Image TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage Tile
Image size: 5632x7680 Scale: 35% - PanoJS3
Page overview thumbnail

Article text

LIFESAVING WATER BY PARACHUTE
Have YOU ever wondered
what to do with your used dis-'
posable plastic soft-drink bottles?
The Department of Defence mav
have the answer.
In a series of experiments in South
Australia, Hawker de Havilland and
engineers from the Defence Research
Centre at Salisbury have been testing
them to determine the best method of
dropping fresh water by parachute to
people stranded in remote or inac
cessible areas of Australia.
Interest in the experiments has been
shown by search-and-rescue organisa
tions, police and the armed services.
The durable two-litre bottle is at
tached to a parachute stressed to
withstand opening at 176 km/h at sea
level. It is light and cheap and can be
hand-launched from a light aeroplane
or helicopter and, for the conserva
tion-conscious, after use it can be
buried, burnt or carried out. Because
it floats it can be dropped at sea.
It may be possible to drop medical
supplies, radio batteries, vehicle
spares, and messages weighing up to
2 kilograms using the same type of
A two-litre plastic soft-drink bottle, filled with water, attached to its para chute ready for dropping from an aeroplane. Help
A two-litre plastic soft-drink bottle,
filled with water, attached to its para
chute ready for dropping from an
aeroplane.
parachute. However, don't send your
empties to the Defence department
yet, a spokesman said. They have
quite enough to carry out their experi
ments for the time being.
$