What are Free Fallers and Wreckage Riders? – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

What are Free Fallers and Wreckage Riders?

Panel 1: At the top left corner of a horizontal rectangular panel, the question “What are Free Fallers and Wreckage Riders?” appears directly above an image of a propeller-driven fighter airplane shooting at and destroying a four-engine, twin-tailed, American bomber. Below that, an airman, presumably from the crew of the bomber, falls in mid-air. Right below the fighter plane, the text reads, “A Free Faller is an individual who fell a long distance and survived without the benefit of a parachute.” The text continues at the upper right corner of the panel, “A Free Faller might be wearing a parachute, but for whatever reason (perhaps because they were unconscious), it was never deployed. They had nothing to slow their descent.” Panel 2: Another horizontal rectangular panel contains a picture of the tail of a four-engine bomber with the code letter G in a white square on its single tail fin. Also on the tail fin are the numbers 238035 and below that, the letter B. The tail gunner of the bomber can be seen pressed against a window near the tail guns. The fighter plane from the first panel exits to the left, leaving in its wake the destroyed pieces of that four-engine bomber. Both wings and a large portion of the front part of the fuselage have blown apart as viewed from above. At the left, the following text appears, “Wreckage Riders, on the other hand, are individuals who somehow survived a long fall within the wreckage of a destroyed aircraft.” The text continues at the upper right corner of the panel, “Perhaps the wreckage slowed their descent a bit, and it certainly also cushioned them from the inevitable collision with the earth.” This cartoon is part of a series called Falling. It is written and drawn by Jim Hamilton who can be found on Instagram at Green Harbor Publications (all one word, greenharborpublications).

Published On: March 17, 2025

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What are Free Fallers and Wreckage Riders?

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How long does it take to fall five hundred feet and how fast will I be going? This is a single-panel cartoon that describes “Speed, Distance, and Time of Fall for an Average-Sized Adult in a Stable Freefall Position.” There are three labeled axes on this graph. On the left is a vertical axis showing time in seconds ranging from the top at zero seconds to the bottom at twelve seconds. A horizontal axis at the bottom of the graph covers approximate speed in miles per hour from zero to 120 miles per hour. On the right, the vertical axis shows distance in feet fallen. It ranges from zero feet at the top, to 1,483 feet at the bottom. A curved arrow at the upper left starts at zero seconds and zero speed. The arrow arcs to the lower right-hand corner where the speed is 120 miles per hour and 1,483 feet fallen. About halfway along the arrow a person in a t-shirt and dark pants falls with their hands up and a distressed expression on their face. A series of statements numbered one to three appear inside the graph. They read: 1. After about six seconds you will have fallen 500 feet. 2. You will be falling at about 95 miles per hour. 3. Good news! After twelve seconds your speed will no longer increase. This is called reaching ‘terminal velocity.’ This cartoon is part of a series called Falling. It is written and drawn by Jim Hamilton who can be found on Instagram at Green Harbor Publications (all one word, greenharborpublications).

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