Monday 21 November 2016

classical mechanics - Is it possible to sky dive without a parachute and land safely?


Let's assume an averaged sized man (1.8 meters height 80 kg) who's sky-diving from a 5000 m height.



Let's also assume he's using tight clothes and no parachute.


The idea is:


Is it possible for him to survive the fall if he tries to get the maximum velocity he can get by free falling and later, by positioning his body horizontally in a way that resembles a wing shape, get enough upwards impulsion so he can land safely?


EDIT: I was not looking for surviving stories that happened by chance. I was looking for the possibility of a technique that would allow someone (trained) to land safely multiple times, not saying without a scratch but at least without broken bones, and without a special impact area.



Answer



So you are asking if the aerodynamic lift can ever exceed the weight and thus slowing the fall. I think the flow around human body is going to stall at the angle of attack needed to get there. Basically the weight to surface area (Wing Load) is too high for controlled flight. This is the reason a wing suit is needed. It increases the surface area, lowering the above ratio and allowing steady flight at an angle of attack which sustains the flow and does not cause a stall condition.


You want the stall speed to be low enough for safe landing, and in our case the stall speed is approxiamtely equal to the free fall speed.


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