When the aeroplane came into being ten years ago the parachute had no place in the practical politics of aeronautics.

The extensive use of observation balloons, throughout the war, brought the life-saving capabilities of the parachute to the front.

In pre-war days the parachute was regarded almost exclusively as a medium for daring displays.

Public interest has been aroused by the fact that the lives of over 800 men were saved from balloons by parachute and many more might have been saved from aeroplanes by the provision of this simple appliance.

For the last six months of the war the Germans were using a comparatively crude type of parachute in nearly all their aeroplanes. This equipment was entirely optional. Nine out of ten pilots elected to carry them. According to the best information I can get, of the pilots who had occasion to use them, nine out of ten saved their lives.