald. 1943-12-28. p. 18. Retrieved 2020-06-02 – via Newspapers.com .
  6. ^ "Obituary for Ralph W. Bottrlell". Pampa Daily News. 1943-12-30. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-06-02 – via Newspapers.com .


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