North Pole Expedition: Skydiving into the Top of the WorldDan Poynter
There are many ways to get to the North Pole: You may go by dog sled in April, by ice breaker in August, you can even cross-country ski. Don’t try it in winter—when it is dark up there. Savvy people fly. In fact, of the few people who have made it to the North Pole, most went by air.
There is no airport at the North Pole. The polar ice cap is more than 1,000 miles across in winter. The North Pole is in the Arctic Ocean. It freezes over to 6-18 feet thick. The water under the ice is 14,000 feet deep. In April, the ice is still firm and the sun is always shining. The ice begins to compress and expand (break up) in late April.
During this expedition, the sun was at 16 degrees above the horizon; it circled around and never set. The North Pole is as dry as a desert; nothing lives there.
Dan Poynter is past president of the Parachute Industry Association, past chairman of the Board of the U.S. Parachute Association and past president of the International Hang Gliding Commission. He has written more than 120 books; seven on parachutes and skydiving. A pilot, skydiver and master parachute rigger, this Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) is a frequent speaker at aviation and other events.
North Pole Expedition: Skydiving into the Top of the WorldDan Poynter
There are many ways to get to the North Pole: You may go by dog sled in April, by ice breaker in August, you can even cross-country ski. Don’t try it in winter—when it is dark up there. Savvy people fly. In fact, of the few people who have made it to the North Pole, most went by air.
There is no airport at the North Pole. The polar ice cap is more than 1,000 miles across in winter. The North Pole is in the Arctic Ocean. It freezes over to 6-18 feet thick. The water under the ice is 14,000 feet deep. In April, the ice is still firm and the sun is always shining. The ice begins to compress and expand (break up) in late April.
During this expedition, the sun was at 16 degrees above the horizon; it circled around and never set. The North Pole is as dry as a desert; nothing lives there.
Dan Poynter is past president of the Parachute Industry Association, past chairman of the Board of the U.S. Parachute Association and past president of the International Hang Gliding Commission. He has written more than 120 books; seven on parachutes and skydiving. A pilot, skydiver and master parachute rigger, this Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) is a frequent speaker at aviation and other events.
1. Declassified
Declassified Declassified
Declassified
A lot of life's problems can be explained by the
applications of the common sense from these
recently declassified Military Secrets
9. F-18 Hornet Carrier Take-off
Airspeed, altitude, and brains.
Two of these are always necessary to successfully complete the
mission - Basic Flight Training Manual
13. C-130 Hercules
'If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up with him.'
- Infantry Journal-
14. C-130 Hercules
'Flying the airplane is
more important than
radioing your “plight”
to a person
on the ground
incapable of
understanding or
doing anything about
it.'
- Emergency
Checklist
15. B-52 Bomber
Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate.
The bombs always hit the ground- US Air Force
16. 'The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you.'
- Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)
17. Apache Longbow
'Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword, obviously never
encountered automatic weapons.' - General MacArthur -
18. 'If you hear me yell;"Eject, Eject, Eject!", the last two will be echos.'
If you stop to ask "Why?", you'll be talking to yourself, because by then you'll be the
pilot.‘ -Pre-flight Briefing from a Canadian F104 Pilot
19. Canadian T-33 Jet Trainer test ejection
A Purple Heart just proves that were you smart enough to think of
a plan, stupid enough to try it, and lucky enough to survive.
20. Sukhoi SU-27 missing canopy due to a test ejection
If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan your mission
properly. - David Hackworth
34. F-4 Phantom
You don't win a war by dying for your country.
You win a war by making the other son-of-a-bitch die for his.
- General George S. Patton