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Remember this story?

Posted: 08 Jan 2009, 20:36
by sprocky
Have you ever heard about Vesna Vulovic? She was the stewardess on a DC9 believed to survive a freefall from about 10,500meters altitude without a parachute. Now read this (english):

http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=353657

Posted: 08 Jan 2009, 22:33
by bismarck
Never heard about this, but when I was a kid (more than 30 years ago... :cry: ) I remember a TV documentary about aviation history where were interviewed a crew member of a British bomber that has been fallen from 5.000 meters and has survived.
He was a rear gunner (on the tail).He told that during a mission over Germany, his aircraft was shooted and he was blocked in his station because the fuselage was on fire.
The only solution he found,was to jump out.It was winter and he told that fell over pine tree, covered of snow.

Ciao, Giorgio

Posted: 09 Jan 2009, 06:31
by VulcanDriver
bismarck wrote:Never heard about this, but when I was a kid (more than 30 years ago... :cry: ) I remember a TV documentary about aviation history where were interviewed a crew member of a British bomber that has been fallen from 5.000 meters and has survived.
He was a rear gunner (on the tail).He told that during a mission over Germany, his aircraft was shooted and he was blocked in his station because the fuselage was on fire.
The only solution he found,was to jump out.It was winter and he told that fell over pine tree, covered of snow.

Ciao, Giorgio
Yes, that RAF guy was well known in Britain and was featured in a comic book when I was young. It was the tree that broke his fall and saved him. I think the Germans didn't believe at first!

Posted: 09 Jan 2009, 15:25
by Weescotty
VulcanDriver wrote:
bismarck wrote:Never heard about this, but when I was a kid (more than 30 years ago... :cry: ) I remember a TV documentary about aviation history where were interviewed a crew member of a British bomber that has been fallen from 5.000 meters and has survived.
He was a rear gunner (on the tail).He told that during a mission over Germany, his aircraft was shooted and he was blocked in his station because the fuselage was on fire.
The only solution he found,was to jump out.It was winter and he told that fell over pine tree, covered of snow.

Ciao, Giorgio
Yes, that RAF guy was well known in Britain and was featured in a comic book when I was young. It was the tree that broke his fall and saved him. I think the Germans didn't believe at first!
RAF guy was Nicholas Alkemade.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Alkemade

In a book call "Into The Silk" there is quite a bit of info on him -
After the war he survived a big heavy steel door falling on him and falling into a vat of acid!!!