# Concerning parachutes and tall buildings

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-parachutes-and-tall-buildings/127772>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 10, 2002, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-parachutes-and-tall-buildings/127772 "2002-09-10T05:33:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-parachutes-and-tall-buildings/127772/1 "2002-09-10T05:33:37Z")

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Let’s say I were one of those unfortunate people who were at the top of the World Trade Center on 9-11.

Let us further suppose that I was trapped above where the plane crashed and was unable to get down by any other means.

If I had a parachute, would I have been able to jump off the top story and live?

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**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-parachutes-and-tall-buildings/127772/2 "2002-09-10T12:40:20Z")

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Yes, but you would have to deploy the chute by hand as you jumped.

It’s actually

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**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-parachutes-and-tall-buildings/127772/3 "2002-09-10T12:43:20Z")

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Oops…

It’s actually a short distance, and the chute could not be packed up, but held in hand as you jumped (of course the pack is strapped to you)…and the chute would be tossed away from your body as you jumped.

Given winds and other factors, it’s no guarantee, but it’s worth a shot that you could find a a way to jump out far enough, especially if you had any way of choosing the jump spot.

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**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-parachutes-and-tall-buildings/127772/4 "2002-09-10T13:32:19Z")

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How about a bungee cord you could tie to the window?  
Then other people could use it.

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**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-parachutes-and-tall-buildings/127772/5 "2002-09-10T14:38:04Z")

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The bungee cord would have to be tethered out away from the building on some tyoe of boom. Otherwise wouldn’t you just slam into the wall of the building? You would jump out the window and away from the building, creating an arc that would bring you right back into the side on the bottom. On a boom, you could go straight down (reasonably so).