Weird 1990s HTML! The document is wrapped in a and each paragraph is inside a tag for some reason.
It's a lot easier to read if you add `line-height: 1.8em` to the body tag style.
I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)
101–110 of 274 posts
Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
What is insane is that after falling in the water he was still conscious and had the presence of mind to cut the parachute chords. How do you retain all your bearings after multiple things going wrong and just not give up? Testament to his fight to live ( am sure he's unique in that respect).
Constant training, even/especially in bad weather, and constantly preparing for specific tasks like this. "Amateurs practice till they get it right; professionals practice till they can't get it wrong."
Can I steal this quote.
Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)
#103Still 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
Terminal velocity is terminal velocity, so the speed at which you fall tops out relative to altitude pretty quickly Water is basically concrete at terminal velocity. I'm not an expert, but I wouldn't be surprised if he survived because he fell into the water at the location of his plane, which was emitting bubbles that break the surface tension and make water safer to fall into
And there were waves. He could have hit in the froth of a breaking wave. Waves must have been of decent size for the amphibious airplane to not be able to land.
Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the progress is mainly limited by cost of fuel and sonic boom. But progress has been made in so many other areas. Planes are safer quieter lighter and more reliable. Some parts of computers also stopped progressing. For example keyboards haven’t changed much and neither have laser printers. ;)
Progress is limited by security clearance. The US has incredible aircraft but no incentive to 'share'.
The USAF was third in the world for supersonic flight hours in the 1990's. First was British Airways second was Air France.
Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)
#105Another interesting incident was Lt Col William Rankin who fell from a distance of 40,000 feet through a thunderstorm. Due to the updrafts, it took 40 minutes while he went up and down like a yo yo.
Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)
#106Airbags 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?
Right, the F-8 (introduced in 1955) almost certainly doesn't have a single transistor in it. Probably no vacuum tubes either due to their fragility. It's all hydraulic or electromechanical.
Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
i didn't understand something. he said impact with the plane tail will usually kill someone during a manual eject, but why? the plane and the person are going at the same speed at first?
It's why it was pretty brilliant that he skewed the plane.
"Rolled" :)
Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)
#108Reminds me of a web page I stumbled upon many years ago. It was very much visually designed in the 90s style. The whole page was dedicated to tips and tricks for surviving falls from very high distances. I only remember 3 points: * For most of the fall, try to spread out like a flying squirrel to reduce your terminal velocity. * As you get close to the ground, rotate to take the impact primarily on your feet and legs…
Didn't it also mention that a lot of survivors hit some type of slope?
Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)
#109This happened in 1963. Planes had only been flying for 60 years at that point; it really is pretty amazing how quickly we progressed on technology during those early years. We still fly 737s, which are descended from a design that first flew in 1967. As well as the C130, which was part of this story. And don't get me started on B-52s, which are even older. We have made great strides since then, of course, but it does…
And microcomputers are not yet 60 years old...
Re: I Fell 15,000 Feet and Lived (2009)
#110Did the parachute not simply open before he landed in the water? He can't remember that part, and he only woke up after the parachute was under water and yanking on him.
Either way, refreshing to see a well written piece.