This wonderful 1940s Castle FIlm entitled HIT THE SILK shows the story of parachutes and parachuting, including some terrific historical footage from WWI and WWII. At the :45 second mark, there's footage of a gigantic hot air balloon being used as a sideshow stunt, with girls jumping from the balloon once it reaches high altitude. World War I footage is shown at the 1:30 mark, with observers in hot air balloons escaping burning observation balloons. At the 2 minute mark, a Russell Parachute is shown, capable of saving a plane with a stalled engine. At the 2:30 mark, barnstorming stunts of the air circus is seen, with a chutist cutting away two chutes and landing with a third. At the 3:10 mark, a Ford Trimotor is seen making the very first mass drop of parachutists -- seven at once crying Geronimo! A winged jumper is seen at the 3:30 mark. An aerial hitch-hike is seen at the 4 minute mark. An arctic rescue is seen at the 5 minute mark, with dogs being dropped down out of an airplane to man a rescue sled for an injured pilot. Ejection seats are seen at the 6 minute mark. At the 6:30 mark, preparations for jumping are seen with chutes being packed by female factory workers. The film ends with a massive parachute jump by the paratroops --
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFilm.com