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musiclover420
psychonaut



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Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. 1
#23788595 - 10/31/16 01:22 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/dead-luck-ewas-flight-of-fury/2007/02/16/1171405421626.html
Quote:
A German paraglider survived lightning, pounding hail, minus 40-degree temperatures and oxygen deprivation after a storm system sucked her to an altitude higher than Mount Everest.
Ewa Wisnierska, 35, passed out due to a lack of oxygen and flew unconscious for up to an hour covered in ice after reaching an altitude of 9947 metres - near the cruising height of a jumbo jet.
The champion sportswoman's survival was like "winning Lotto 10 times in a row", Australia's most experienced paraglider says.
Wisnierska says experience told her she had no chance of survival, but a doctor told her that blacking out had saved her.
"It was because that I got unsconscious because then the heart slows down all the functions - it saved my life," she told ABC radio.
Froze to death
A Chinese man who flew into the same storm near Manilla in northern NSW on Wednesday did not share Ms Wisnierska's luck.
He Zhongpin, 42, was found 75 kilometres away from his launch site, and most likely suffocated or froze to death after being sucked into the storm, hang gliding experts say.
Ms Wisnierska's top speed of ascent was clocked at 20 metres per second and her descent at 33 metres per second by an on-board tracking system, she told ABC radio.
She described the violence of the storm system as "amazing".
''You can't imagine the power - you feel like nothing, like a leaf from a tree going up,'' she told the ABC.
"I was shaking all the time - the last thing I remember it was dark, I could hear lightning all around me.
"I knew I was in the middle of the thunderstorm and I could not do anything.
I knew the chances to survive are almost zero
"From the theory, I knew the chances to survive are almost zero, I knew I can only have luck, I can't do anything - and I got it."
Wisnierska had been training for the upcoming Paragliding World Championships when she was sucked into the violent storm.
She regained consciousness in mid-air up to an hour later.
"I wanted to fly around the clouds but I got sucked 20 metres per second up into it and started to spiral," she told smh.com.au.
"After 40 minutes or an hour, I woke up and I was 6900 metres.
"I was still flying but I realised I didn't have the brakes in my hand.
"I saw my hands and the gloves were frozen, and I didn't have the brakes, and the glider was still flying on its own.
"I was thinking I can't do anything so I only have to wait and hope that the clouds were bringing me out somewhere.
And then I woke up
"And then I woke up and was thinking I was maybe unconscious for one minute.
"I didn't know I was unconscious for so long."
Godfrey Wenness, the president of the Manilla Sky Sailors club and organiser of the upcoming Paragliding World Championship, said Wisnierska's tale of survival was mind-blowing.
"It's like winning Lotto 10 times in a row," he said, noting that the previous altitude survival record for a paraglider was 24,000 feet.
"[Wisnierska] flew underneath a storm cloud and got sucked up to 30,000 feet. She was unconscious for about half an hour. She regained consciousness at 20,000 feet and then flew down and landed safely.
"She was covered in ice. She suffered from severe frostbite. The temperature at that altitude was about minus 50 degrees. It's higher than Mount Everest."
Mr Wenness said her injuries were severe.
Her ears nearly got frozen off
"She's got bruises all over her body from the hail stones and she's recovering from frostbite to her extremities. She's got bandages over her head because her ears nearly got frozen off."
"She just remembers going up, lightning around her in the cloud and she doesn't remember anything until coming to again."
He said the size of the hail stones was up to 15 centimetres in diameter.
"Apples, oranges, up to rockmelon size. And her glider kept flying perfectly which is the amazing thing in this whole thing.
"Basically she can't believe that she's alive.'
Sergeant Scott Tanner of Manilla police said Wisnierska landed between Barraba and Niagra, 60 kilometres away from her launch site.
"She was treated in hospital and discharged with frostbite injuries to her face," he said.
A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said the temperature in the storm at 9,000 metres would have been lower than minus-40 degrees.
Body found 25 kilometres from Bingara
The body of Mr He was found by the Westpac Rescue helicopter 25 kilometres south-east of Bingara in northern NSW about 2pm yesterday.
He, a member of the Chinese national paragliding team, was in training for the Paragliding World Championships, which start next week in nearby Manilla.
The paraglider, who had 10 years' experience in the sport, was last seen about 3pm on Wednesday as thunderstorms were moving into the area.
Hang Gliding Federation of Australia general manager Chris Fogg said Mr He was probably sucked into the cumulonimbus storm system and propelled to high altitude.
"We assume he was taken to an altitude where he may have suffocated and may have become radically chilled," he said.
"At the top of thunderstorms is typically where hail forms and there's lots of agitation and turbulence.
Below zero
"I understand he was above 9000 metres so that's below zero [degrees].
"This system one sounds as if it was pretty strong - he could have been taken up at 1200 feet a minute and beyond. "Most pilots will try to get down to the ground before they get close to something like that."
The glider piloted by Mr He would have continued flying even if he had been unconscious, Mr Fogg said.
Mr Wenness yesterday said the paragliders were among 200 people taking part in a routine training flight.
"The other flyers in the area had given the stormclouds a "wide berth", he said.
"Maybe he was trying to thread the needle between two cells, but we don't know," he said.
Mr Wenness said more would be known after data retrieved from the GPS instruments carried by the man had been used to map out his exact flight path.
Storm cell building
Mr Wenness said the storm cell had been building since the early morning, and all paragliders had been briefed about the danger before beginning their training flights.
"You do not fly anywhere near them - not even 747s fly through storm cells," he said.
Mr Wenness said if the paraglider had deliberately steered into the storm cell, it was not just a risk but a decision that was "99.9 per cent" likely to lead to his death.
The Paragliding World Championships begin in Manilla on February 24. It is the first time the event has been held in an English-speaking country.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
Edited by musiclover420 (10/31/16 01:35 PM)
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zZZz
jesus


