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Unfictional Podcast - Falling: Questions To Answer While Listening

1. In February of 1971, a Cessna airplane carrying Norman Ollestad Sr. and his girlfriend Sandra crashed in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles. Young Norman Ollestad noticed thick clouds and overheard a radio warning about the weather conditions, but did not voice his concerns to the pilot, his father. 2. After the crash, 6-year-old Norman had to slide down the icy mountainside with injuries to get help. He encountered obstacles and dangers but ultimately was rescued. He credits his father and experiences like surfing with his dad for helping him survive in this dangerous situation. 3. As an adult, Norman reflects on lessons learned from his father and how the

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1K views2 pages

Unfictional Podcast - Falling: Questions To Answer While Listening

1. In February of 1971, a Cessna airplane carrying Norman Ollestad Sr. and his girlfriend Sandra crashed in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles. Young Norman Ollestad noticed thick clouds and overheard a radio warning about the weather conditions, but did not voice his concerns to the pilot, his father. 2. After the crash, 6-year-old Norman had to slide down the icy mountainside with injuries to get help. He encountered obstacles and dangers but ultimately was rescued. He credits his father and experiences like surfing with his dad for helping him survive in this dangerous situation. 3. As an adult, Norman reflects on lessons learned from his father and how the

Uploaded by

gaea
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Unfictional Podcast – Falling

On a separate sheet of paper, completely and thoughtfully answer the following questions.

Questions to answer while listening:

1. In February of what year did the Cessna airplane at the center of this story crash?

2. The San Gabriel mountains, location of the crash site, are north of what major U.S. city?

3. On the day of the flight, young Norman Ollestad notices especially thick clouds and overhears a
radio warning about the weather. What was the pilot’s
reaction to the warning? Why didn’t Ollestad speak up
and voice his concerns?

4. Norman Jr. describes his dad, Norman Ollestad, Sr., as


a “straight-laced, kind of 1950’s guy with a law degree”
and a job with the FBI. He also, though, surfed every
morning and played poker on the beach “with all these
crazy dudes.” Ollestad says his father often told him not to
worry about what you’re supposed to do. Instead, he told
Cessna airplane
his son to “just _____ _____ _____.” (3 words) Image used with permission:
Bob Adams, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

5. The summer before the crash Ollestad and his father


were in Mexico. Describe the eerily prophetic conversation they had about the summer heat.

6. Sandra, the girlfriend of Ollestad’s dad, suffered a head injury and dislocated shoulder. What
was different about the way she viewed the descent down the mountain than the way Ollestad
approached the challenge? Give details to support your answer.

7. What was the “split emotion” that Ollestad felt about Sandra’s death?

8. When Ollestad is sliding down the hill


towards a meadow, what’s the last obstacle
that traps him?

9. Evan Chapman and his family lived in the


shadow of the San Gabriel mountains. In what
small way did Evan, his brother, and their mom
help Ollestad know which way to travel once
he reached the meadow?

10. Glen Farmer, a curious teenager, decided


to try to help find any plane crash survivors.
Describe the moment he found Ollestad.
Map used with permission:
Decumanus, WikiCommons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Unfictional Podcast – Falling – page 2

11. Now that he’s a father himself, do you think Ollestad has more similarities or more differences
when compared to his dad? Explain your answer.
Questions to answer after listening:

12. The producers of the Unfictional podcast tell this story by breaking the narrative of the crash
story with segments of Ollestad remembering parts of his childhood before the crash with his dad.
Is this method of storytelling effective? Explain why or why not.

13. Ollestad describes a time when he was staying in a Mexican fishing village with his father.
When they went surfing, the waves were massive, yet he was able to successfully reach the center
of a fierce wave, saying it felt like he had reached the center of the universe. “You’re in the middle
of this energy force that can crush you, yet somehow you’ve tamed it and you’re sitting inside of it.
You’ve sort of broken it,” he recalls. Explain how this moment might have helped him survive on the
mountain.

14. On the day of the plane crash, the temperature on the mountain was just 10 degrees. Have you
ever been in weather that cold or even colder? If so, do your best to describe how it felt.

15. Early in the episode, the narrator says that the “important things we learn from our parents don’t
really come into focus until much later in life.” How was this true for Ollestad and his father?

16. Think about your own parents/guardians. What piece of advice do they say to you most often?
What lasting lesson have you actually learned just from watching them?

17. Norman Ollestad, Sr., was 43 when he died. Given what you know about him from his son’s
description, would you say he lived a successful life? What leads you to this conclusion?

San Gabriel Mountains seen from Cajon Pass


Image used with permission: Ricraider, WikiCommons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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