newsweek.com — It's a modern-day miracle. An Ecuadoran native who fell 500 feet from the upper reaches of a New York City skyscraper--and survived. By the time Moreno hit the alley behind the black-glass luxury apartment building, he was traveling upward of 124mph. Only about half of the people who fall off a four-story building make it. So how is he alive?
Jan 13, 2008 View in Crawl 4
chrismgtisJan 15, 2008
There is absolutely no real difference between falling a thousand feet and 30,000 feet. I'm a skydiver. The physics prove it and my experience proves it. Yes, you fall faster at higher altitudes due to thinner air, but as you near the ground that no longer applies so it doesn't matter how high you started. If you are able to reach terminal velocity from 500 ft (not sure if it is possible) it is absolutely no different than 30,000 feet or even over 100,000 feet (which HAS been done).
chrismgtisJan 15, 2008
Um, guys, if he was falling as fast as he could with a plank attached to his body, that speed IS his terminal velocity. I'm a skydiver. His terminal velocity when falling alone is not his terminal velocity when other objects are attached to his body causing extra resistance.Some of you guys are so dense sometimes. Terminal velocity is NOT, I repeat NOT a SET speed for anyone or anything. Terminal velocity is not even a set speed for a naked person falling from the sky. Terminal velocity changes depending on your body position. Whether you are arched, de-arched, tumbling like a rock, etc.
envarkJan 15, 2008
Mysterious ways, my friend. Mysterious ways.
chrismgtisJan 15, 2008
He also may have reached his terminal velocity-with plank while falling with the plank. That is until his body position changed, which never stops happening. His bodies terminal velocity would have for sure been faster without the plank. Personally the best way I can think of to fall without a parachute is belly-to-earth and de-arched as hard as possible with arms and legs extended to slow myself down. That's up to debated I guess, but that's the best way I know possible to slow a body down in free fall. Obviously, falling head down or sitting is much much faster. I would rather hit the ground at 90mph rather than 120-140.When falling your body is always moving. It doesn't even matter how good you are. You can be a world champion skydiver and your position in the air is still constantly changing, therefore your terminal velocity will never ever be a fixed speed. I know for a fact from experience that the smallest movements in arm, leg, head and other body parts make drastic changes in a persons movement in the air and speed. If you ever watch a free fall formation or someone good in a tunnel, it's hard as hell to really see the small changes they make with their body to move specific ways. I have tunnel experience also so I've see it first hand in more than one way.
davodavoFeb 4, 2008
YES. Win!
pearprincessDec 10, 2008
Well, actually, he was only 47 feet off the ground when he fell. and he wasn't traveling 124mph. he was holding onto his scaffolding for crying out loud! no way that with all the wind resistance it would be traveling that fast.
makemovesJun 19, 2009
That's because it was a luxury apartment building. One time i fell off a luxury apartment building thats on this site - <a class="user" href="http://upscaleboston.com/apartments">http://upscaleboston.com/apartments</a> and I survived.