The El Centro Story

[Music] [Applause] [Music] stand by the launch J [Music] [Music] yeah [Music] [Applause] [Music] I remember how surprised I was on my first trip to El Centro desert I seem to see nothing but water water from the Colorado River carried through Sand Hills by the huge All-American Canal to El Centro and the Imperial Valley enough water to turn 3 million desert acres into the nation's biggest all year round vegetable garden with large prosperous towns like El Central Broly and cxo the naval air station is west of El Central during the war when Marine Corps Pilots were trained here there were 14,000 men aboard in peace time 6 to 8 th000 could be accommodated the first time here I figured we'd land in Wind dust and sand I'd seen how the desert feels but there was no wind not even any Haze I found out that this station is practically always like this they call it poor weather here when the visibility is only 20 M flight conditions are really 40 that's important squadrons like ours seldom have to a day winter or summer for training in Gunnery rockets and [Music] bombs El Centro is important in other ways too there's the parachute experimental unit it's located here for some very good reasons reasons that'll soon be Mighty important to this new jumper I know how he feels made a few jumps myself he's trying not to think of anything but he can't help it he remembers that streamer yesterday the shoot they were testing didn't open of course it was only a dummy but just the same he's in no mood for Laughs especially the kind the old hands think are funny at a time like this all he can do is stand there and sweat it out sure he can change his mind but he asked for it all jumps by the parachute experimental unit are on a volunteer basis he wanted to be a jumper he said so they loaded two shoots on him the second one in case of uh well well just in case now he's going to be a [Music] jumper [Music] he doesn't know it but all that kidding is the best thing at a time like this keeps him from getting too wound up if he loses that D ring when he pulls his shoot he buys beer for the crowd okay okay he knows [Music] it [Music] [Music] la [Music] it's all right if he decides not to jump they told me that he won't be the first who couldn't make it the crew knows what he's going through maybe he won't make it today in fact they don't want him to jump unless he really sure sure everything is all right why shouldn't it [Music] [Music] be [Music] la [Music] [Music] sure is likes feel funny but he doesn't have to go through with it not even if he gets right up to the door wait 4 seconds before opening is he kidding but it doesn't mean a thing not when he doesn't have to jump oh brother then all at once it's wonderful he made it he likeed he thinks he's an expert well not quite an expert coming in backward like that can get him awful black and blue in the wrong [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] places wow there's the old D ring no beer for the crowd today he's a jumper now he's one of the gang ripcord is his mascot too now he knows the reasons why the parachute experimental unit is located at El Central little or no wind flat terrain no rocks or cactus unlimited visibility sea level where accurate parachute testing is possible soft sand for hard Landings no place else in the United States can this combination of factors be found except at El Central that's why El Central is set up to do just about everything in the line of developing and testing parachute gear a lot of it is highly secret the men at the station have invented new type parachutes and gear they also work with manufacturers by putting their products through the mill and helping them iron out the bugs no Navy flyer ever jumps with a shoot that hasn't been thoroughly tested by the latest methods and equipment here's another thing that El Centro does trains men to operate and repair babies like this baby it'll do better than 200 knots it's a radio control Target drone plane it provides real Gunnery practice for the fleet he flies it with that little [Music] box see parachutes for everything [Music] [Music] as I mentioned before we come here for Gunnery practice the Navy has range in the chalkpit mountains it's half 100 Mil long but it takes only 5 minutes or less for a jet to cover that got to have room and lots of it for those grumm and Panthers visibility and ceiling unlimited as usual Target area 40 Mi Northeast 4 mil straight up toll plane and Target [Music] sighted [Music] [Music] get see the fog over the mountains the coast is closed in but El Centro the ads the Douglas dive bombers keep right on training with [Music] rockets this ad is firing a Tiny Tim one of those could sink a cruiser there's one to curl your hair the camera plane can't slow down enough [Music] busy place this El Centro they even have a private ocean the salt and sea they use the salt and sea for emergency Landings by the Navy's big flying [Music] boats and it provides an ideal spot to make test drops with parachutes into Salt Water unhampered by fog and other adverse weather conditions parachute jumping H nothing to it our new boy thinks he can Fly Like a Bird maybe better even a bird needs Wings he doesn't all he needs is confidence and he has plenty of that now he can appreciate a good jump like this one coming up this man is jumping with smoke bombs to help the ground crew follow his fall and analyze air currents at various altitudes on the way down it looks so easy but there's a real Arc to it a leg moved at the right angle a foot turned just so and he goes into a steady flat spin so he can keep his eyes on the ground below I think this is one of the greatest aerial shots ever made the camera plane is diving with the jumper staying within 100 ft or so of him at all times the man is falling at 120 M [Music] [Applause] [Music] hour [Music] [Music] [Music] e [Music] oh [Music] routine nothing to it nothing can happen to him not a [Music] thing [Music] it's a [Music] streamer [Music] no nothing can happen to those boys not a thing not very often [Music] anyway well that's the El Centro story it may seem strange to find the Navy in the desert but now you know what the place means to me and to the [Music] fleet for