Registered: 12/28/07
Posts: 33,478
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: musiclover420]
#23788702 - 10/31/16 02:07 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Real life dorthy
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
Posts: 19,563
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: zZZz]
#23788710 - 10/31/16 02:09 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
zZZz said: Real life dorthy
Dorthy ain't got shit on this lady 
She should go out and buy some lottery tickets becouse she has to be one of the luckiest people alive...
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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concretelush
shadow cast light mass



Registered: 08/22/16
Posts: 251
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: musiclover420]
#23788762 - 10/31/16 02:24 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Wow, what a story man! Could you imagine if she had a go pro or something. That would be wicked!
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
Posts: 19,563
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: concretelush]
#23788796 - 10/31/16 02:33 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
concretelush said: Wow, what a story man! Could you imagine if she had a go pro or something. That would be wicked!
I wonder if a go pro could even survive such conditions, I am amazed her glider made it even
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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vandago



Registered: 07/07/04
Posts: 20,917
Loc: .
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: musiclover420]
#23788903 - 10/31/16 03:07 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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With protective case gopro's are pretty friggin durable.
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concretelush
shadow cast light mass



Registered: 08/22/16
Posts: 251
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: vandago]
#23788924 - 10/31/16 03:15 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Durability of the equipment aside, that footage, if its was remotely stable or possible for a moment, would be mind boggling.
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Prisoner#1
Even Dumber ThanAdvertized!


Registered: 01/22/03
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: musiclover420]
#23788949 - 10/31/16 03:23 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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she got what she wanted, why else would she have been doing this in a heavy storm?
Quote:
"[Wisnierska] flew underneath a storm cloud and got sucked up to 30,000 feet. She was unconscious for about half an hour. She regained consciousness at 20,000 feet and then flew down and landed safely.
"She was covered in ice. She suffered from severe frostbite. The temperature at that altitude was about minus 50 degrees. It's higher than Mount Everest."
Mr Wenness said her injuries were severe.
Her ears nearly got frozen off
"She's got bruises all over her body from the hail stones and she's recovering from frostbite to her extremities. She's got bandages over her head because her ears nearly got frozen off."
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
Posts: 19,563
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Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: Prisoner#1]
#23789029 - 10/31/16 03:43 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Prisoner#1 said: she got what she wanted, why else would she have been doing this in a heavy storm?
Did you read the article? A man was also sucked into the storm and died...
They were doing air training exercises or something and clearly got too close to the storm.
I highly doubt either of them intended to get sucked into the storm... She knew she was as good as dead and seriously fucked up.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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SirShroomsAlott
Howdy



