|
Born: 1893 Died: 1979
 |
Georgia Broadwick was nicknamed Tiny because she weighted 85 pounds
and was only four feet tall. Tiny made her first jump in 1908
at age 15. She accumulated over 1100 jumps, including jumps at
the 1915 and 1916 San Diego World's Fair, until she made her last
jump in San Diego in 1922. Most of Tiny's jumps were with aerial
barnstorming shows. Tiny was billed as "The Doll Girl",
a name she hated with a passion. Her perspective was: "If
you landed in a tree you were all right- but if you landed on
a rooftop and rolled off, you were hurting."
|
| Tiny was
the first woman to make a jump from an aircraft on June 21, 1913.
Glenn L Martin flew her up to 2000 feet above Griffith Park in
Los Angeles, CA. Later she was the first woman to make a jump
from a hydro aeroplane and first woman to make a water jump from
an airplane. |
|
 |
In 1914
Broadwick gave the first demonstration of a parachute jump to
the US government. The first four jumps were static line jumps.
On the fourth jump the static line tangled with the aircraft so
on the fifth jump she decided to not use the static line. She
cut the statlic line so that it was long enough for her to pull
the parchute pack open after she was clear of the airplane. This
was the first premeditated FREEFALL jump by anyone. The US Army
Signal Corps ordered its first Broadwick coatpack and initiated
a new era in aviation safety.
|
Tiny's retirement from jumping did not come easily. She said:
"It was terribly hard for me to settle down. I had so much
pep and energy. I was lonesome for my work and occaisionally made
a few jumps."
Tiny Broadwick with Bill Booth.
Pioneer Award in 1953
Member of Curtis Hall of Fame.
Nov 16, 1972-Tiny Broadwick Night at the Adventurers Club of Los
Angeles, CA Norm Heaton of USPA presented her with her Gold Wings
for her 1000+ jumps.
Aviation Organizations: Early Birds, OX5 Club, Southern California
Aviation Breakfast Club.
 On September 16, 1995, 18 women celebrated Tiny Broadwick's accomplishments with an all woman POPS (Parachutists Over Phorty) jump in Lake Elsinore, CA. Participants were Josepha Eveleigh, Chris Kelly, MJ Butt, Kitty Baran, Alicia Moorehead, Cathy Jacklin, Deby Daniel, Debbie Discoe, Chris Deli-Schipp, Joy Brown, Linda Hardesty, Paula Thues, Pamela Rhodes, Chris Libbs, Gail Simms, Bette Klett, Melinda Martinez and Caroline Foxmeyer. Photo by Tom LeBus.
|
