Every claim in this profile is keyed to a numbered source. The complete list is reproduced below; each chapter also repeats the sources it cites at the foot of the page.
- 1 Parachutist, Vol. 1, No. 6, Parachute Club of America, June 1960. The club directory lists “Los Angeles Sky Divers. Harry Schmoll. 6947 Sedan Avenue. Canoga Park, California.” Historical scan: manifestmaster.com/parachutist/1960%20Series%202%20V1-6%20J…
- 2 Lyle Cameron Jr., contemporary account of Rod Pack’s “chuteless” jump, later reproduced in historical skydiving collections. Cameron explicitly identifies “Harry Schmoll of Para-Systems” as the harness maker and describes the bilateral-load capability, prominent D-rings, and additional riser snap. A surviving reproduction is available through Star Crest Skydiving Awards / Crazy Skydiver Stories: www.starcrestskydivingawards.com/crazy-skydiver-stories
- 3 Cameron’s account gives Arvin as the location, Harry Hanes as pilot, approximately 20 cameras, exit at 14,600 feet, reserve transfer at about 10,000 feet, and deployment around 3,500 feet. It identifies the reserve as a 24-foot twill T-7A. See source in footnote 2.
- 4 Cameron’s account states that the FAA did not license parachutists but could potentially revoke Harry’s “license.” In context, this is strong evidence of an FAA airman or parachute-rigger certificate, although the precise certificate type is not named. See source in footnote 2.
- 5 IMDb, Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), full cast and crew / stunts: Harry Schmoll, “stunt double: Dee Dee skydiving (uncredited).” www.imdb.com/title/tt0058953/fullcredits/ ; individual credit page: www.imdb.com/name/nm14717035/
- 6 An August 2026 biographical and aerospace-career research summary records the claims that Schmoll made more than 2,000 jumps, participated in Stanley Aviation YANKEE testing, may have been the first live human extraction subject, and later remained involved with Universal Propulsion. That summary explicitly notes that a primary source naming Schmoll as the first YANKEE human test subject had not been located. These claims therefore remain secondary and unverified pending archival corroboration.
- 7 NASA CR-137976 describes the Stanley YANKEE 741 and states that the system used a tractor rocket to pull the airman from the cockpit. The documented configuration included a parachute assembly, seat back, rocket catapult, rail assembly, and personnel harness. NASA Technical Reports Server: ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19770010092/downloads/197700100…
- 8 SAFE Association historical award records list 1988 — Harry W. Schmoll under the Meritorious Service Award. SAFE describes the award as recognizing a recent outstanding contribution to survival involving courage or bravery. Historical awards page: www.safeassociation.com/SAFE%20Awards%201993%20-%202012.html
- 9 Secondary genealogical material records an entry with matching dates, born August 4, 1932 in Colorado and deceased February 27, 1999 in Fort Smith, Arkansas, with parents Louis “Wayne” Schmoll and Nancy Belle Nicholl. Because no primary birth or death certificate has yet been inspected, these family details remain provisional.
- 10 An SSDI-derived memorial record for Harry W. Schmoll gives August 4, 1932–February 27, 1999, age 66, and associates the record with ZIP code 72901 in the Fort Smith, Arkansas area. Because such records can reflect a last residence or benefit address rather than literal place of death, the geographic detail should be treated cautiously.
- 11 An unrelated Harry Robert “Bobby” Schmoll Jr., born March 26, 1936 and died December 31, 2020, had a career in Los Angeles education. His obituary illustrates the danger of conflating same-name records: www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/harry-schmoll-obi…
- 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.
- 13 NASA material describing a later application of YANKEE technology explains a rocket attached to a parachute-type harness that pulled occupants from an aircraft before recovery-parachute deployment. NASA Technical Reports Server: ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19720025366/downloads/197200253…
- 14 A NASA aerospace bibliography summarizes Stanley’s “600 knot Yankee escape system” and records operational systems in the A-1E, A-1H, and T-28, along with testing of higher-speed versions. NASA Technical Reports Server: ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19730018263/downloads/197300182…
- 15 Secondary biographical material states that Schmoll continued engineering, consulting, or development work connected with Universal Propulsion into the late 1990s. No independent personnel, patent, employment, technical-paper, or obituary evidence presently confirms his individual UPCO role.
- 16 Historical YANKEE material states that Universal Propulsion acquired some Stanley Aviation designs and that the extraction concept subsequently continued under the RANGER name. The Ejection Site, “Stanley YANKEE Extraction System”: ejectionsite.com/yankee.htm
- 17 A 1993 environmental facility assessment describes Universal Propulsion as an aerospace company designing, developing, and manufacturing military aircraft ejection seats and emergency escape/survival components, supported by scientists and engineers engaged in research and development. Arizona Department of Environmental Quality facility assessment: static.azdeq.gov/wpd/hazwaste/upco_facility_assessment_rev.pdf
- 18 Secondary biographical research notes possible Smithsonian or other institutional provenance for equipment or records associated with Schmoll but does not identify a specific accession number, object, collection, donor file, or catalog record. The claim should remain a research lead until an institutional accession record is located. —