Today Buffalo and Western New York are becoming known as a center for startups and innovation. This is nothing new. In the early 1900s, the area was an “incubator of aviation innovation.” The Irving Air Chutes Co., Inc., located on Florida Street in Buffalo, developed and manufactured all the parachutes used by U.S. and British forces in WWII, including at the invasion of Normandy and at Arnhem’s “A Bridge Too Far”. Irving used Dupont nylon from Tonawanda to make the chutes since Japanese silk was not available. The company also developed the sheepskin bomber jackets worn by U. S. and British airmen. See WGRZ’s Pete Gallivan’s story from this morning.
