Freefaller Luke Aikens dives full throttle into the record books

[webfact]

Freefaller Luke Aikens dives full throttle into the record books

SIMI VALLEY, CA: -- American Luke Aikens have dived into the record books by becoming the first person ever to leap from twenty five thousand feet without a parachute or wing suit.

“I mean, I’m almost levitating. It’s incredible, this thing that just happened. I mean, the words I want to say I can’t even get out of my mouth,” he enthused. “It was… All these guys, everybody who made this thing happen, helping me do this, it is awesome.”

A skydiver by profession, he has eighteen thousand jumps under his belt.

The 42-year-old free fell at speeds of up to 193 kilometres per hour over Simi Valley, California, and finished with a perfectly-judged landing.

After two minutes of hurtling towards the ground, he landed squarely in the centre of a 30×30 metre net, where his wife and young son were waiting to congratulate him.

-- Euronews 2016-08-01

[DM07]

Soooo...I am gonna be the party-pooper!

He got into a plane, got to 7.6 km and did, what a brick could have done!

He plummited back to Earth, proving Isaac Newton right: there is gravity!

If there had been just a tiny mishap and he would have ended as a meaty, wet pulp in the desert, what would the headline have been?

"Skydiver tragically dies in world- record attempt"!

Tragically?

How bored do you have to be with your life, to plan a suicide and then let it go wrong?

Yeah, I know...pushing the boundaries of men and all that horsesh1t...

[Old Croc]

 

[Mansell]

And what was the point of this? If you watch carefully he nearly missed the net.....Oooops! How pathetic and sad if he had missed the net with his child and wife watching......who would want that etched in your mind for ever. I guess now we will have a slew of people attempting this until we get a nasty SPLAT.

[Srikcir]

At 49 seconds in the fall it has to be a serious point of no return when the others pull their chutes.

Only the species of man dares to go beyond its evolutionary expectations.

[sweatalot]

4 persons jumped out of the plane - only one arrived at the ground.

Are they still in the sky?

Edited August 1, 2016 by sweatalot

[Usernames]

Stupid, mindless stunt that doesn't improve anything, explore anything, find anything, or teach anything.  Just encourages other foolish people to try some similar idiocy.

[JingerBen]

30 minutes ago, Usernames said:

Stupid, mindless stunt that doesn't improve anything, explore anything, find anything, or teach anything.  Just encourages other foolish people to try some similar idiocy.

For sure.

On a par with Evel Knievel.

What would possess a grown man with a family to do something like that?

[arjunadawn]

Long ago the Russians practiced dropping paratroopers into snow banks in order to accelerate soldiers on the scene engaging the enemy. Apparently it didn't go well. They had to slow the plane down faster then stall, be low enough, etc. but the forward through and near terminal velocity meant men were essentially lawn darts poking into their deaths. But there was an aim.

i have over 500 jumps, 300+ halo (approx 50+ ^23,300'). What f'ing moron thinks such an antic 'takes it to the next level?' No knowledge is gained.  we could have done this with frozen chickens. It's just stupid. I would never jump with a man who thought this was a good idea. 18,000 jumps or not, he demonstrates he's a danger to others. I would not even have a beer with him and I'm out of the Yuma/Wright Pat HALO background. Fool  

 

Edited August 1, 2016 by arjunadawn

[MaxYakov]

Errrr.  Could it be he did it chiefly for the money or just because he could?

Luke Aikins [wiki], besides his 18,000 jumps, seems to have some pretty good creds, BTW.

Luke's record should be questioned since an RAF tail gunner, flight sergeant Nicholas Stephen Alkemade (wiki), had allegedly already performed this stunt from 18,000 feet out of a burning Lancaster bomber over Germany during WW II. Nicholas said he decided to die of impact rather than burn to death in the aircraft.

I guess the motivations of the two were slightly different. 

[PETERTHEEATER]

“I mean, I’m almost levitating. It’s incredible, this thing that just happened."

What did he say before he uttered this sentence?

[Johpa]

On 8/1/2016 at 5:28 AM, arjunadawn said:

 I would never jump with a man who thought this was a good idea. 18,000 jumps or not, he demonstrates he's a danger to others. I would not even have a beer with him and I'm out of the Yuma/Wright Pat HALO background. Fool  

 

Well there are plenty within the US military community involved with HALO jumps who have had beers with this man.  And apart from being a most respected advisor to the military skydiving community, he is also one of the most respected stunt divers in North America. And this was a stunt, a well researched and rehearsed stunt that like most professional stunts went well and as planned.

[arjunadawn]

On August 2, 2016 at 3:34 PM, Johpa said:

Well there are plenty within the US military community involved with HALO jumps who have had beers with this man.  And apart from being a most respected advisor to the military skydiving community, he is also one of the most respected stunt divers in North America. And this was a stunt, a well researched and rehearsed stunt that like most professional stunts went well and as planned.

Maybe what you state is true. It's not remotely contrary in any event. Two things can be true at the same time. Also, he's not the first person to jump without a chute. Many have. Also, others have lived when the chute didn't open. I get 'pushing the envelope.' I don't accept this has.

 

It's just my opinion that it's stupid. But perhaps I am biased. Even as a jumper I have an extreme regard for heights. I was never remotely as good as this guy. Yes, I believe he is widely respected and likely drinks with some former instructors of mine or team mates. He's still an idiot.