Wing-walking demo in the city

Here's another great demo from the days when fronting up to the Australian Parachute Federation's area safety officer or a gaggle of government bureaucrats was a distant dream.

Wing-walking on a bi-plane over the city, exiting at 2,000 ft and then landing on the roof of a building off Frome Road in Adelaide – now that's a demo!

Here's the report from the daily newspaper of the time:

The Advertiser
Thursday, October 11, 1928

A PARACHUTE DESCENT

SENSATIONS AT JUBILEE OVAL

The fact that Lieutenant H. Qviller, a Norwegian parachutist was to make a parachute descent from an aeroplane, together with the attractions of a buck-jumping show, drew a crowd officially estimated at over 25,000 to the Jubilee Oval on Wednesday afternoon.

Prior to leaving the oval for the Parafield aerodrome to board the aeroplane,  Lieutenant Qviller walked round the ground to give the crowd a chance to see him.

At 4.15 his Avro-Avian plane [similiar to the aircraft at left],  piloted by Captain Jacques, was seen, approaching the oval from the north.

It circled the ground twice in order to give Lieutenant Qviller an opportunity of judging the strength and direction of the wind, and seeing the arena into which he was to attempt to drop.

The plane then flew across the ground from east to west, the parachutist being plainly visible standing on the right, wing. When it was about 50 yards west of the ground and at a height of about 2,000 feet, Lieutenant Qviller jumped clear, falling about 150 feet before his parachute opened.

As he slowly came to the ground, swaying from side to side with the breeze, he waved his hand to the crowd several times.

As he came lower it was apparent that he would not land in the oval and he passed out of sight behind the avenue of plane trees in Frome Road.

He landed safely on the roof of the immigration depot in the old Exhibition Building and quickly scrambled to the ground.

A few minutes later he entered the oval and walked across to the grandstands to the accompaniment of loud cheers.

In a short speech, which was broadcast by means of the amplions [an early type of loudspeaker] he said he had jumped from the plane about five seconds too soon, which was why he failed to land on the oval.
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