Watch: 104-year-old woman jumps 13,500ft, aims at record for world’s oldest skydiver
104-year-old Dorothy Hoffner jumps 13,500ft to become world’s oldest skydiver record.
A 104-year-old woman, who is from Chicago, United States, has been aiming to get certified as the oldest person to ever skydive after she made a tandem jump from a height of 13,500ft in northern Illinois.
“Age is just a number,” said Dorothy Hoffner, while interacting with a cheering crowd seconds after she touched the ground on Sunday (Oct 1) at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, which is 85 miles (140km) south-west of Chicago, reported the Chicago Tribune.
In May 2022, the Guinness World Record for the world’s oldest skydiver was made by 103-year-old Linnea Ingegard Larsson from Sweden. However, Skydive Chicago has been working to get the jump of Hoffner certified as a record by the Guinness World Records, reported WLS-TV.
Hoffner attempted her first skydive at the age of 100. She left her walker behind on Sunday and sat beside others waiting inside to skydive. “Let’s go, let’s go, Geronimo!” said Hoffner, after she was finally seated.
When the woman first skydived, she stated that people had to push the woman out of the aircraft. However, on Sunday, the 104-year-old woman who was tethered to a US Parachute Association-certified instructor, insisted that she wished to lead the jump from 13,500ft (4,100 meters).
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The woman appeared calm and confident when the flight was aloft and the people onboard opened its aft door to reveal tan crop fields far below, shortly before she went towards the edge and leapt into the air.
The woman jumped out of the plane with her head first and completed a perfect forward roll in the sky before she flew stably in freefall as her belly faced the ground.
The woman dived for seven minutes, which included the slow descent of her parachute to the ground. As she landed on the ground, the woman clung to the harness over her narrow shoulders and softly landed on the grassy landing area.
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As soon as she landed, her friends rushed in to share congratulations as some brought the red walker of Hoffner. Speaking about how it felt to be back on the ground, Hoffner said, “Wonderful. But it was wonderful up there. The whole thing was delightful, wonderful, couldn’t have been better.”
After her jump, her mind of Hoffner quickly turned towards other challenges. The Chicago woman, who will turn 105 in December, stated that she might hop on a hot air balloon next time. “I’ve never been in one of those,” she stated.
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