I recently re-watched Peter Jackson’s version of Lord of the Rings and Denethor, Steward of Gondor, lights himself on fire, then goes running (which we all know is a bad idea; he should have remembered, “Stop, Drop & Roll”) and jumps off what appears to be a 500-foot cliff. Would the flames have gone out?
If he had jumped out of an airplane while aflame, would that have succeeded in saving his life (at least until he hit the ground)?
I would think the wind associated with falling would put out any clothing that was on fire, depending on how far you fall of course, but I don’t think it’s a very smart way to do it.
Andy Mynarski would disagree.
In the movie, Denethor pours what I assume is oil over his head (and on Faramir as well) while preparing the pyre. If his clothing is drenched in oil it will be much harder to extinguish. But in the movie it took his clothing some time to fully ignite so maybe it wasn’t oil. Then again, it’s a movie so if they want to take some time for dramatic effect they will.
Anyway, if a real person with fuel-soaked clothing was set on fire, I don’t think jumping off a 500 ft. cliff would be enough to put it out. I don’t think jumping out of a plane and reaching terminal velocity (about 120 mph) would put it out either, for that matter.
If his clothing isn’t fuel-soaked he probably won’t be fully engulfed in flames and I would think either fall would be enough to extinguish the fire.