Aviation Trail, Inc.
A non-profit corporation in partnership with the
National Park Service
to promote Aviation Heritage
in the Dayton region
Home of the largest
private parachute collection.*
See what it looks like for a paratrooper to step into thin air over a drop zone in this footage of a recent jump in the Netherlands to commemorate the anniversary of WWII's Operation Market Garden. Army Jumpmaster Staff Sgt. Paul O'Brien of the 82nd Airborne Division provides the footage. (Army / DVIDS) Military Times
May 25, 2024
Paratrooper's Point of View
# 13 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater
(Don't forget to click the speaker icon to turn the sound on)
March 19,2024
The US Special Forces Extreme Techniques to Perform Halo Jumps
# 12 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater
Presented by Fluctus
Ingenuity, the NASA helicopter that operated on Mars from 2021 to 2024 as part of the Mars 2020 mission was the first aircraft to conduct a powered and controlled extra-terrestrial flight. This NASA YouTube video pays tribute to this historic accomplishment.
February2024
Legacy of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter
Presented by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
# 11 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater
Presented by NASA Jet Propulsion Labs
A story on the modern parachute:
This video, presented by Air Force Research Labs illustrates testing of parachuting palletized cruise missiles using a modular deployment system.
January 2024
Parachuting Palletized Munitions Systems
"Rapid Dragon" Flight Tests
# 10 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater
Presented by AFResearchLab
Fort Benning's 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion
"The Triple Nickles"
# 9 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater
A Double Feature on Parachute History from Fort Benning TV
Presented by Fort Benning TV
Presented by Fort Benning TV
These videos tell the story of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, the first all-black unit of paratroopers. The unit was the first of its kind, an all-black paratroop battalion, nicknamed the "Triple Nickles." They were used as smokejumpers, fighting forest fires ignited by Japanese balloon bombs on the West Coast, becoming known as the 555 "Smoke Jumpers."
See more about Fort Benning (soon to be renamed Fort Moore) at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Benning.
Presented by NASA/JPL-Caltech
Perseverance Rover Parachute Landing on Mars
NASA video
# 8 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater:
As part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission the Perseverance Rover landed by parachute descent in the Jezero crater on Mars. It was launched on July 30, 2020 and landed on February 18, 2021. It has since been collecting samples and testing the environment, providing information for future missions. This video dramatically follows the parachute descent and landing. After viewing the video be sure to check out the NASA link for fascinating information about the mission, including photos and interactive experiences:
But wait, there's more!
The view of the underside of the parachute in the video shows an interesting design with an intriguing story of its own. it's not just a random pattern. It turns out that the parachute engineers provided a "hidden" message using binary code. Check the NASA link at https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/markings/ to find out about the message and learn more about the story.
Presented by National Museum of the United States Air Force
C-47 Fly-In and Paratrooper Jump at NMUSAF
National Museum of the United States Air Force Video
#7 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater:
Free parachute demonstrations & static displays were held at the National Museum of the United States Air Force on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. Two historic C-47's, Tico Belle and Placid Lassie, were on hand to drop the volunteer paratroopers and remained on display on April 28. CLICK HERE for the NMUSAF site and scroll down to see more information on these aircraft.
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
1100 Spaatz St.
Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433
Jumping From Space!
Presented by BBC Studios
(Don't forget to turn the sound on)
BBC Studios video
#6 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater:
In 2012 Austrian Felix Baumgartner successfully broke Joe Kittinger's record for the world’s highest parachute jump that was set in 1960 (see video #3 in the Parachute Museum Theater series). Baumgartner dropped from an unofficial altitude of 128,000 feet - about 1.5 miles higher than expected. In the process, he also became the first skydiver to exceed the speed of sound - 833.9 mph while in freefall (Mach 1.24 - the first supersonic skydive). He and the Stratos Red Bull team broke three more records: Highest manned balloon flight, 128,000 feet; greatest freefall distance, 119,846 feet; fastest mechanically unaided speed, 833.9 mph. Joe Kittinger, whose record was broken, is the one in mission control communicating with Baumgartner in this dramatic video.
Red Bull Stratos Project space dive 2012
presented by BBC Studios
First Martin-Baker Ejection Seat Test
Smithsonian Channel video
#5 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater:
Presented by The Smithsonian Channel
The Martin-Baker Aircraft Company was formed by James Martin and Captain Valentine Baker in 1934. In addition to airplane design and manufacturing, they began exploring the use of ejection seats and became the leading manufacturer of the life-saving device. Martin-Baker engineer Bernard Lynch, who was the test subject throughout the development of the Martin-Baker device, made it's first live ejection from a Gloster Meteor in 1946.
Presented by The Smithsonian Channel
What It Was Like to Parachute into Enemy Fire in WWII
Smithsonian Channel video
#4 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater:
Julian "Bud" Rice, a WWII veteran, recounts the harrowing experience of parachuting out of a C-47 under German fire on the eve of D-Day.
Space Jump-Col. (Ret.) Joe Kittinger
#3 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater:
In photo at left: Captain Joe Kittinger (in the light blue shirt, with arms folded) is pictured at the Parachute Museum looking at the display featuring his 1960 jump.
National Museum of the United States Air Force video
Presented by National Museum of the United States Air Force
In 1960 Captain Joseph Kittinger set the record at the time of the highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump (102,800 feet), longest drogue fall and fastest speed by a human through the atmosphere (614 mph). One of the Parachute Museum's most popular exhibits, designed to appeal to both adults and children, is an interactive display of Joe Kittinger's famous jump.
Watch for upcoming Parachute Museum Theater presentations of subsequent record jumps.
Ex-Trapeze Artist Made Parachute Safer
#2 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater:
Toward the end of WWI, it became clear to the U.S. government that pilots needed parachutes to better save their lives. So, they set up a crack team to come up with a practical and workable design.
"Ex-Trapeze Artist Made Parachutes Safer", Smithsonian Channel
Smithsonian Channel video
Presented by Smithsonian Channel
This story highlights the Army Air Service's parachute research team at Dayton's McCook Field where engineer James Floyd Smith and ex-stuntman Leslie Irvin helped develop the modern parachute in 1919.
The Harold Harris Story
#1 in a series of videos featured on the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum Theater:
Watch the story of the first emergency bailout of an aircraft with a freefall parachute rig Type A on October 20, 1922 at Dayton Ohio by Lt. Harold R Harris. He landed safely in a grape arbor in a Dayton neighborhood at 335 Troy Street. His disabled Loening Monoplane P-233 crashed in the yard of a house on Valley Street. The freefall landing site is marked by an Aviation Trail sign on a street side utility pole at the Troy Street location.
Presented by the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum.
Location
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
16 S. Williams St., Dayton, OH 45402
Visitor Center:
For details and seasonal date schedules see https://www.nps.gov/daav/planyourvisit/hours.htm
or please call (937) 225-7705 for the current park schedule.
Parking:
From W. Third St., turn south on Williams St and then turn left on Fourth St. Go 1/2 block and turn left into the Visitor Center parking area.
CLICK HERE for a parking map.
See the Visitor Center page for details on hours and for a map.
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*The Parachute Museum archives were considered as perhaps the world's largest private parachute collection when assessed by experts from WPFB and the Smithsonian Institute.
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