Luke Aikins put it all on the line on Saturday during the televised event called “Heaven Sent”, becoming the first person in history to jump from a plane from almost 5 miles in the sky without a parachute or wingsuit, and landing safely with pinpoint precision in a 100-by-100-foot net posted above the ground. After two minutes of hurtling towards the ground, he landed squarely in the centre of 100 by 100 foot net, where his wife and young son were waiting to congratulate him. He has now become the first person to pull off something like this and is probably going to hold the record to himself for a considerable amount of time.
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Luke Aikins is a seasoned skydiver and also serves as safety and training advisor for Unites States Parachute Association.
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 risky.
“Everyone is calling this my ‘coming-out jump, ‘ which is ironic considering I’ve been skydiving since the age of 16”, he said in a press release prior to the jump. Sources say that more than a dozen members of the union are involved in the show, including stunt riggers, coordinators, announcers and skydivers.
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. Aikins left the plane without the chute.
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“I’m nearly levitating, it’s incredible”, said jubilant skydiver after the successful landing. I imagine it was filled with all sorts of interviews and footage of the 42-year-old’s previous jumps. He is a third-generation skydiver and his family owns Skydive Kapowsin near Tacoma, Wash.
