Washington: American Luke Aikins leapt into the void at 25,000 feet on Sunday with no parachute or wingsuit, becoming the first skydiver to land safely on the ground in a net. Aikins — who has done movie stunts — spent a year and a half preparing for the death-defying feat, plummeting at 193 km per hour in Simi Valley, California. Fox television broadcast the two-minute jump live on an hour-long reality TV special.
(Left) After a two-minute freefall, Aikins landed dead center in the 100-by-100-foot net. Aikins created history when he became the first person to leap without a parachute and land in a net instead. (Photo: AP)
“Pay attention to the science and the math 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. He has made more than 18,000 skydiving jumps. After Sunday’s stunt, back on the ground, with his wife and family, he seemed stunned at his own bit of history-making. “I’m almost levitating, it’s incredible. The thing that just happened. The words I want to say I can’t even get out of my mouth,” he said.
