Video: William Rankin, the Man Who Rode the Thunder

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Key Takeaways:

  • William Rankin famously survived a 40-minute fall after ejecting from an aircraft at 47,000 feet and 500 knots.
  • His survival is legendary and exceptional, as other individuals drawn into thunderstorms under canopy have not always lived through similar incidents.
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The story of William Rankin’s ejection at 47,000 feet and 500 knots is legendary, not only because the fall took him 40 minutes, but also because he lived to talk about it. There are other and more recent cases of people who have been drawn into thunderstorms under canopy and not every one ends in survival.

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