I think he may be right about the first comment even at altitude.
Let's find out:
The black bird can fly at the altitude of 26 km high or 85000 feet. (record) According to this calculator:
https://www.mide.com/air-pressure-at-altitude-calculator
At 20 km high (max. for the calc), the air pressure is only 5500 PA compared to 100K PA at sea level. So air density is 1/20th of the sea level's density and he could have been much higher, so let's say 1/30th. but we haven't even counted for air temperature, what also helps to lower air density...
"Density is directly proportional to pressure and indirectly proportional to temperature. As pressure increases, with temperature constant, density increases. Conversely when temperature increases, with pressure constant, density decreases."
Would it hurt? Sure. Would he have died? Maybe not. The point is that NGT made a very silly, non-scientific argument.
Edit: in the calculator I adjusted for air temperature using -40C and it halved the air density. So 20km up with -40C the air density is only 1/50th of the sea level's.
I would say, jump away Tom!!!
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