Aviation History > Miscellaneous Aviation History
Spitfire crash 11th October 1940
Cosmo Smallpiece:
I can't help with what point may have been missed? I can try to clarify my maths....
A 20 minute parachute descent is one third of an hour. Covering a 36 mile horizontal distance in that time then multiply by three for the full hour equals 108 mph average speed.
108mph is an interesting speed as it's about terminal velocity for a person falling to earth in a belly flop position, without a parachute. It's also the average speed of a modern wingsuit. The world record distance travelled in optimum conditions with a modern wingsuit is under 19 miles.
https://wnyskydiving.com/blog/wingsuit-speed-how-fast-can-you-go-in-a-wingsuit/#:~:text=The%20average%20wingsuit%20speed%20is,speed%20takes%20practice%20and%20precision.
de Mol:
@grandarog"Incidently I wish folks would read through the previous posts before posting."
Could you be a bit more precise please ;)
@Local Hiker.Thank you for your help!
Martin.
Local Hiker:
To recover normal formatting if text is too big or too small, as in recent posts,
use the "Remove Formatting" button before posting,
grandarog:
He would be falling Diagonally from 22000ft so quite feasable to drift 36 miles with a following wind.
My maths is not good enough to work out 108mph speed.
Its far more likely he landed near Sittingbourne as he stated in his letter to the Irwin Parachute Company ,than his heavy free falling burning aircraft, landing near Milton from above Deal.
Incidently I wish folks would read through the previous posts before posting.
Cosmo Smallpiece:
If he actually bailed out over Deal and landed by parachute 36 miles away in Milton Regis 20 minutes later, then he achieved a fairly remarkable 108 mph drift horizontally in the wind!
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