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Lieutenant Colonel William Henry Rankin (October 16, 1920 – July 6, 2009) was the first person to survive a fall from the top of a cumulonimbus thunderstorm cloud. He was a pilot in the United States Marine Corps and a World War II and Korean War veteran.
Jul 26, 2020 · Learn about the incredible story of Lt. Col. William Rankin, who ejected from his F-8 Crusader in a thunderstorm at 50,000 ft. and survived for 40 minutes under his parachute. Read his book, The Man Who Rode The Thunder, and discover the details of his ordeal and the legacy of his heroism.
Jul 17, 2023 · Lt. Col. William Rankin was a World War II and Korean War veteran who ejected from his F-8 Crusader jet at 47,000 feet over a thunderstorm in 1959. He endured 40 minutes of free fall, hail, lightning and near-drowning before landing safely in a tree.
Feb 12, 2015 · Learn how William Rankin, a US Marine Corps pilot, ejected from his F-8 Crusader at 47,000 feet and plunged into a cumulonimbus cloud in 1959. Discover how he miraculously survived the freezing cold, the hail, the lightning and the tree impact.
Jul 18, 2023 · Lt. Col. William Rankin was a U.S. Marine pilot who ejected from his F-8 Crusader jet in 1959 and survived a 40-minute ordeal in a thunderstorm. He wrote a book about his experience and recovered from frostbite and decompression.
Sep 7, 2022 · William Rankin was a veteran pilot who ejected from his F-8 Crusader in 1959 after engine failure. He fell through a storm for 40 minutes, suffered frostbite and bruises, but survived to write a book about his ordeal.
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Oct 2, 2023 · A harrowing account of a fighter pilot who ejected from his plane and plunged into a storm cloud in 1959. He survived the freezing cold, explosive decompression, and violent turbulence to land safely on the ground.
