… and was flown from, say, New York to Chicago, would he survive the trip?
I used to drive Mom nuts with questions like this. Here’s one of 'em.
At 900 km/h, and at an altitude of, say, 8 kilometers?
(These figures seem accurate for a NY - Chicago flight)
NO.
I depends.
If he’s strapped to a transport jet flying at 34,000 feet, with no protection from the cold and without supplemental oxygen, I’d say he’d perish. But there was a case a guy from somewhere in the South Pacific (I don’t remember where) several months ago who stowed away in a wheel well. He nearly froze to death, and was deprived of sufficient oxygen for several hours, but he survived.
But let’s say you’re strapped to the top of a Cessna flying at 4,500 feet during the summer. Sure. You’d survive. But would you want to? It would be a rough, noisy, uncomfortable ride.
Aircraft are generally designed to carry stuff inside. But I’ve seen a Piper J-3 “Cub” with camping gear strapped to the wing struts, and I’ve seen photos a rowboat strapped to the bottom of a Cessna (I don’t remember the model) in flight. In the Cessna’s case, the stern was forward. That would cause a lot of drag, but the article said that there were some stability problems when the bow was forward.
While you are evidently a clever young person I would venture to say “Mom” was driven to distraction by your refusal to apply any common sense to your question asking methodology vs your naturally inquisitive mind.
Think about it. Now think again.
Depends on how fast and how high. Higher is colder with less oxygen. Faster would be colder yet. Air friction effects will not “warm” you up to any useful extent. You would (usually) die from hypothermia and lack of oxygen on a typical passenger jet trip.
You might survive such a trip (exposed on the wing) with a slow plane at a low altitude on a warm summer day.
Stunt performers in air shows do this all the time on smaller, low-flying planes.
You mean they regularly fly from New York to Chicago tied to the wings as a stunt? Wow.
I used this once in the Why no parachutes on Airplanes thread, but it bears reposting.
Have a look at this. Have fun with it. The guy would be COLD and OUT OF BREATH at a minimum. And, I know that there is a point where wind chill ceases to become a factor, and that it’s relatively not that far out.
I wonder, would the airblast provide enough oxygen for him to survive by absorption? It’s a weird question for sure, but hey, let’s fight the ignorance.
What are you saying, Cynical?
Just opening your piehole, and letting it all flow in at 900 km/h?
Yeah, I think that would cover the thin air problem. But it might also give a few new problems, such as the aerodynamic instability of an open mouth at speeds approaching Mach I 
In short: the human body functions differently from a jet engine.
I’m sure that if he did survive, he would have the granddaddy of all flatus later on. 
But no, what I was considering was more tame, to be sure. I once either read, or heard on a television show that someone skydiving from extreme altitude could go for a long period of time without having to breathe, since the oxygen necessary to survive would simply be absorbed through the skin with the wind and the falling (Oy, Layven!). In fact, I just found a reference online.
From the Rec.Skydiving FAQ sheet:
Is this TRUE?
I was just on some flights where the tv screens showed outside air temperature at around -50 or -60 Fahrenheit, at 35,000 feet altitude. That’s more than just “slightly chilly.”
Indeed, CK.
That simulator I posted earlier in this thread says that at 34,800 feet above sea level, expect temperatures in the area of -64 F. You may also expect a air pressure of about 3.5 PSI, versus the 13-15 or so that we’re more accustomed to.
When I flew to Germany, I thought it was a neat little thing that Lufthansa had - a display that showed the planes position over a map, along with altitude and outside temperature. We were at 35000 ft for most of the trip, and it stayed at -70F.
I was wondering - if this guy is strapped to a wing, would he be seen from inside the plane by a young William Shatner?
[sup]As seen in The Twilight Zone if, anyone is wondering…[/sup]
Dire Wolf, many airliners have that gadget. Singapore Airlines comes to mind. You’re right, it’s supercool.
Cynical:
Enough oxygen through the pores in freefall? I doubt that.
A normal freefall by a normal parachutist means a terminal velocity of about 200 km/h. This is fast, but not fast enough to make it unable to breathe.
I’ve stuck my head out of a car window at 200 km/h (as a passenger, of course). Sure, the winds are enormous, and opening your mouth is not advisable when you face the driving direction. However, when I looked down, pointing the top of my head in the driving direction rather than my face, I was able to breathe just fine. So I’m guessing a skydiver can easily breathe through his nose or mouth, maybe aided by moving his head so the air flow doesn’t bother him too much.
But he will require air by means of normal respiration.
I’ve heard this before, too, and I believe it is bogus. Our skin is dead and essentially airtight. Osmosis of gases through the skin is simply not possible to any significant degree. The alveoli in our lungs have many specialized structures to facillitate gas exchange with the blood. And even with these structures our lungs require a surface area much larger than the surface of the skin in order to supply the body with enough oxygen.
Besides isn’t most of a skydiver’s skin covered with a jumpsuit, gloves, boots, and a helmet?
Here’s Cecil on whether you can breath through your skin:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_221b.html
Arjuna34
Sure it’d be cold, but the op didn’t require he do it naked!
I saw a photo of of a ‘wing walker’ tied, standing on a jumbo jet ,as a stunt, and he made it just fine.
I’m guessing it’s the duration that would get you.
Mine did, but I liked my GPS better - it showed what streets we were passing over, and other features. And yes, on two flights they said I could use it after take-off.
And it was under -50 for most of my trip to and from Europe.
Dad and I were flying a Cessna 172 up to Oregon one winter. We had a young passenger who had chili for breakfast. We were at about 10,000 feet or so when the air became unbreathable. Even though the thermometer said the OAT was -10ºF, I pulled out the “soup can” vent (it looks like a can with the side cut out and takes air from a hole in the leading edge of the wing root and routes it a few inches directly into the cockpit) and aimed the flow right at my face. The passenger continued to sleep peacefully.