Skydiver first to jump and land without chute

First skydiver to jump from airplane to earth without parachute, landed in huge fish net to slow him down & break his fall.

STUNTS & SKYDIVING

Skydiver first to jump and land without chute

31/07/2016
AP

LOS ANGELES — A 42-year-old skydiver with more than 18,000 jumps made history when he became the first person to survive a leap without a parachute.

After a two-minute freefall, Luke Aikins flipped over onto his back at the last second and landed dead center into a 100-by-100-foot net.

The big net to catch the skydiver was located at the Big Sky movie ranch on the outskirts of Simi Valley in California, outside of Los Angeles.

Cheers rose from those who gathered to watch the stunt, including his family.

FIRST PLANE-TO-EARTH JUMP WITHOUT PARACHUTE

The jump — from the death- defying altitude of 25,000 feet — makes Aikins the only skydiver ever to go from plane to planet Earth without a parachute.

As the cheers erupted, Aikins quickly climbed out, walked over and hugged his wife, Monica.

His wife had been watching from the ground with their 4-year-old son, Logan, and other family members.

TWO YEARS PREPARING FOR JUMP, SPECIALLY DESIGNED NET TESTED FOR SAFETY

"I'm almost levitating, it's incredible,'' the jubilant skydiver said, raising his hands over his head as his wife held their son, who dozed in her arms.

"This thing just happened! I can't even get the words out of my mouth,'' he added.

He thanked the dozens of crew members who spent two years helping him prepare for the jump, including those who assembled the big net and made sure it really worked.

HOW DID HE LOCATE THE NET FROM HIGH IN THE SKY?

Landing in a big fishing net to cushion the fall was key to surviving such a 25,000 foot fall.

One question just begs to be explained.

How could you jump out of an airplane high in the sky and find the net?

You only get one chance.

According to CBS News: "Aikins was able hit the net with pinpoint precision thanks to GPS alerts in his helmet and a sophisticated lighting setup on the ground that was visible from more than 25,000 feet up, Talley said Sunday. If Aikins veered off course the lights appeared red, but when he was on target they shone bright white. They're very similar to the lights that a pilot sees when landing a plane at an airport" (see here).

FORCED TO WEAR A PARACHUTE ANYWAY

The stunt was broadcast live on the Fox network.

When the Screen Actors Guild, a union for actors, ordered him to wear a parachute to ensure his safety, Aikins said he considered pulling out at that point because having the parachute canister on his back would make his landing in the net far more dangerous.

A few minutes before the jump, however, one of the show's hosts said the requirement had been lifted.

Aikins left the plane without the chute.

JUMPED WITH TEAM OF THREE

He jumped with three other skydivers, each wearing parachutes.

One had a camera, another trailed smoke so people on the ground could follow his descent and the third took an oxygen canister he handed off after they got to an altitude where it was no longer needed.

Then the others opened their parachutes and left him on his own.

MOTHER DIDN'T DARE WATCH

Aikins admitted before the jump he was nervous and his mother said she was one family member who wouldn't watch.

When his friend came up with the idea two years ago, Aikins rejected the idea.

A couple of weeks later, on second thought, he said that he would do it.

Previously, he had been the backup jumper in 2012 when Felix Baumgartner became the first skydiver to break the speed of sound during a jump from 24 miles above Earth.

COMES FROM FAMILY OF SKYDIVERS

The 42-year-old daredevil made his first tandem jump (with someone else to help) when he was 12, following with his first solo leap four years later.

He's been racking up jumps at several hundred a year ever since.

His father and grandfather were skydivers, and his wife has made 2,000 jumps. His family owns a skydiving business near Tacoma, Washington.

Aikins is also a safety and training adviser for the United States Parachute Association and is certified to teach both students and skydiving instructors.

His business Para Tactics provides skydiving training to Navy Seals and other members of elite fighting forces.

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