From a Great Height

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 MrsBuggins 03 Jul 2019

The bloke who tried stowing away in the wheel bay of an aircraft from Nairobi must have been pretty desperate but totally ignorant of lack of oxygen, temperatures at 40000ft and lack of pressurisation.

Must have been a bit like trying to climb Everest in jeans and tee shirt. Poor bloke probably died within an hour.

Also a bit frightening being close to a bloody great tyre spinning initially at about 120mph as the gear retracted.

Post edited at 10:11
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Rigid Raider 03 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

It was discussed on BBC R4 last night and yes, people are so desperate to get to a place of safety where they can earn a living and send money back to their families that they will take ridiculous risks. Often the family has sponsored their trip in anticipation of this, which increases their determination; they simply don't dare fail. Throw in ignorance of the physics and you've a long list of sad, failed attempts:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wheel-well_stowaway_flights

cb294 03 Jul 2019
In reply to Rigid Raider:

That list is shocking, especially if you consider how many of these attempts were entirely pointless. I can understand trying to get to the US from Mexico, or to Europe from Africa, but many of those were within one country, most often Russia, but also Guadeloupe to French Guyana (stow away on a boat if you have to, FFS!).

Strange and sad.

CB

 Neil Williams 03 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

It's a bit difficult for anyone in the UK, other than perhaps a homeless person, to understand this level of desperation.  Even the poorest person in the UK has the NHS, for instance (for now at least, Tory plans notwithstanding).

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Rigid Raider 04 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

Louis Theroux filmed a piece on the Morocco/Ceuta border fence. He interviewed some migrants who had made it all the way there from West Africa. One of them explained that the family had invested heavily in his trip to Britain so he had no choice but to keep trying until he got across the channel. "Can you imagine what would happen if I failed and returned home?" he asked. "My family would kill me!"

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 RX-78 04 Jul 2019
In reply to Rigid Raider:

25 years ago my wife and I crossed into Morocco at that border. There were no obvious migrants/ refugees then trying to get in there.

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