Comments on: Chuteless Jumps

Chuteless Jumps

thisisdrew — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 11:22:42 -0800

Chuteless Jumps: Russian I.M. Chisov survived a 21,980 plunge out of a plane with no parachute. He landed on the steep side of a snow-covered mountain with only a fractured pelvis and slight concussion.

By: NickDouglas

NickDouglas — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 11:29:10 -0800

You mean a 21,980...foot...plunge?

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 11:29:41 -0800

I.M. Chisov subsequently changed his name to I.M. Lucki.

By: Ranger03

Ranger03 — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 11:34:44 -0800

Please remove this story, we have told our Canadian f-18 pilots that nobody wears chutes anymore. Do you know what they cost together with that silly ejection seat?

By: GirlFriday

GirlFriday — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 11:37:29 -0800

Guiness World Records' website has more information on Vesna Vulovic, credited as having the world's highest fall without a parachute.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 11:41:06 -0800

You mean a 21,980...foot...plunge The feet wasn't in the plunge; it was in the landing.

By: stavrogin

stavrogin — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 11:42:23 -0800

This is going to be the next popular 'extreme' sport.

By: sled

sled — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 11:43:16 -0800

These are some of the few that could have a drink with Kittinger and not feel the lesser at the table.

By: Kwantsar

Kwantsar — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 11:46:24 -0800

Let's say your jet blows apart at 35,000 feet. You exit the aircraft, and you begin to descend independently. Now what? ...Look carefully. Perhaps a shipment of folded parachutes was in the cargo hold, and the blast opened the box and scattered them. One of these just might be within reach. Grab it, put it on, and hit the silk. You're sitting pretty...When parachutists focus on a landing zone, sometimes they become so fascinated with it that they forget to pull the ripcord. Since you probably have no ripcord, "target fixation" poses no danger. Count your blessings.

By: NickDouglas

NickDouglas — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 11:49:47 -0800

Pandemonium: As said by Rincewind in a Discworld book: "I'm not afraid of heights; I'm afraid of grounds. It's the grounds that kill you."

By: wsg

wsg — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 11:51:05 -0800

Oh, that Kittinger...

By: Tubes

Tubes — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 12:01:15 -0800

This is going to be the next popular 'extreme' sport.

By: sour cream

sour cream — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 12:05:12 -0800

Let's say your jet blows apart at 35,000 feet. You exit the aircraft, and you begin to descend independently. Now what? ...Look carefully. Perhaps a shipment of folded parachutes was in the cargo hold, and the blast opened the box and scattered them. One of these just might be within reach. Grab it, put it on, and hit the silk. Alternatively, you could try the James Bond method, which is sky-surfing (use your arms!) to someone with a parachute (the pilot?), knock that person out, strip that person of his parachute, put it it on and whee! ... you're home free. Now if I could only remember the movie with that scene...

By: bDiddy

bDiddy — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 12:10:32 -0800

Moonraker!

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 12:22:14 -0800

Molecules are my friends. Molecules are my friends. Molecules are my friends. Molecules are m

By: codeofconduct

codeofconduct — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 12:23:30 -0800

Must have had a hell of a 'rug' burn. (snow burn, ice burn? /whatever)

By: Balisong

Balisong — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 12:58:35 -0800

You gotta be tough as nails to survive something like that. I'm glad that those humans are out there.

By: o2b

o2b — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 13:28:36 -0800

re: Moonraker -- Jaws survived the fall, despite ripping his ripcord out of the chute.

By: Tubes

Tubes — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 13:39:01 -0800

If Moonraker wasn't enough no-chute-jumping action for you, see Point Break. (I'll refrain from detailed spoilers.)

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 13:40:28 -0800

I thought someone would surely mention this guy by now. It was on Slashdot awhile ago. The guy plans on attempting a landing without a parachute by using a wing suit. Yeah, I don't know either.

By: graventy

graventy — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 14:22:12 -0800

Granted, all skydives did involve chutes, but it is a travesty, a TRAVESTY, to mention skydiving of any sort and not mention Cutaway. It has Dennis Rodman. 'Nuff said.

By: jaden

jaden — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 14:28:57 -0800

odinsdream: You were right, Tubes did.

By: randomstriker

randomstriker — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 14:57:51 -0800

I remember about 15 years ago I saw live TV footage of a skydiver falling to the ground when her chute failed to open. She landed in a bog of sphagnum moss and bounced twice (the first time to a height of at least 10 metres) and suffered lots of broken bones and internal injuries, but was expected to recover fully. Sphagnum moss bogs are really cool to walk on, it feels like being on a trampoline. Remind me to bail out over one next time my parachute is faulty.

By: toby\flat2

toby\flat2 — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 15:02:10 -0800

I saw that story too, odinsdream. This story linked to in the comments section was interesting. I hope I never have to rely on glass to break a fall.

