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September 23, 2011

Strange But True!

Q. From a Cleveland reader: “If someone pushes you out of a flying airplane, off the Golden Gate Bridge, or even over Niagara Falls, is there anything you can do to save your life?”

A. Surviving a free fall from a plane is extremely rare, with just 13 confirmed or plausible incidents catalogued since the 1940s, says Dan Koeppel in Popular Mechanics online. Luck plays the major role, but there are steps you can take. Adopt a horizontal “spread eagle” posture, belly down, to maximize air drag and reduce your rate of descent. Choose a favorable landing spot and adjust arms and legs to steer for it. The best landing sites are steep slopes that gradually grow gentler, letting you slide or roll after impact. Deep snow or pine trees (with horizontal branches) might break the fall enough to save your life. Land like a parachutist, feet together, knees bent. Try to protect your head. Perhaps the most surprising lesson from stories of free-fallers is that a state of relaxation (acceptance of one's fate?) is strongly correlated with survival.


 
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