Clifton C. Chesire wanted to make a parachute jump from 50,000 feet. But before he could do that, the former paratrooper set about to make some practice jumps from Main Street Airport.
After about a week's delay, Chesire was set to jump on April 18. But first, a dummy went up and was tossed out of the plane for wind tests.
The sight caught South Main motorists off-guard. Some pulled over at the airfield to see what was going on. Eventually Chesire went up. At 2,500 feet, the Chronicle reported, he went out on a wing strut and prepared to jump. However, a parachute strap got caught on the wing. After jerking at the strap, he became airborne.
Now, to add some flair to his descent, Chesire carried a sack of flour to leave a trail in the air. The strange sight sent even more motorists to Main Street Airport.He would make similar jumps throughout the area around this time. He soon became known as the"Golden Batman" because his outfit resembled a bat. The jumps were made to set other records at lower altitudes and find sponsors for his 50,000-foot jump.
Main Street Airport was located at Broadmead Drive at South Main. The airport closed and the site was redeveloped in the early 1950s.
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