The goose bumps about William Rankin, the US Air Force Lieutenant, had

The story of William Rankin will last with time!

On that bad day, Lt. William Rankin's F-8 Crusader fighter failed in mid-air. To preserve his life, the skilled pilot left the plane at 12,000 meters and parachuted to the ground. It seemed like it was the only mischief in his flight, but not: he jumped straight down into a roaring storm, apparently wanting to swallow the skilled pilot.

On July 26, 1959, Mr. Rankin flew along the coast of Carolina with First Class pilot Herbert Nolan. The pair of Fus 8 Crusader fighter jets were leisurely at 14,000 meters. Everything was fine, except for a big storm that was lying at their feet. They just need to overcome this storm and return to the Customs base located in Beaufort, South Carilina.

Just a few minutes away from the base, things happen in a way that is unpredictable. Lieutenant Colonel Rankin's jet engine suddenly stopped. He tried to keep the plane from hitting the ground with tremendous speed but completely helpless. The experience of aerial combat with over 100 battles during World War II told him what to do.

"Loss of energy. Perhaps the plane will have to be abandoned ," said Rankin, who radioed to the man who was flying with Mr. Nolan.

Pull the lever and release from the plane, pilots and separated planes with no farewell. Lieutenant Colonel Rankin freed himself from a height of 14,000 meters. The air at this altitude is cooler than -50 degrees Celsius, the pressure at this height makes Mr. Rankin try to catch his breath. But it was clear that he had a safe land trip when he could still interview:

"I felt something awful rising, as if my stomach had doubled. The nostrils filled the air and seemed to explode. During 30 seconds, I thought the pressure would be knocked out. me.

A shocking cold rushed over him. The ankles and wrists started as cold as if someone put dry ice on it. My left hand went numb. On the way down, I left the glove out. "

That's what Lieutenant Colonel Rankin told Time magazine in August 1959.

Although this pilot's plane would self-explode at an altitude of 3,000 meters and though he wanted to open it even earlier than the default height, he knew he couldn't do that. At this altitude, the temperature is too low, the pressure is extremely high and the amount of oxygen that is not enough to breathe will turn him into a martyr before his feet can touch the ground.

He crashed straight into the ground, through a storm he and Nolan flew past not long ago.

Lieutenant Colonel Rankin's parachute suddenly opened sooner than expected, and Mr. Rankin alone fought the natural power of the champion: he was hovering in the middle of a storm. The muscular body of the seasoned 39-year-old pilot experienced a great thrill in the powerful storm, every bolt of lightning striking around this unfortunate person. An experience that no one has ever experienced.

" I saw lightning. And heaven and earth, I remember those lightning strikes," recalled Rankin, telling Time. "I have not really heard thunder, but I can feel it clearly. I remember the feeling of flying through the heavy rain and that made me nervous; I was worried that the rain would tear me away. When I flew through the rain, I opened my mouth to breathe and took a sip of water, I was thrown up and down about every 2,000 meters, the experience took a very long time, just like sit in an extremely fast-moving elevator ".

Like the scarecrow straw in a great storm, Mr. Rankin was thrown into the storm, under pressure that he could be troubled at any time. His eyes, nose, mouth and ears were all dripped by pressure from high altitudes. The endurance limit of the skilled pilot got off, he vomited.

But in the end, Mr. Rankin still has a happy ending for him. He escaped the storm, proceeding to land.

The strong wind even though Mr. Rankin stabbed a tree near the town, caused him to bang his head on the tree during the landing. Shaking on his feet, he calmed down what had just happened, went to a car across the street and headed to a nearby grocery store, which had called Mr. Rankin an ambulance beforehand.

The experience of riding on Lieutenant Colonel William Rankin's storm lasted 40 minutes. Amazingly, the damage on his body was not too serious. This unique adventure inspired him to write the book Man Riding Up - The Man Who Rode the Thunder.

In 1964, William Rankin retired, retired until he died in 2009, in Oakdale, Pennsylvania. But the adventure of his storm will remain forever!