Luke Aikins accomplished something over the weekend that no one else has ever done: he jumped out a plane 25,000 feet up in the air and landed in a net without a wingsuit or parachute.
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At first, Aikins, 42, who has sky-dived 18,000 times since he was 12 years old, felthe idea was a bit much even for him. It’s incredible. To think what just happened…to be honest I just can’t get it out of my mouth – all these guys…everybody.
The Stride Gum brand from Mondelēz International, Inc. sponsored the “Heaven Sent” stunt.
He was accompanied by other divers on the way down, including one who collected Aikins’ oxygen mask after he’d fallen far enough for it to no longer be necessary.
Aikins, a self-described “member of the Red Bull Air Force, professional skydiver, BASE jumper, stuntman, pilot …”
And yet on Saturday (July 30), Luke Aikins packed neither, instead becoming the first skydiver to jump from a plane with nothing except an iron will and an huge faith in net technology.
Just before landing, Aikins flipped over on his back and gently – or, well, as gently as one can do anything while in free fall from 25,000 feet – plunged into the net unharmed.
He also admitted that he had almost had to cancel the jump because he was ordered to wear a parachute for safety and this would have made his landing more risky because of the extra weight.
He didn’t say if he plans to actually open the parachute at any point.
His father and grandfather were skydivers, and his wife has made 2,000 jumps.
His wife is a skydiver and his family owns a skydiving outfit in the state of Washington.
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Aikins told ABC News training for the death-defying stunt included doing roughly 200 jumps in the past six months.