Registered: 05/15/14
Posts: 6,945
Loc: United States
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: musiclover420]
#23789099 - 10/31/16 04:09 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Why the fuck would they attempt to fly with any type of storm rolling through 
There's literally no chance they didn't know it was there or coming unless they're blatantly retarded, anyone flying, especially someone training for a paragliding world championship should be well aware of the winds aloft and not be so stupid.
Edit: Yup, they're blatantly retarded. "Mr Wenness said the storm cell had been building since the early morning, and all paragliders had been briefed about the danger before beginning their training flights."
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vandago



Registered: 07/07/04
Posts: 20,917
Loc: .
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: SirShroomsAlott] 1
#23789105 - 10/31/16 04:11 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Probably still won't go anal.
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Prisoner#1
Even Dumber ThanAdvertized!


Registered: 01/22/03
Posts: 193,665
Loc: Pvt. Pubfag NutSuck
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: musiclover420]
#23789107 - 10/31/16 04:11 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
musiclover420 said:
Quote:
Prisoner#1 said: she got what she wanted, why else would she have been doing this in a heavy storm?
Did you read the article? A man was also sucked into the storm and died...
They were doing air training exercises or something and clearly got too close to the storm.
I highly doubt either of them intended to get sucked into the storm... She knew she was as good as dead and seriously fucked up.
I learned a long time ago, dont go flying kites in storms, it stands to reason you wouldnt attach yourself to the kite and go fly it in a storm. she got what she wanted
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LIBERTYNY
Stranger

Registered: 04/07/16
Posts: 210
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: SirShroomsAlott]
#23789341 - 10/31/16 05:37 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
SirShroomsAlott said: Why the fuck would they attempt to fly with any type of storm rolling through 
There's literally no chance they didn't know it was there or coming unless they're blatantly retarded, anyone flying, especially someone training for a paragliding world championship should be well aware of the winds aloft and not be so stupid.
Edit: Yup, they're blatantly retarded. "Mr Wenness said the storm cell had been building since the early morning, and all paragliders had been briefed about the danger before beginning their training flights."
Many times they like to fly around the outskirts of a storm, becouse it can creates a thermal updraft, to keep them up for longer periods of time
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Prisoner#1
Even Dumber ThanAdvertized!


Registered: 01/22/03
Posts: 193,665
Loc: Pvt. Pubfag NutSuck
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: LIBERTYNY]
#23789353 - 10/31/16 05:40 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
LIBERTYNY said: Many times they like to fly around the outskirts of a storm, becouse it can creates a thermal updraft, to keep them up for longer periods of time
she got her updraft
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Repertoire89
Cat



Registered: 11/15/12
Posts: 21,773
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: musiclover420]
#23789366 - 10/31/16 05:47 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Sounds like a good time for some LSD
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musiclover420
psychonaut



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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: Repertoire89]
#23789374 - 10/31/16 05:49 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Repertoire89 said: Sounds like a good time for some LSD
She would have died most likely. The one reason she lived was losing consciousness.
So anything that may have kept her awake could have prevented her from surviving.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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Repertoire89
Cat



Registered: 11/15/12
Posts: 21,773
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: musiclover420]
#23789380 - 10/31/16 05:51 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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The LSD would keep her alive
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vandago



Registered: 07/07/04
Posts: 20,917
Loc: .
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: Repertoire89]
#23789390 - 10/31/16 05:54 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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I've boofed a vial and gone 10k meters, 25 meters per second, and it was -60 degrees. Not only do I remember all of it, but I did K with god at the peak, and he let me take his hoodie home.
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Repertoire89
Cat



Registered: 11/15/12
Posts: 21,773
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: vandago]
#23789407 - 10/31/16 06:00 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Next time you should bring a ladyfriend and fuck up there, maybe an assault rifle too so you can gun down unarmed villagers
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vandago



Registered: 07/07/04
Posts: 20,917
Loc: .
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: Repertoire89]
#23789417 - 10/31/16 06:03 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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I did. It was a family reunion to boot.
I was king of the village.
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Repertoire89
Cat



Registered: 11/15/12
Posts: 21,773
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Re: Paraglider sucked into storm at 30K feet, survives lightning, -40c temps and apple sized hail. [Re: vandago]
#23789425 - 10/31/16 06:04 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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That's the fast track to Valhalla there
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