# Dr. Strangelove: What happened to the other guys on Mjr. Kong's plane? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 13, 2003, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-strangelove-what-happened-to-the-other-guys-on-mjr-kongs-plane/154796 "2003-02-13T11:00:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-strangelove-what-happened-to-the-other-guys-on-mjr-kongs-plane/154796/41 "2016-10-19T23:24:24Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > On review of the scene, the bomber isn’t _nearly_ at 50,000 feet To clarify, the comment I was responding to wasn’t really asking about Dr. Strangelove, but about how bombers _ever_ survived the nuclear bombs they were dropping, especially when those bombs have such widespread devastation. And nuclear bombers _can_ fly at 50k feet. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-strangelove-what-happened-to-the-other-guys-on-mjr-kongs-plane/154796/42 "2016-10-19T23:46:41Z")
I’ve seen that movie dozens of time and never imagined a scenario where they didn’t die in the blast. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-strangelove-what-happened-to-the-other-guys-on-mjr-kongs-plane/154796/43 "2016-10-20T00:14:46Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > And nuclear bombers _can_ fly at 50k feet. I believe that the B-58 was high altitude, but would fly attacks low altitude to avoid RADAR after Russian missile development could shoot it down at altitude. At any rate, it was no longer used. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-strangelove-what-happened-to-the-other-guys-on-mjr-kongs-plane/154796/44 "2016-10-20T01:12:14Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Oh, well… what bugged me more was that the primary and secondary targets were an “IBCM complex at Laputa” and a “missile complex seven miles east of Barshaw.” These sound like pre-emptive strike targets to me, not at all consistent with the description of the “retaliatory” Plan R. I’d think a retaliation would be directed at major cities and industrial centers, with the presumption being that the Soviets have already struck first and disabled the U.S., thus their missile complexes might be empty, having done their job already. Hmm, I never thought of that. Interesting point. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-strangelove-what-happened-to-the-other-guys-on-mjr-kongs-plane/154796/45 "2016-10-20T02:17:06Z")
They crash, either from the blast or because, as Kong put it, “Well boys, we got three engines out, we got more holes in us than a horse trader’s mule, the radio is gone and we’re leaking fuel and if we was flying any lower why we’d need sleigh bells on this thing. But we got one little budge on those Russkies. At this height why they might harpoon us, but they dang sure ain’t gonna spot us on no radar screen!” ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-strangelove-what-happened-to-the-other-guys-on-mjr-kongs-plane/154796/46 "2016-10-20T02:58:24Z")
I presume the missile that damaged the bomber used a tactical nuclear warhead; did the crew receive a fatal radiation dose? If so it would explain why Major Kong didn’t care about falling out of the plane with the bomb. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-strangelove-what-happened-to-the-other-guys-on-mjr-kongs-plane/154796/47 "2016-10-20T03:04:42Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > I presume the missile that damaged the bomber used a tactical nuclear warhead; did the crew receive a fatal radiation dose? If so it would explain why Major Kong didn’t care about falling out of the plane with the bomb. You guys are straining more and more into “Fail safe” territory. Kong didn’t care cause the script says KONG: “Yeeeeeehawwwwww” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-strangelove-what-happened-to-the-other-guys-on-mjr-kongs-plane/154796.md?page=2)