Public Invited to Celebrate First Parachute Jump Anniversary

One hundred years ago, on March 1, a man jumped out of an airplane with a parachute for the first time—and landed successfully at .

That man was Capt. Albert Berry and he jumped out of a 1912 Benoist Type 12 “pusher” biplane designed by Thomas Benoist, of Missouri.

“Nobody thought you could parachute from a plane without having the plane crash,” said Art Schuermann in a National Guard release. Schuermann is from the Jefferson Barracks Historic Preservation Office. “People thought the plane would go out of whack when the jump was made. So this proved the concept – that you can parachute from an airplane and that the plane and the jumper will be fine.”

The jump would change the country’s military tactics and lead to innovation in design and aviation.

“It led to the development of military airborne units which allows you to drop soldiers by parachute behind enemy lines,” Schuermann said.  “It also gave the military a way to escape an aircraft that can no longer fly. All of that stems from Berry’s first jump.”

The public is invited to a free celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first parachute jump with a ceremony Thursday at 1 p.m.  Attendees should enter the grounds through Sherman Road.

The Jefferson Barracks Heritage Foundation and Missouri National Guard are hosting the event, which begins at the Joint Armed Forces Reserve Center and will include a live parachute jump on the west parade field.

Photos and parachuting displays will also be featured at the event.

Lewis Sanborn, 82, will make Thursday’s jump. The Imperial resident is a master parachutist with more than 7,300 jumps under his belt.

Sanborn also served in the 82nd Airborne Division for four years.

“It never gets boring because no two jumps are the same,” he said. “Once I had done 30 or so, I started settling in and then it really becomes fun. It’s the only time in your life when you have complete freedom.”