Oral History Interview with Virgil Derry, 1984 July 20

Virgil Derry discusses his early involvement with parachuting and testing equipment later used by smokejumpers. He describes the experimental jumps he made with his brother, Frank Derry, in 1939 for Eagle Parachute Company to determine the feasibility of dropping smokejumpers on fires. Derry talks about how he and his brother developed equipment and techniques that were later adopted by the early smokejumper program during these jumps. He also recalls his previous experience parachuting at county fairs and hang gliding.