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Luke Aikins (born November 21, 1973) 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.

Aikins is affiliated with Red Bull.

Sky diving

Aikins has coached United States Navy SEALs and NASCAR's Brian Vickers, and has advised the military on skydiving techniques. He is also a safety and training advisor for the United States Parachute Association. He is also an aerial photographer and his photos have been published in major magazines and newspapers. He has completed more than 18,000 jumps since he started skydiving at age 12.

In 2012, he helped skydiver Felix Baumgartner jump from a helium balloon in the stratosphere at 120,000 feet (36,576 m). Aikins also worked on stunts in the film Iron Man 3.

In 2020, he helped David Blaine with his Ascension stunt.

July 2016 jump

External videos
Heaven Sent Stride Gum Presents Heaven Sent: A Mad Intense Jump
Local news interview Luke Aikins 25,000-Foot Freefall

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. Aikins reached a terminal velocity of 120 miles per hour (193 km/h) during the fall. The net was made from Spectra, a high-density polyethylene cord. It had four compressed air cylinders designed to gently slow him down after impact. 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.

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. Others have jumped out of an aircraft and returned to the same or another aircraft without making use of parachute.

Red Bull plane-swap stunt crash

During 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.

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.

References

1. ^ "Luke Aikins". Red Bull. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
2. 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.
3. "Skydiver Luke Aikins makes parachute-free jump". CBS News. July 30, 2016.
4. ^ 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.
5. "Skydiver to jump from plane without a parachute on live TV". The Guardian. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
6. 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.
7. Pool, Michael Clark (October 26, 2021). "Luke Aikins". Red Bull. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
8. "Contracting Profile: Para Tactics LLC Shelton WA". govtribe.com. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
9. ^ "Skydiver becomes first person to jump and land without a parachute". Mashable. Associated Press. July 31, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
10. Staff. "Profile – Luke Aikins | D-21189". parachutistonline.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
11. Astor, Maggie (July 30, 2016). "Skydiver Survives Jump From 25,000 Feet, and Without a Parachute". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
12. "Luke Aikins". Red Bull Stratos. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
13. Levine, Aaron (July 18, 2016). "Graham's Luke Aikins prepares for 25,000-foot jump without a parachute". KCPQ. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
14. ^ "World first: Skydiver plummets 25,000 feet – with no parachute". CNN. July 31, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
15. "Daredevil survives 25,000-foot jump without chute over Simi Valley | Video". Ventura County Star. Associated Press. July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
16. "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.
17. ^ "This Man Jumped Out of a Plane With No Parachute". National Geographic. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
18. Cooper, Charlie (May 23, 2012). "Gary Connery lands safely after 2,400 ft helicopter jump without parachute". The Independent. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
19. "Jumping without a parachute". The Washington Post. August 23, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
20. "Plane to Plane Exchange". Retrieved October 12, 2018.
21. "Wingsuit History". Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
22. "F.A.A. Revokes Pilot Licenses After Midair Plane-Swapping Stunt". The New York Times. May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
23. Mendoza, Jordan. "Pilots who unsuccessfully attempted first-ever 'plane swap' have licenses revoked by FAA". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 13, 2023.

External links

• Millward, David (July 31, 2016). "Skydiver makes history by jumping 25,000 feet into a net without a parachute". The Daily Telegraph.

• 1973 births
• Living people
• American skydivers
• American stunt performers
• Sports world record holders
• People from Pierce County, Washington
• Sportspeople from Corpus Christi, Texas