Surely impossible?

[james ozzie]

I just watched a re-run of the movie "Catch me if you can" and it showed the hero escaping from a taxiing airliner via the toilet - errrant Hollywood nonsense I thought. Then I checked the bio of the hero on Wikipedia (yeah, yeah, I know...) and found the following passage:

"While being extradited to the U.S., Abagnale claims to have escaped a British VC-10 airliner as it was turning onto a taxi strip at New York's JFK International Airport. Abagnale purported in his biography (originally published in 1980) to have removed the toilet knobs in the plane's lavatory and squeezed through a two-foot-square hatch cover before dropping ten feet to the tarmac below."

I still think this is highly improbable - any comments from those who understand the deep innards of heavy jets & especially the VC10?
Thanks

[Rainboe]

I think the film showed him escaping from a B707. At that point I totally lost interest in this piece of fiction! Totally impossible. But, the rear toilets of the VC10 had a secret release catch that would allow you to climb into the rear tailcone between the engines and back to the pressure hull. I cannot recall whether there was a hatch to the ground- I imagine there probably was. But it would take knowledge to know you could actually go out through the toilet wall, because the whole thing would swing in. I actually found it on the Brooklands one and it does still work!
But I'm sure his whole story is garbage. There are no alleged 'victims' who have ever come forward, and I believe official records of his convictions appear not to actually exist. I think it likely it is all self promotion to sell his book.

[NSEU]

I wonder if he went through a pressurisation outflow valve? How big is it (are they?) on a VC10?

Certainly a tight squeeze... even for DiCaprio :}

Rgds
NSEU

[Dan Winterland]

The outflow valves are tiny. You could't do it.

However, you can get into the 'boiler room' (hydraullic reseviors) between the engines form the rear toilet area, and from there it I think it would be possible to squeeze down into the rear baggage compartment as there was no separator. Then open the rear cargo door, but it's a bit of a drop.

It can be done.

[old,not bold]

I hitched a lift on a stripped out VC-10 doing a training flight from BAH landing at various Gulf airports. The only stipulation was that as the aircraft paused on the apron, I had to get out quickly from a small, square-ish hatch right at the bottom, and wave at the crew to say I was out. As I recall the way down was via the galley, not a toilet, but that could be wrong. I think the drop to the ground was about 5-6ft, and as I remember it, it was located about 1/3rd down the fuselage from the nose.

I got out OK, looked up, locked the hatch back in place as briefed, and got a faceful of Skydrol, not as briefed.

That was when I learned that (ex) BA VC-10 fleet crews did not use the intercom. You could hear the shouting all the way down the (empty) aircraft. "Start the engines, Engineer"....."Engines burning and turning, Sir", "Commence pushback, Number One"... and so on, including power settings during taxi.."89%"..."89%, Sir"...."84%"..."84%, Sir"...etc etc (figures invented!)

F/Es knew their place, then.

[Rainboe]

I flew VC10s for 6 1/2 years with BA. I never ever heard any talk that somebody has 'escaped' from them. It is lies. Pure manufactured fiction to sell a fiction book. This guy is a complete liar. Entertaining fiction book, sold as 'truth'. He's got rich out of it, which is the intention. You'd at least think these events and prosecutions would have some official record. The FBI don't know anything about him- there are no records! Look at the list of American Pullitzer Prize winners who have been unmasked as actually making up their 'true' articles. The US journalists writing their dispatches 'from the front line in Iraq', despite never actually visiting the country. They all get away with it through gullibility. Be like me- believe nothing without undeniable proof! You cannot 'win' a lottery you have not entered, and the wife of the former President of Ghana has not selected 'you' to entrust with her millions! And this bloke made the whole thing up.

[old,not bold]

Rainboe, I agree re the story of "escaping detainee" which is implausible at least.

But the hatch was most definitely there! If the model makes a difference, the one I rode in, and dropped out of, was one of those that went to GF, and later the RAF.

Super VC10s, I think.

[rpontin]

As an EXRAF GE I once got locked in the rear baggage hold in a VC10 while in Hong Kong. I could not open the panel in the rear but managed to get into the hydraulic compartment with a screwdriver I happened to have but was unable to open the toilet access panels from that side. I found a large lock in the hold and banged on the tie down rails until somebody heard me.

[12 twists per inch]

Dan,

No way Jose. You cannae open the fr8 door from inside no matter how you try - the vent, yes - but only on a K4!

Old, not bold, your memory is still in fine working order! You used the R/E bay hatch, its not available for fatties though :}

Doesn't the Die Hard quadrilogy or whatever, do the brave escape thing from a B747 u/c bay aswell? :sad:

[Piper19]

mmm, I doubt this. Toilets are in the pressurized area of the airplane, and that area is sealed from the outside. I can only think of the outflow valves (which are small on most airplanes and are a high jump to reach from ground), and via doors which give access to baggage compt or avx compt. But in this case, the aircraft has to be on the ground or you can't open the hatch due to pressure.

[Dan Winterland]

12 twists - I'm sure you can open the front cargo door from the inside. I've landed a couple of times at places which couldn't provide steps and we got out the from the forward cargo hold. Entry to that was from the avionics bay which you could enter from the fromt galley. Can you remember?

Wasn't sure if you could open the rear door from the inside. I mostly flew the Ks which had the rear hold filled with the HDU and consequently no door.

[ORAC]

Abagnale - Comments: (http://www.abagnale.com/comments.htm) Comments from Frank W. Abagnale concerning the book and the film, Catch Me If You Can.

I feel it is necessary to make the following statement concerning the book and the film, Catch Me If You Can. The reasons for this statement is to provide clarification and accuracy.

I wrote the book, Catch Me If You Can, more than 23 years ago. Obviously, this was written from my perspective as a 16-year old with the help of a co-writer (I'm now 54 and I sold the movie rights in 1980). I was interviewed by the co-writer only about four times. I believe he did a great job of telling the story, but he also over dramatized and exaggerated some of the story. That was his style and what the editor wanted. He always reminded me that he was just telling a story and not writing my biography. This is one of the reasons that from the very beginning, I insisted the publisher put a disclaimer in the book and tapes.

It has been reported that I had written $10 million, $8 million and $5 million worth of bad checks. The actual amount was $2.5 million. I was never on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List as this is reserved for very violent criminals who pose a threat to society. All of the crimes I committed were when I was between the ages 16 and 21. I served time in prison in France, Sweden and the United States. In the U. S. Federal Court, I was sentenced as a youthful offender because of my age at the time the crimes were committed. Even so, I was given 12 years of which I served a total of five years. This was considered harsh punishment then and almost unheard of today.

I have been married for over 25 years and I am the proud father of three sons. When I was 28 years old, I thought it would be great to have a movie about my life, but when I was 28, like when I was 16, I was egotistical and self-centered. We all grow up. Hopefully we get wiser. Age brings wisdom and fatherhood changes one's life completely. I consider my past immoral, unethical and illegal. It is something I am not proud of. I am proud that I have been able to turn my life around and in the past 25 years, helped my government, my clients, thousands of corporations and consumers deal with the problems of white collar crime and fraud.

I know that Hollywood has made a number of changes to the story, but I am honored that Steven Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks participated in the making of the movie inspired by my life. It is important to understand that it is just a movie… not a biographical documentary.

Frank W. Abagnale
September 3, 2002