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I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)

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Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)

#61

Post by slingnow »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #52
jacksonkmarley wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The whole description is wordy I for one really enjoyed reading this story, it was quite exciting and I never noticed anything 'wordy' about it. I thought it was very well written.

I meant it as a relatively neutral descriptor. In modern day and age, this would frequently be shared as a 20word phrase on tranquil image background on Facebook. Compared to that, this is "wordy" - which some of us will enjoy (I did too:), others will not.

If your definition of "wordy" is "anything longer than a 20 word phrase", I mean, I don't know what to say really. Your response to OP was definitely wordy then. And so is this response.

You've basically redefined the word so that it no longer has any meaning.

Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)

#62

Post by eagsalazar2 »

mewse-hn wrote: post #59

This guy survived his gas tank popping like a balloon inside his supersonic fighter jet, his eject mechanism failing, his backup eject mechanism failing, and his parachute not opening

The odds of all those failures seems impossibly high. I wonder if the exploding fuel tank and/or resulting fire is what damaged the eject mechanism?

Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)

#63

Post by bmitc »

londons_explore wrote: post #56

Airbags in cars self-test themselves every time you start the engine. They test all the sensors and electrics (including the explosive igniter). I would hope ejector seats do the same. If so, the fault must be with the mechanical part. But OP does not describe the cabin filling with dense white smoke as you'd expect from a rocket propelled ejector seat. That tells me someone made a major design mistake with the seat.…

This was in 1963, so I don't think they had such automated systems like that. Cars didn't even have airbags at the time. And how are they supposed to dig up a seat at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean?

Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)

#64

Post by the__alchemist »

> At that time no one knew why his aircraft had flamed out. We all supposed it had been some freak accident that sometimes happens with no explanation. One thing we knew for sure, it was not pilot error. This accident had to be some kind of mechanical malfunction, but what? Our squadron had a perfect safety record and was very disturbed because of the loss of an airplane the day before.

Today in peacetime if this happened, they might ground the fleet depending on the details and leadership risk climate. If it were pilot error, this would be less concerning, since the cause would be known, and not to cause future problems (other than training-related concerns like if others would make the same mistake) A rogue mechanical failure that causes a crash/bailout is very concerning!

Risk tolerance was probably higher back then.

Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)

#65

Post by londons_explore »

bmitc wrote: post #63
londons_explore wrote: post #56

Airbags in cars self-test themselves every time you start the engine. They test all the sensors and electrics (including the explosive igniter). I would hope ejector seats do the same. If so, the fault must be with the mechanical part. But OP does not describe the cabin filling with dense white smoke as you'd expect from a rocket propelled ejector seat. That tells me someone made a major design mistake with the seat.…

This was in 1963, so I don't think they had such automated systems like that. Cars didn't even have airbags at the time. And how are they supposed to dig up a seat at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean?

Apologies - I thought this was in 2009.

Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)

#66

Post by jrumbut »

a4isms wrote: post #54
genghisjahn wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://youtu.be/gv7mO41bbPg?t=74

Good call-out! That was the scene I had in mind when I mentioned sitting in a barbershop arguing about the greatest boxer who ever lived, and while I didn't want to repeat that speech word-for-word, I was most definitely thinking of the Joe Frazier Rocky Marciano line you picked out. Finally, for all three people in the world who care, I picked George Chuvalo as my reply specifically because he is famous for fighting…

Wow you two really understand each other!

I was thinking "what movie did I miss where they discussed Dicky Eklund and George Chuvalo?" I was wondering if it was from that old Showtime documentary about Dicky's darker times.

Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)

#67

Post by NikolaNovak »

slingnow wrote: post #61
NikolaNovak wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I meant it as a relatively neutral descriptor. In modern day and age, this would frequently be shared as a 20word phrase on tranquil image background on Facebook. Compared to that, this is "wordy" - which some of us will enjoy (I did too:), others will not.

If your definition of "wordy" is "anything longer than a 20 word phrase", I mean, I don't know what to say really. Your response to OP was definitely wordy then. And so is this response. You've basically redefined the word so that it no longer has any meaning.

I think your response was sarcastic but I actually fully agree - yes language changes, cultural & social norms change. Today in 2022, based on average of media creation & consumption, this article is wordy (or "long form", if we feel "wordy" is loaded with negative connotation:). It would not have been wordy in different times & places.

I like long form. I like essays and articles and geeking out and getting in depth of things. But I'm not oblivious that majority of media consumption is swiping on TikTok or Instagram or Facebook.

Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)

#68

Post by Maursault »

dxbydt wrote: post #47
michael_fine wrote: post #22

In a story of insane luck (and unluck!), the craziest part is definitely this " He said that if I had had a spleen, it almost certainly would have ruptured when I hit the water, and I would have bled to death. Of the 25 pilots in our squadron, I am the only one without a spleen. It gives me something to think about. Maybe it does you as well."

aesop #1 - king spots an ant drowning in the pond. king uses a leaf to rescue ant. courtiers admonish king for wasting his busy schedule on trivia like ants. at night the king sleeps & the snake opens his fangs to strike the king's leg. the ant bites the king's toe & king moves his leg in the nick of time. the next morning the king admonishes his courtiers - if not for the ant i wouldn't be alive. aesop #2 - man fall…

You've reminded me of the story of the Zen master and the little boy from Charlie Wilson's War.[1]

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2cjVhUrmII&t=0m38s

Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)

#69

Post by cat_plus_plus »

Not to diminish anything about the story, but he had a pilot chute and a tangled main chute while falling, lowering terminal velocity and allowing him to land feet first. The rest is up to luck, like landing in turbulent water with lowered surface tension. To be fair, there are several stories of survival even without anything to slow the fall out there.

Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)

#70

Post by AtNightWeCode »

snarg wrote: post #10
whoisjuan wrote: post #5

Still not as impressive as Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant who holds the Guinness world record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute: 10,160 m (33,330 ft; 6.31 mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovi%C4%87

I think, once you've reached terminal velocity, all fall distances are equally impressive. At that point, it's probably best to judge by outcome.

Sure, but statistically, survival rate from falls above a certain height are about the same. I think it is as low as 10 meter. A fall from that height will most likely kill you.
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