US Navy Bailout October 27, 1930

[paulmcmillan]

Last one for now

Lieut Felix Locke Baker of USN baled out of an aircraft on October 27, 1930 at Ocean ,San Diego,Calif.

I have the following info but not any info on the airplane involved I wonder if any on could supply an ID..

Naval Flyer Jumps After
Ship Ignites
San Diego, Oct 27 (AP) - Forced to take to his parachute when his
plane caught fire over the ocean off
San Diego today, Lieut P D (sic) Baker
a naval flyer, was picked up by the
Destroyer Trever (USS Trever (DD-339), and escaped with
minor injuries.
The cause of the fire was not determined. Baker "bailed out"
with his parachute and the in order
not to be dragged under water, when the
billowing folds struck the water. He released himself from it.
About forty
feet above the water, he either fell
or was shaken off and dropped that
distance with nothing to break his
fall
The Trever took him aboard. suffering
from shock and from burns
about the legs. He was
was brought into port at once, the
Trever being met by a boat from
the plane carrier Langley (USS Langley (CV-1/AV-3) ) in
which the officer was taken to
the hospital at North Island
for treatment


I have the following more detailed first person report

Lieutenant F. L. Baker. United States Navy. recently had two freak thrills during one never-to-be-forgotten flight while engaged in bombing tests from a fighting plane. At 5000 feet he went into a vertical dive, when suddenly a large mass of red-hot gasoline struck him full in the face. Whereupon the battle for life began in deadly earnest. Seconds later A terrific explosion rocked the cockpit, followed by a sizable blaze. There was only one thing for Lieutenant Baker to do and he did it. He explains: "I went over the side head first then found the ripcord and pulled it The Chute functioned perfectly." Noting that he now was over water the flier. when he got within a couple of hundred feet of the surface. unstrapped his chute harness and inflated his rubber life jacket. But soon he found, to his alarm. that his shoulders were caught in the chute harness. It was while attemping to disengage himself that the officer had his second. and probably his biggest thrill of the day. Unwittingly he upped over his Parachute seat. with the result that from a height of at least 100 feet he found himself diving head first a tremendous speed toward the water. During this unscheduled stunt he turned over twice but nevertheless hit the water in. a perfect dive! Fortunately immediate rescue was at hand in the form of a destroyer towing the target at which' Lieutenant. Baker had been aiming a few moments earlier during bombing practice


Felix Locke Baker - Later Captain USS Essex
Birth 7 Jan 1898
Death 4 Jun 1986


Thanks Paul

[twocee]

Baker was flying F3B-1, A-7715, from VF-2B. It seems that when he pushed over into a dive a fuel tank seam opened up and allowed the contents to spill into the engine exhaust.

[paulmcmillan]

George thanks again for this and the other 2 reports - I have mist of 1930 uUS Navy and US Marines complete thanks to you