> 120 passengers sucked out of cargo plane....

[Jon P. Inghram]

And you'll actually decelerate a little as you fall lower into denser air.

[Dr Mordrid]

Re: Thanks Doc for stating good facts

Originally posted by SitFlyer
Did you know, the record free fall speed, done without any special equipment, is 321 MPH

A typical skydive for me is in the 140 - 160 MPH range, for the freefall portion

An excellent article, with references, on the speed of a skydiver (terminal velocity)
can be found here

The absolute record speed during freefall is held by Capt. Joseph Kittinger: at least 614 mph, though other estimates say he exceeded Mach 1.

Aug. 16, 1960 Kittinger jumped from the Excelsior III stratospheric baloon at 103,300 feet, opened his stabilization chute at 96,000 ft. and continued accelerating through at least 90,000 ft. By ~50,000 feet his velocity had slowed to 250 mph due to the thickening atmosphere. He opened his mains at 18,000 ft.

Side note:

On June 2, 1957 Kittinger piloted Manhigh I to a height of 96,000 feet, jumped and parachuted back to earth. Gagarin and Shepard's rides came later, which many say makes Kittinger the first man in space.

Dr. Mordrid