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DF Archive - Jalbert Collection |
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| Jalbert Collection listing MS Excel file Click here to see more photos of Jalbert One of the most important collections held by the Drachen Foundation is an archive of Domina Jalbert documents. Jalbert, of Boca Raton, Florida, was the inventor of the Parafoil, a soft or sparless kite inflated by the wind. Because of its shape, the kite is known as the "sky mattress." It is widely considered to be the most stable, efficient lifting platform ever invented. Untethered, the Parafoil adapts into a steerable parachute. The gift was made by Hugh Tucker, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a friend and confidant of Jalbert in the last years of his life. Jalbert died in 1991, at age 87. The archive consists of five boxes of documents, ranging from patents, technical and personal papers, and business correspondence to scrapbooks, magazine and newspaper articles, photographs, films, and sound recordings. It is apparently the total surviving archive of the inventor, apart from some mementos retained by Tucker and the original Parafoil presented to the Smithsonian Institution in 1964. A large part of the massive Jalbert holding was destroyed at a disastrous fire at his laboratory in 1967 and subsequently materials were dispersed by the inventor himself, and, following his death, by his wife and son, now both deceased. The material Tucker obtained was a gift from Jalbert's estate in recognition of his friendship with Jalbert. Scott Skinner, of Monument, Colorado, president of the Drachen Foundation, comments: "This unique archive provides basic source material for the extensive aeronautical research now being conducted by researchers on Dom Jalbert's life and important career. Jalbert's inventions are almost certain to grow in importance in the new century upon us. By making the archive available to the public, Drachen is highlighting his innovative thinking and fostering his reputation. The foundation remains deeply gratefully to 'Stretch' Tucker for making the archive available worldwide." Seventeen of 21 children of French-Canadian parents, Jalbert was forced to drop out of school at age 12 and earn a living. This lack of schooling was seen by Hugh Tucker to be the key to Jalbert's career. "His mind was not restricted by the limits imposed by a formal education. It flew off on any tangent. It was as open as the sky. This was the basis of his genius." Attracted to flight from his boyhood, Jalbert became a pilot in the 1920s and in the '30s found employment with the U.S. Rubber Co. in Naugatuck, Connecticut, where he learned to fabricate barrage balloons, working his way up to the job of chief rigger. Working in his kitchen at home, Jalbert invented what he called the Kytoon---a self-stabilizing combination kite and barrage balloon---designed as a defense against low flying aircraft during World War II. Independent minded, Jalbert set up his own business after the war and moved to Boca Raton where it flourished. His invention of the Parafoil was inspired by his interest in parachutes. One day it occurred to him to make an aircraft wing out of fabric, but without spars, and to use the wind to inflate it. He measured the wing of his own Beechcraft airplane, had a woman employee sew the kite, added keels to the bottom for stability, and flew it successfully on the first attempt. "The thing shot into the air when he tested it," says Tucker. "He knew he had something good." From this soft kite, using the so-called "ram air " principle of inflation, evolved parachutes so controllable the 'chutist can land in a small circle, as well as kites in the shape of human legs, pigs, turtles, and other aerial devices. The implications of the invention for freight-carrying in outer space remain to be worked out, but may prove vital in this century as fossil fuels become scarcer. The Domina C. Jalbert Archive has been catalogued by Drachen, with materials conserved as needed. It is open to research, by appointment.
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