By: Tubes

Tubes — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 15:23:41 -0800

it is a travesty, a TRAVESTY, to mention skydiving of any sort and not mention Cutaway. It is a travesty to mention Cutaway without mentioning "travesty." (So I guess you're covered.)

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 15:26:14 -0800

I hope I never have to rely on glass to break a fall Me too--real pane in the ass.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 15:37:53 -0800

Wow. Minor quibble: I don't think there is such a name as "Chisov," and neither does the Russian Air Force, which suggests that the correct name might be Chizhov: "? ?????? 1942 ?. ????????? ?.?.????? (Chisov - ????? ?) ????????? ?? ?????? ????????????? ??-4." (It seems odd that they don't have their own records of his feat.) On the insane-jump front: Russian test pilot says a man can jump from space without parachute.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 15:39:10 -0800

Shit. Let's try that Russian quote again: "? ?????? 1942 ?. ????????? ?.?.????? (Chisov - ????? ?) ????????? ?? ?????? ????????????? ??-4."

By: quonsar

quonsar — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 16:21:56 -0800

????????? ?? ?????? ??

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 16:50:37 -0800

No, no! Do not play with Russian interrogation.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 17:31:32 -0800

"Siberian Policeman Shoots Suspect 6 Times During Interrogation" I'm ashamed to say that headline made me laugh. I just wish it had been an Onion story. I still don't know why my Russian didn't come through; I repasted before hitting Post. Anyway, they quote the Guinness story and add "(Chisov - Chizhov ?)."

By: Cancergiggles

Cancergiggles — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 18:03:18 -0800

You missed out feet - I didn't see the "a" so the result was I thought the guy had done the same jump 21,980 times into the same snow covered mountain. It began to stretch the imagination.

By: nj_subgenius

nj_subgenius — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 18:49:07 -0800

awesome

By: exlotuseater

exlotuseater — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 20:01:56 -0800

This is mindbending. I've done jumps from 13,500' and I cannot imagine landing without a chute. I've had some hard landings with a chute. Granted, it was a lil' stiletto, but still. Amazing. *throws out reserve*

By: whatnotever

whatnotever — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 20:31:52 -0800

Funny, I was just thinking about this exact scenario today while up in a 757. I was planning on hitting water, though, which isn't well-represented in those links. I realize water isn't so soft at 120mph, and the Great Lakes might be a bit chilly right about now, but it seemed doable. Thanks for the links, thisisdrew.

By: Tubes

Tubes — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 00:56:57 -0800

whatnotever - from painful personal [beer-fueled boating stunt] experience I can vouch that water at 40mph is as about as cushy as wet concrete. You can expect it to be nearly solid at 120. Water is notoriously non-compressible. People get mooshed just jumping off mere bridges. If your 757 comes apart around you at 35,000ft and you are ejected without being shredded, I'd look for the nearest sphagnum moss bog on the steep side of a snow-covered mountain -- 'cause at terminal velocity, Lake Michigan might as well be an asphalt parking lot.

By: The God Complex

The God Complex — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 03:16:57 -0800

I saw something on T.V. once about a guy whose chute wouldn't; he was talking about how hard it is to get a landing target even if your chute is open, but he saw a small body of water and ended up hitting it. I think the water was three or four feet deep, and he ended up with two broken legs and broken ribs, but he survived. The height, however, was nowhere near 30,000 feet. I wish I could remember where I saw it because, having said it, it seems like some ridiculous atmospheric legend.

By: The God Complex

The God Complex — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 03:17:53 -0800

(wouldn't open)

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 06:00:25 -0800

I'm a bit late to this thread, but does it really matter how far you fall, as long as you're high enough to reach terminal velocity before you hit the ground/water/bog? I mean, wouldn't a fall of 30,000 feet be pretty much the same as jumping off, say, the Empire State Building?

By: Mid

Mid — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 07:22:18 -0800

Right -- I know this is totally ignorant, but isn't gravity like a constant 9.something meters per second? I realize that interacts with aerodynamics/friction, but don't you stop accelerating pretty quickly? If that's right, don't you reach terminal velocity in something like 300ft of falling or so? I got a C in physics.

By: exlotuseater

exlotuseater — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 12:36:20 -0800

Yeah, Mid, I don't know the exact formula, but from experience, you reach T.V. pretty quickly- I'd say in about 15 seconds or so you're going ~120 mph.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 18:07:48 -0800

Earth's gravity, if I recall correctly, accelerates a falling body at 9.8 m/s/s, until it reaches a terminal velocity. Wikipedia on terminal velocity :

The terminal velocity of an object falling towards the ground is the speed at which the gravitational force pulling it downwards is equal and opposite to the atmospheric drag (also called air resistance) pushing it upwards. At this speed, the object ceases to accelerate downwards and begins to fall at constant speed. For example, the terminal velocity of a skydiver in a normal free fall position with a closed parachute is about 195 km/h (120 mile/h). This speed increases to about 320 km/h (200 M/h) if the skydiver pulls in his limbs ...