Moonraker's Airborne fight and soft landing - is it possible?

Leading scientists and engineers have studied stunts in James Bond films.

Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC

Bond (Roger Moore) and iconic baddie Jaws (Richard Kiel) tussle in mid-air for a single parachute in the film "Moonraker" (1979). Bond wins, skydiving to safety, and Jaws plummets to what looks like certain death. 

Luckily for the villain, he lands on a huge circus tent and walks away with just a few bruises.

'We've calculated this and it definitely is possible,' says Professor Tolan.

Bond uses his air resistance and changes speed by adjusting his body position to become more streamlined.

He would also have enough time to fight Jaws for the parachute, put it on and open it, if they both jumped out of the aircraft at a height of 16,404 feet (5,000 metres).

'We also calculated that when Jaws hits the circus tent, he would survive, Profesor Tolin explains.

'Jaws's speed falling without a parachute would be 93 to 112mph (150 to 180km/h). If you are decelerated by a tent approximately 10m high, then it is still a heavy fall and you will be hurt, but not killed.'

Jaws appears indestructible. He survives when a statue falls on his head, he's hit by a van, thrown from a train off a cliff and even goes over a waterfall.

According to Professor Tolan, though, there's no way Jaws could survive the cable car crash in "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977).

'That's completely ridiculous, even the strongest person would be smashed to pieces by the force,' he says.

Source: James Bond 007: 7 Bond stunts - E & T Magazine

Moonraker's Airborne fight and soft landing: POSSIBLE