BiBottomBoy Posted April 10, 2011 Posted April 10, 2011 MSNBC decided it was a good idea to explain what would happen if you got sucked out of a plane. The short answer is "you die" - but the long answer is actually sort of interesting. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42496499/ns/technology_and_science-science/ Quote
Members RA1 Posted April 10, 2011 Members Posted April 10, 2011 There is a lot of misinformation and psuedo-science mentioned in this article. Let's look at a few. 1. What would happen if you were sucked out at 30,000 feet? Peter Wagner says he guesses you would be breathing like hell and subject to very low O2 levels, loss of consciousness and death would soon follow. Rapid freezing of the skin because of the cold and wind chill. A. No dobut some of that would be true if you remained at 30,000 feet without any protective clothing or additional O2 source. Of course, gravity takes over. One does not remain at 30,000 feet. Through tests and observation, not guessing, it has been determined that the time of useful consciousness at this altitude is 1-3 minutes. That means a pilot can do something to make things better, like put on his or her O2 mask, start a descent, etc. Sorry to say that I think you will be awake or semi-conscious when you hit the ground, because after 100 seconds, you will be at about 12,000 feet, a perfectly livable altitude. I don't know if the author thinks it is soothing to think you will be unconscious soon or not. There is no doubt you are in trouble but mainly from hitting the ground at 120 MPH. What difference does it make if you have the beginnings of frostbite? What was mentioned above IS true (mostly) IF you are above 45-50,000 feet but not 30,000. Only the Concorde, among airliners, was able to consistently get to those altitudes. 2. ..."slammed into the plane". B. Yes, this is a potential risk. When UA 811 lost a good bit of the side of the forward fuselage, several passengers went out the hole, at least one went through an engine. Gruesome but quick. The others hit the ocean and likely died from trauma. Many military folks and others have jumped out of various aircraft (as well as ejected) and some have hit parts of the airplane. I know of no case where they were cut into pieces from hitting aircraft structure. Again, it is almost certain to be fatal to depart an airplane without a parachute. 3. Fortunately, incidents like these are extremely rare. C. Agreed. 4. At 30,000 feet the pressure on the outside is 2 1/2 times lower than on the inside of the plane. D. I have no idea what this means. Actually, nothing. The pressure is much lower, yes. 5. ....people sitting next to a one foot square hole in a 747 would be subject to half a ton of force... E. So what? An adult is not going out a 1 foot hole regardless. 6. ...the size of the hole puts pressure on the pilot to steer the plane downward. F. I hope not. The size of the hole is an indicator of how much damage the structure of the fuselage has sustained. The bigger the hole, the more damage. Should the pilot put more stress on the airframe by hurtling down? Modern jet aircraft can do go down very rapidly without any unusual manuevers. 7. ....slap a book over the hole, you will be a hero.... G. Maybe, but if it is a bullet hole, there may be more bullets from where that one came. The whole tone of the article seemed to me a scare story. Yes, if you depart a plane in flight without a parachute, you almost surely will die. Ditto with a head on collision at 60 MPH in your pick up truck. One reason these kinds of things are so prominently in the news IS because they are rare. The FAA, NTSB, the manufacturers and the airlines are very much against losing paying passengers in this manner. Very often they don't come back for another flight. Obviously, some of the article is good advice. Stay in your seat as much as possible and have your belt fastened at all times when in your seat. If the O2 masks drop, pull on it to start the flow of O2 and put it on. If you don't need it, it will make interesting and goofy pictures of your trip. Relax and enjoy your trip. Best regards, RA1 Quote
Guest zipperzone Posted April 10, 2011 Posted April 10, 2011 MSNBC decided it was a good idea to explain what would happen if you got sucked out of a plane. The short answer is "you die" - but the long answer is actually sort of interesting. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42496499/ns/technology_and_science-science/ How stupid of me - I thought this was all about what happens if you get sucked off IN a plane. You fly baby, you fly Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 lol... That's funny.. How stupid of me - I thought this was all about what happens if you get sucked off IN a plane. You fly baby, you fly Quote
BiBottomBoy Posted April 11, 2011 Author Posted April 11, 2011 The better question is why MSNBC wasted resources on this article at all. Because, honestly, get sucked out of a plane and you die. It's not like you can do anything about it. Quote
Members RA1 Posted April 11, 2011 Members Posted April 11, 2011 Sensationalism? Good news doesn't sell, does it? Best regards, RA1 Quote
Guest BeachBoy Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 Re this: 5. ....people sitting next to a one foot square hole in a 747 would be subject to half a ton of force... E. So what? An adult is not going out a 1 foot hole regardless. I don't know about that, human beings are malleable (and breakable). I think if there enough force/pressure, it could happen. Quote
Members RA1 Posted April 11, 2011 Members Posted April 11, 2011 Sure. I agree. But, not with this amount of force in this situation. Picture a 1 foot square hole by holding up your hands 1 foot apart; then, think of an adult human body going through that hole. Not very likely. Still, the real and whole point is IF you depart an aircraft at most any altitude without benefit of a parachute, you will die. As a kid, I remember reading about a member of the military that left an aircraft over Alaska without a parachute and survived. He had on a lot of flying gear and landed in a huge snowbank and still it was regarded as miraculous. He was beat up, battered and bruised but lived. However, don't plan on anything similar. Best regards, RA1 Quote
BiBottomBoy Posted April 12, 2011 Author Posted April 12, 2011 I fell out of a plane once and ended up on this weird island. There was a fucking polar bear and smoke chased me around. It was actually kind of fun for about four years, but the the fifth year got boring and repetitive, so I got off the island, but then had to go back even though this annoying bitch named Kate kept doing stupid shit that put us in danger. It felt like being in purgatory. Quote
Members RA1 Posted April 12, 2011 Members Posted April 12, 2011 I don't know this story line. At first, I thought you were channeling Mr. Roarke or Tattoo on Fantasy Island but soon realized it must be something else. Time marches on and waits for no man. Best regards, RA1 Quote
