Luke Aikins (born November 21, 1973)[1] is an American professional skydiver, BASE jumper, pilot, and aerial photographer. He is the first person to intentionally dive from mid-tropospheric altitude and land safely without a parachute or a wingsuit and the second skydiver to intentionally jump and safely land without using a parachute.[4][5][6]
Luke Aikins | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 21, 1973 Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Skydiver, pilot, stuntman, photographer |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Known for | First person to intentionally skydive and land without a parachute or a wingsuit and survive |
| Spouse | Monica Lee Aikins[2] |
| Children | Logan (son)[3] |
Sky diving
editAikins has coached United States Navy SEALs and NASCAR's Brian Vickers, and has advised the military on skydiving techniques.[8][9] He is also a safety and training advisor for the United States Parachute Association.[9][10] He is also an aerial photographer and his photos have been published in major magazines and newspapers.[1] He has completed more than 18,000 jumps since he started skydiving at age 12.[11]
In 2012, he helped skydiver Felix Baumgartner jump from a helium balloon in the stratosphere at 120,000 feet (36,576 m).[12][13] Aikins also worked on stunts in the film Iron Man 3.[14]
In 2020, he helped David Blaine with his Ascension stunt.
July 2016 jump
edit| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Heaven Sent Stride Gum Presents Heaven Sent: A Mad Intense Jump | |
| Local news interview Luke Aikins 25,000-Foot Freefall[15] |
On July 30, 2016, Aikins jumped from an aircraft without any parachute or wingsuit at an altitude of 25,000 feet (7,620 m) above Simi Valley, California, watched by a live audience. After about two minutes of free fall he successfully landed in a 100-by-100-foot (30 by 30 m) net just outside of Simi Valley, California.[16][4] Aikins reached a terminal velocity of 120 miles per hour (193 km/h) during the fall.[14] The net was made from Spectra, a high-density polyethylene cord.[17] It had four compressed air cylinders designed to gently slow him down after impact.[17] The first skydiver to intentionally jump and land without using a parachute was Gary Connery in 2012 who wore a wingsuit to aid his landing.[18]
Although several news articles headlines describe Aikins achievement by focusing on the fact that he jumped and went to freefall without parachute, many others have jumped from aircraft without having a parachute when they departed the plane – they were either handed a parachute by a fellow jumper while in freefall or maneuvered to a container carrying a parachute, with first successes dating back to 1965.[19] Others have jumped out of an aircraft and returned to the same or another aircraft without making use of parachute.[20][21]
Red Bull plane-swap stunt crash
editDuring the highly publicized stunt staged as a Hulu On-Demand special event, he and his cousin Andy Farrington attempted and failed to swap planes mid air, resulting in the total loss of one plane.[22]
Aikins and Farrington had been denied permission to undertake the stunt by the Federal Aviation Administration, and subsequently had their pilot licenses revoked by the FAA.[23]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Luke Aikins". Red Bull. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ Dunlap, Tiare (July 26, 2016). "Meet the Husband and Father Who's Skydiving from 25,000 Feet Without a Parachute". People. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ "Skydiver Luke Aikins makes parachute-free jump". CBS News. July 30, 2016.
- ^ a b Rogers, John (July 31, 2016). "Skydiver becomes first person to jump and land without chute, a net was used". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ "Skydiver to jump from plane without a parachute on live TV". The Guardian. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ Rogers, John (August 4, 2016). "Skydiver becomes first person to jump and land without chute". Herald-Review.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ Pool, Michael Clark (October 26, 2021). "Luke Aikins". Red Bull. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ "Contracting Profile: Para Tactics LLC Shelton WA". govtribe.com. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ a b "Skydiver becomes first person to jump and land without a parachute". Mashable. Associated Press. July 31, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ Staff. "Profile – Luke Aikins | D-21189". parachutistonline.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ Astor, Maggie (July 30, 2016). "Skydiver Survives Jump From 25,000 Feet, and Without a Parachute". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ "Luke Aikins". Red Bull Stratos. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ Levine, Aaron (July 18, 2016). "Graham's Luke Aikins prepares for 25,000-foot jump without a parachute". KCPQ. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ a b "World first: Skydiver plummets 25,000 feet – with no parachute". CNN. July 31, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
- ^ "Daredevil survives 25,000-foot jump without chute over Simi Valley | Video". Ventura County Star. Associated Press. July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ "Skydiver Luke Aikins Lands History-Making Jump From 25,000 Feet – With No Parachute or Wing Suit – For "Stride Gum Presents Heaven Sent"" (Press release). Mondelez International. July 31, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016 – via PR Newswire.
- ^ a b "This Man Jumped Out of a Plane With No Parachute". National Geographic. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
- ^ Cooper, Charlie (May 23, 2012). "Gary Connery lands safely after 2,400 ft helicopter jump without parachute". The Independent. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ "Jumping without a parachute". The Washington Post. August 23, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ "Plane to Plane Exchange". Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ "Wingsuit History". Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ "F.A.A. Revokes Pilot Licenses After Midair Plane-Swapping Stunt". The New York Times. May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ Mendoza, Jordan. "Pilots who unsuccessfully attempted first-ever 'plane swap' have licenses revoked by FAA". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
External links
edit- Millward, David (July 31, 2016). "Skydiver makes history by jumping 25,000 feet into a net without a parachute". The Daily Telegraph.