# If you HAD to jump out of a skyscraper would you look up or down? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 11, 2024, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142 "2024-09-11T23:53:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/21 "2024-09-12T09:48:01Z")
> [@dougrb](#): > > …you may not be able to control which way you’re looking. If you go for-real skydiving, there’s a long learning curve before you’re allowed to freefall unescorted. I found out why during a lovely visit to an indoor skydiving venue some years ago. If you haven’t seen one of these, there are plenty of videos on YouTube: a gigantic blower pushes air up through a course mesh floor with enough speed to keep you afloat. You’re falling through the air on your belly at ~120 MPH, but the air is moving upward at the same speed, so you pretty much hover in place. That is, if you know what you’re doing. But most folks don’t. It takes a long time to figure out what to do in order to remain stable. This setup enables an instructor to stand next to you and put a hand out to stabilize you if you start to get out of control. Most folks in our group just could not achieve any degree of consistent control, even after a few minutes of practice like this. So if you jump from high enough building so that you achieve significant airspeed before splatting, it’s likely you won’t have good attitude control in the final portion of your descent. If you are 20 stories up, you’ll only get to maybe 70 MPH before impact 3.5 seconds later; at that speed, the slipstream is only beginning to exert meaningful influence on your orientation, so if you’re a talented high-diver, your initial jump may provide you with the final orientation you want. OTOH, the original WTC towers were around 1300 feet tall. Jumping from that height, you’ll be pretty much at full speed well before impact, so you aren’t trained for it, you’re probably going to be tumbling. For myself, if I had control, I’d be looking face down. If I’ve jumped, then I’ve accepted that death is going to be the outcome, and if it’s high enough, there won’t be any pain. So I’ll take in a viewing experience that I’ve never had before, one most people will never have: that of a solid surface coming towards me at 120 MPH, all the way to impact. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/22 "2024-09-12T13:38:03Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Looking down isn’t going to make the giant bouncy house appear or disappear, but looking up may give me a chance to grab a random parachute accidentally tossed out a window. > Fate favors the ridiculously optimistic. 😄 A parachute (even packed) is going to have a slower terminal velocity than you. Your only hope of catching it is if it’s below you. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/23 "2024-09-12T13:54:24Z")
Falling backwards makes me seasick, that is the last thing I would want in this situation. It will be messy enough facing forward/downward, no need to make it worse. I wonder whether I would be able to hum something cool on the way down, something like: So if you meet me Have some courtesy 🎶 Have some sympathy, and some taste Use all your well-learned politesse Or I’ll lay your soul to waste 🎵 Probably not, being realistic. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/24 "2024-09-12T14:26:32Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I have jumped out of a skyscraper, and I was looking down. You, sir, have balls. I came close to doing something similar but then they ran out of tickets for the day. Out loud I was damning them for not allowing me some fun, but internally I was thanking baby jesus. It must be tempting for the person assisting you up there to shout, “NO, WAIT!!” just as you step off. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/25 "2024-09-12T14:35:55Z")
> [@](#): > > And wow! Hey! What’s this thing suddenly coming towards me very fast? Very very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide sounding name like … ow … ound … round … ground! That’s it! That’s a good name – ground! > > I wonder if it will be friends with me? ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/26 "2024-09-12T14:44:28Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > It must be tempting for the person assisting you up there to shout, “NO, WAIT!!” just as you step off. “Did I tie that right?” - Drill Instructor right as a recruit leaned back for rappelling. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/27 "2024-09-12T14:45:33Z")
Somehow, I relate more to the bowl of petunias. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/28 "2024-09-12T14:57:15Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > A parachute (even packed) is going to have a slower terminal velocity than you. Your only hope of catching it is if it’s below you. You may be able to catch it, but you won’t have time to do anything with it. Jump from the top of the Burj Khalifa, and you’ve got about 16 seconds before impact. BASE-jumping parachutes need a few seconds to open up; even if you grab a parachute just as you leap, you’re not going to be able to get it on in ten seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/29 "2024-09-12T14:59:39Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > WTC towers were around 1300 feet tall. Jumping from that height, you’ll be pretty much at full speed well before impact, so you aren’t trained for it, you’re probably going to be tumbling. The (in)famous Falling Man looks serene and calm in the photo, but that was a second in time. He was tumbling the whole way down. > **[The Falling Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Falling_Man)** > > The Falling Man is a photograph taken by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew of a man falling from the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks in New York City. The unidentified man in the image was trapped on the upper floors of the North Tower, and it is unclear whether he fell while searching for safety or he jumped to escape the fire and smoke. The photograph was taken at 9:41:15 A.M. > The photograph was widely criticized after publication in international media on Septem... ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/30 "2024-09-12T21:00:46Z")
How can you tell he looks serene and calm? The photos aren’t detailed enough, at the distance they were taken. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/31 "2024-09-12T21:09:29Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > How can you tell he looks serene and calm? Well, because, he’s not flailing in panic. What do you want? Like I said, it’s a moment in time. I was using it as an example that it isn’t easy (or possible) to hold a fixed attitude falling from a building. Which address the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/32 "2024-09-12T21:12:00Z")
People do freeze in panic, you know. So, I think a facial expression would be needed to rule someone serene and calm. (And even that wouldn’t be a certainty, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/33 "2024-09-12T21:16:17Z")
Wow, great courage. I’d gone skydiving but that’s a lot less scary than jumping from a skyscraper where you have a clear sense of your height in relation to the ground. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/34 "2024-09-12T21:19:03Z")
Oh, just as an aside, I’m impressed with the ocular fortitude of those who said they’d be looking ahead to the ground, since I suspect that a few moments into the fall the wind stream hitting the eyes would be almost unbearable. Granted, jumping from most skyscrapers isn’t going to give you a LOT of said moments, but why get one more aggravation to add to your soon-to-be-reached death? I mean, if you’re a card-carrying Christian or such, do you really want to get to the Pearly Gates and find out you missed admission by a whisker due to taking of the Lord’s name in vain after bitching about your Goddamn dry eyes? 😜 ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/35 "2024-09-12T21:22:16Z")
I did that, too! You went right away? It took three times to get me to let go of the railings. [50th birthday jump](https://youtu.be/7rWsKPmC50M?si=OZOEdxUQ706S2xps) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/36 "2024-09-13T05:22:42Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > I did that, too! You went right away? It took three times to get me to let go of the railings. I was definitely white-knuckling the railings while they were strapping me in and my instinct when they told me to let go and step up to the ledge was “No way, that’s dangerous”. I wasn’t going to chicken out after I’d paid a non-refundable fee to do the jump and there were people watching me, so I just sorta pretended I was in the military and made myself do what the lady told me. My high-pitched screams during the fall were not exaggerated. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/37 "2024-09-13T05:43:49Z")
I’m impressed you were able to talk while freefalling like that. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/38 "2024-09-13T06:10:47Z")
OK, maybe the “OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDD” was for the sake of the camera. 🙂 And it’s not actually freefall speed - the tether controls the rate of your fall and I think you actually only descend at something like half the speed you would in a true freefall. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/39 "2024-09-13T13:42:13Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Flawed hypothetical, IMO. Sadly, it wasn’t for some 23 years ago. @Smapti, @Reeses_Monkey, you’re both obviously wearing something from them. Is it a full jumpsuit or just a top, & why did you have to wear that/what was it’s purpose? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142/40 "2024-09-13T14:07:11Z")
To answer the OP, I’m pretty sure I’d be looking at my phone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-jump-out-of-a-skyscraper-would-you-look-up-or-down/1007142.md?page=3)