A daredevil skydiver has become the first person to jump from a height of 7,620m without a parachute, landing in a net in southern California, a spokesman said.
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“I’m nearly levitating. It’s incredible, this thing that just happened”, he told reporters after climbing out of the net, according to E! The stunt was broadcast live on television, and has been in the making for two years.
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.
Luke Aikins, 42, who has 18,000 jumps under his belt, completed the jump in Simi Valley, just west of Los Angeles, landing in a net measuring 100 feet by 100 feet in a feat broadcast on Fox. She watched the jump from the ground with other family members.
“If I wasn’t nervous I would be stupid”, Aikins told the Fresno Bee.
The skydiver said the request made him consider aborting the attempt, or else jumping with the chute and simply not pulling the ripcord. When he was on target, the lights shone white.
The net was similar to those used by fishing trawlers. He’s been racking them up at several hundred a year ever since.
Further to his credit, Aiken is a safety and training advisor for the United States Parachute Association (USPA) where he provides advanced skydiving training to elite military Special Forces.
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Aikins jumped with a team of skydivers, including his cousin, who at one point during the fall helped him remove an oxygen. He has done stunts for the superhero film Ironman 3 and taught soldiers advanced skydiving tactics.
