The whole world had witnessed a breathtaking journey. Luke Aikins became the first sky driver, who leaped 25000 ft. from a plane without a parachute and live to tell us the story.
The 42 year old daredevil called the stunt ‘Heaven Sent’ which has become a world record. He jumped on a 10000 sq. ft. net with a speed of 193 km per hour in just 125 seconds. To finish this feat, Aikins had to direct his body in free fall using only the air currents close to him to land safely.
The jump was aired live on TV by the Fox network during an hour-long special. Aikins skittle for about two minutes above the Simi Valley, California desert, appearing to soar smoothly, arms extended, and face downward. And as he was near the ground, with a mere second to go, he proficiently flipped onto his back and landed without incident.
Then he stepped out of the net and embraced his family and friends including his wife, Monica, 4 year old son, Logan, Aikins’ dad and two brothers and one sister, who were watching and cheering for him.
During the broadcast he said that he had been preparing for this stunt for two years. He has been skydiving since the age of 16 and had done 18,000 parachute jumps and executed a variety of stunts as well as for Iron Man3.
His family members are also associated with skydiving from World War II. Aikins’ grandfather who served in WWII, is a 3rd-generation skydiver and co-founded a skydiving school. The family is the owner of Skydive Kapowsin near Tacoma, Wash.
Luke Aikins is a safety and training advisor for the United States Parachute Association (USPA). He provides advanced skydiving training to Elite Military Special Forces.
According to The Associated Press, “Just before climbing into a plane to make the jump, Aikins said he had been ordered to wear a parachute but indicated he wouldn’t open it. As the plane was climbing to 25,000 feet above the drop zone he said the requirement had been lifted and he took off the chute.”
Skydiver Luke Aikins Jumps 25,000 Feet without a Parachute
