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Movie Vs. Real Life

Bruce From United States of America, joined May 1999, 5027 posts, RR: 17
Posted (13 years 10 months 3 weeks 3 days 1 hour ago) and read 555 times:

Anyone remember a movie called "Drop Zone" with Wesley Snipes & Gary Busey? In it I believe Snipes was escorting a Terrorist on a flight and the "bad guys" escaped by parachuting from the jet at 30,000 feet (or more). Is it really possible to jump from a jet that high and actually live? Just wondering...

Bruce Leibowitz - Jackson, MS (KJAN) - Canon 50D/100-400L IS lens

5 replies: All unread, jump to last

Ual1636 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 1, posted (13 years 10 months 3 weeks 3 days 1 hour ago) and read 555 times:

I dont think it is possible to survive. First of all you're too high to breathe and your body isnt as pressurized as an airplane so your body would encounter extreme pain from pressure.
ciao

David L From United Kingdom, joined May 1999, 9220 posts, RR: 42
Reply 2, posted (13 years 10 months 3 weeks 3 days ago) and read 556 times:

I'm not sure the pressure would be much of an issue, assuming we're not talking about explosive decompression, it's more the shortage of oxygen. If you were to freefall at about 120-odd mph, the reduced oxygen would only last a couple of minutes provided you weren't kept aloft all day by updraughts. As far as I know there are fairly common safety devices which open parachutes below a preset altitude (for people plummeting towards the ground thinking "I'm sure there's something else I have to do") so even if you were still a bit groggy you could get a soft landing. I don't know about leaving a fast-moving jet through a side door though.

The bottom line is that I don't really know (can you tell?). I suspect it's possible, just not recommended.

Of course, if anyone REALLY knows...

Austrian MD-80 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 3, posted (13 years 10 months 3 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 555 times:

I think it´s possible, at least I have seen a documentation about the NAVY Seals once. They do high altitude jumps in their training, but not without additional oxygen.

Flyf15 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 4, posted (13 years 10 months 3 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 555 times:

SR-71 crew are trained and able to eject at 100000ft+ and 2000mph+, but they are wearing spacesuits compareable to what astronauts wear and have specially designed parachutes, ejection seats, life support units, etc

Stlbham From United States of America, joined May 1999, 443 posts, RR: 0
Reply 5, posted (13 years 10 months 3 weeks 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 555 times:

I was at Air Disaster Database and came across a case where a flight attendant on a JAT Airlines DC-9 that was bombed by a terroist group at 33,000 feet in 1972. The flight attendant survived the free fall, with a broken legs and was paralized from the waist down. It hard to believe that a human body can survive a free fall from 33,000 feet. This has to be a record or close to it for the highest freefall and surviving.

Brian

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