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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)

#131

Post by sverhagen »

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…

So, whether it's unluck or foul play involved, are we supposed to be grateful for the survival, or grumpy about the occurrence in the first place. Then, apply logic to the deities in your life.

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

#132

Post by andrepd »

rootusrootus wrote: post #18

This 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…

The thing that throws me the most is that in 1901 we had the first powered heavier-than-air flight, a flimsy thing which flew for a few minutes; by 1915 there were thousands of aircraft routinely running all sorts of missions in the war.

But to be fair, the Wright brothers first flight might be the start of an era, but the history of aviation has at least 1 century of intense experimentation and developing leading up to that.

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

#133

Post by jacksonkmarley »

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.

I'm glad you also enjoyed the story! In that case perhaps we just have a difference in our definitions, since I would interpret 'wordy' as implying some disapproval at an excess of words.

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

#134

Post by robswc »

merely-unlikely wrote: post #126
robswc wrote: post #81

Sorta related... I just remember having my mind absolutely blown when I learned about terminal velocity. It never made sense to me as a kid how small things could fall from relatively greater heights yet humans couldn't do even a few stories.

“To the mouse and any smaller animal gravity presents practically no dangers. You can drop a mouse down a thousand-yard mine shaft; and, on arriving at the bottom it gets a slight shock and walks away, provided that the ground is fairly soft. A rat is killed, a man is broken, a horse splashes. For the resistance presented to movement by the air is proportional to the surface of the moving object. Divide an animal’s l…

Exactly! Still blows my mind to this day.

Maybe because "falling" is such a simple thing and experienced by almost all land animals... and just changing a few properties can mean the difference of life or death.

After learning about it as a kid, I thought "if I ever get in a plane crash, I just need to grab stuff to fall less fast and maybe I'll survive." (which is not realistic at all but you know, lol)

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

#135

Post by [deleted] »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #2

The whole description is wordy but astonishing. It is strange that the part that strikes me the most though is this one: "The Coast Guard amphibian gained altitude and flew off. (I learned later that he headed for a squadron of minesweepers that was returning to the United States from a tour of the Western Pacific. He was unable to tune to their radio frequency for communications. But this ingenious pilot lowered a w…

[deleted]

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

#136

Post by merely-unlikely »

It amazes the quantity of resources that will sometimes be deployed to rescue a sole man (or a handful) lost at sea. Not to say this is a bad thing; I would certainly appreciate it if I were lost at sea. But it might be questionable to a pure utilitarian.

I counted at least one plane, two ships, and a helicopter all being diverted for the rescue. That's a great deal of expense in terms of fuel, I assume hundreds of crew, and lost time in whatever they were supposed to be doing.

One might argue that the pilot himself is a valuable resource to the military (cost of training plus his experience, fighter pilots aren't cheap) but there are similar rescues of civilians every once in a while.

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

#137

Post by excite1997 »

merely-unlikely wrote: post #136

It amazes the quantity of resources that will sometimes be deployed to rescue a sole man (or a handful) lost at sea. Not to say this is a bad thing; I would certainly appreciate it if I were lost at sea. But it might be questionable to a pure utilitarian. I counted at least one plane, two ships, and a helicopter all being diverted for the rescue. That's a great deal of expense in terms of fuel, I assume hundreds of c…

> questionable to a pure utilitarian.

So is most of human existence. "Efficient allocation of all resources" isn't a common life goal...

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

#138

Post by Pasorrijer »

merely-unlikely wrote: post #136

It amazes the quantity of resources that will sometimes be deployed to rescue a sole man (or a handful) lost at sea. Not to say this is a bad thing; I would certainly appreciate it if I were lost at sea. But it might be questionable to a pure utilitarian. I counted at least one plane, two ships, and a helicopter all being diverted for the rescue. That's a great deal of expense in terms of fuel, I assume hundreds of c…

Forbes estimates a basic, entry level fighter pilot costs about $5.6m to $10m+ to train.

An experienced pilot, obviously, is even more... But that gives you an idea of the starting value of a pilot!

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

#139

Post by louison11 »

merely-unlikely wrote: post #136

It amazes the quantity of resources that will sometimes be deployed to rescue a sole man (or a handful) lost at sea. Not to say this is a bad thing; I would certainly appreciate it if I were lost at sea. But it might be questionable to a pure utilitarian. I counted at least one plane, two ships, and a helicopter all being diverted for the rescue. That's a great deal of expense in terms of fuel, I assume hundreds of c…

I’d say this is actually when you see the true purpose of a military shine: protect its people. It doesn’t matter how much it costs. This is real love and sacrifice right here. I read that and although I’m not American, I felt very patriotic. What a great attitude and effort all the people involved brought.

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

#140

Post by piyh »

Pasorrijer wrote: post #138
merely-unlikely wrote: post #136

It amazes the quantity of resources that will sometimes be deployed to rescue a sole man (or a handful) lost at sea. Not to say this is a bad thing; I would certainly appreciate it if I were lost at sea. But it might be questionable to a pure utilitarian. I counted at least one plane, two ships, and a helicopter all being diverted for the rescue. That's a great deal of expense in terms of fuel, I assume hundreds of c…

Forbes estimates a basic, entry level fighter pilot costs about $5.6m to $10m+ to train. An experienced pilot, obviously, is even more... But that gives you an idea of the starting value of a pilot!

And on the utilitarian front, the first hand knowledge of the failure.
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