LOS ANGELES A daredevil skydiver on Saturday became the first to jump from a height of 25,000 feet (7,620 meters) without a parachute, landing in a net in southern California, a spokesman said.
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Going: What Luke Aikins had to aim at.
As cheers erupted, Aikins quickly climbed out, walked over and hugged his wife, Monica, who had been watching from the ground with their 4-year-old son, Logan, and other family members.
Down: Luke Aikins lands in the net.
“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.
“This thing just happened!”
‘I kind of laugh and I say, “Ok, that’s great”.
“All of these guys, everything that made it happen … It’s awesome”, he added.
The stunt, broadcast live on the Fox network for the TV special “Stride Gum Presents Heaven Sent”, almost didn’t come off as planned when Aikins revealed just before climbing into his plane that the Screen Actors Guild had ordered him to wear a parachute to ensure his safety.
Aikins jumps from a helicopter during his training on Monday, in Simi Valley, Calif.
Aikins did however need an oxygen tank for the first 10,000 feet of the fall.
If all goes according to plan, he will land two minutes later in a trawler-like fishing net 20 stories above the ground and only about a third the size of a football field.
“If I wasn’t nervous, I would be stupid”, the compact, muscular athlete said with a grin as he sat near his landing spot earlier this week following a day of practice jumps – all made with a parachute. Days before the big event, during a run-through, Aikins told his Facebook followers that he “twisted the trap a little bit – people weren’t exactly happy with me”, but he explained that he “really felt strongly about which way the wind was blowing”.
“Like any normal, sane person I said, ‘Thank you, but no thank you”.
“Pay attention to the science and the maths behind this. And we’ll show you what’s possible”, said Aikins, 42, who runs a skydiving school in Washington state, just before taking off.
The team makes their way toward the target.
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The net is made of inelastic high-density polyethylene cord.
