Schmoll’s best-documented technical work supported one of the most extraordinary parachuting stunts of the 1960s.
Professional stuntman, gymnast, and skydiver Rod Pack planned to leave an aircraft without a conventional parachute attached to him. Once in freefall, fellow skydiver Bob Allen would approach Pack carrying a reserve parachute. Pack would receive the reserve, connect it to a special harness while falling, and deploy it before reaching the ground.
According to Lyle Cameron, the stunt was being produced for Wolper Productions’ forthcoming television series Bold Men. Cameron named Bill Friedkin as producer and Van Heflin as narrator. Pack and Allen rehearsed the reserve transfer repeatedly before the filmed attempt.12
References
- 12 Lyle Cameron’s period account describes the Wolper Productions project, identifies Bill Friedkin as producer and Van Heflin as narrator, and discusses repeated practice jumps with Bob Allen. See footnote 2. ↩