<P> The Parachute Drop was patented by retired U.S. Naval Commander James H. Strong and Stanley Switlik, who were inspired by primitive parachute practice towers he had seen in the Soviet Union . The Soviet Union had been using simple wooden towers to train paratroopers since the 1920s, and despite the dangers of the Soviet design, which used just a single guide cable and sometimes found the jumper colliding with the structure, the towers were employed for recreational use as well . Strong designed a safer version which included eight guide wires in a circle surrounding the parachute . In 1936, Strong secured a U.S. patent for his design, and he built several test platforms at his home in Hightstown, New Jersey in 1936 and 1937 . The military platforms suspended a single rider in a harness and offered a few seconds of freefall after the release at the top, before the chutes opened to slow the fall . Civilians showed a great deal of interest in trying out the ride for themselves, and Strong was quick to turn his invention to non-military use as well, making some design changes in the process: a seat that could hold two, a larger parachute for a slower drop, the metal ring which held the parachute permanently open, and shock - absorbing springs to ease the final landing . </P> <P> Strong sold military versions of the tower to the Romanian and U.S. militaries . He installed towers at a New Jersey training center, probably Fort Dix . Four were later installed in Fort Benning, Georgia . One was toppled in a 1954 tornado . Two appear to be in use . He also converted an existing observation tower in Chicago's Riverview Park into a six - chute amusement ride . This enterprise, the "Pair - O - Chutes", did brisk enough business to inspire Strong to apply to build and operate a jump at the 1939 New York World's Fair . </P> <P> The ride was built in 1939 for the World's fair, and towered over the fair's "Amusement Zone". The Life Savers company sponsored the ride, investing $15,000 and decorating the new tower with brightly lit candy - shaped rings . Eleven parachutes were used, leaving the tower with one empty arm . Adult riders paid 40 cents, children a quarter . The trip up took about a minute and the drop down was over in 10 or 20 seconds . The official 1939 Fair guidebook describes the ride: </P> <P> Eleven gaily - colored parachutes operated from the top of a 250 - foot tower, enable visitors to experience all the thrills of "bailing out" without the hazard or discomfort . Each parachute has a double seat suspended from it . When two passengers have taken their places beneath the' chute, a cable pulls it to the summit of the tower . An automatic release starts the drop, and the passengers float gently to the ground . Vertical guide wires prevent swaying, a metal ring keeps the' chute open at all times, and shock - absorbers eliminate the impact of the landing . One of the most spectacular features of the Amusement Area, this is also a type of parachute jump similar to that which the armies of the world use in early stages of training for actual parachute jumping . </P>

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