We may not be able to run anywhere near as fast as the Flash today, but could we one day in the future?
Is Flash-like speed within human reach?
The short answer: No.
Our bodies weren’t designed move that fast, but let’s say they could…
A Supersonic Nightmare
North American test pilot George F. Smith became the first man to survive ejection from an aircraft in supersonic flight.
Smith ejected from his F-100A Super Sabre and fell towards the ocean at 777 MPH (Mach 1.05) as the crippled aircraft passed through 6,500 feet in a near-vertical dive.
Smith was subjected to a drag force of around 8,000 lbs producing on the order of 40-g’s of deceleration as he was fired out of the cockpit into the harsh airstream.
The aggressive wind blast took off his helmet, oxygen mask, shoes, flight gloves, wrist watch, and even his ring. So much blood was forced into his head that his facial features became unrecognizable.
Smith’s internal organs, most especially his liver, were severely damaged, and his body was horribly bruised and beaten as it flailed end-over-end uncontrollably.
He was hovering near death when he arrived at the hospital, and remained in severe shock until the sixth day of hospitalization.
He could hear, but he couldn’t see.
His eyes had sustained multiple subconjunctival hemorrhages and the prevailing thought at the time was that he would never see again.
In the end, he ended up returning to good health after several surgeries and a permanently damaged liver.
Even if we could run as fast as the Flash, it’s not worth it.
