Skydiver to jump out of plane without parachute


AP

Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print


Luke Aikins is not alone and joins the list of these outrageously dangerous endeavours -- some of which ended in deaths.

In this July 25, 2016 photo, skydiver Luke Aikins jumps from a helicopter during his training in Simi Valley, California. After months of training, this elite skydiver says he’s ready to leave his parachute in the plane when he bails out 25,000 feet above Simi Valley on Saturday. That’s right, no parachute, no wingsuit and no fellow skydiver with an extra one to hand him in mid-air.

Although he’s one of the most accomplished skydivers in the world, Luke Aikins will tell you what he’s about to do -- jump out of a plane without a parachute -- is one crazy stunt.

“If I wasn’t nervous I would be stupid,” Aikins, who has jumped 18,000 times with a parachute, said recently as he prepared to jump from 25,000 feet without one. He plans to land in a giant net for a program being broadcast live Saturday on Fox.

Crazy perhaps, but only the latest in a long line of outrageous endeavors.

Here are 10 of the craziest and most dangerous:

Evel Knievel’s Snake River Canyon jump

After years of jumping motorcycles over buses, trucks and fountains, and breaking many of his bones, Knievel decided to ride a rocket-powered motorcycle across a mile-wide chasm in Utah’s Snake River Canyon on September 8, 1974.

He didn’t make it, his cycle crashing on the canyon floor below. His escape chute deployed prematurely, likely saving his life.

Felix Baumgartner’s stratosphere jump

The Austrian daredevil became the first skydiver to break the speed of sound when he jumped from a small capsule 24 miles above Earth on October 14, 2012, and landed safely on the ground near Roswell, New Mexico, nine minutes later.

Aikins had helped train Baumgartner for that stunt and was the backup jumper.

The Trade Towers walk

Philippe Petit and his companions surreptitiously strung a wire between New York City’s then-recently constructed World Trade Towers on August 6, 1974, and Petit walked across it the next day. He danced, strutted and clowned around for 45 minutes as startled bystanders watched from 110 stories below.

The Frenchman’s stunt is the subject of the 2008 documentary “Man on Wire” and the 2015 film “The Walk.”

Karl Wallenda’s final walk

The patriarch of the famous German high-wire-walking family plunged to his death on March 22, 1978, while attempting to cross a wire strung between two hotel towers in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Although the 73-year-old Wallenda had performed much more difficult stunts, a wind gust caught him off guard and he fell. In 2012, his great-grandson, Nik Wallenda, became the first person to walk a tightrope across Niagara Falls. And a year later, he tight-roped across a gorge near the Grand Canyon.

Move over Knievel

Record-setting Australian motorcycle daredevil Robbie Maddison rang in 2009 by flying his bike 120 feet through the air and landing on Paris Las Vegas hotel’s 96-foot-high arch. The feat put a gash in one hand that required 10 stitches.

Noting afterward that he’d previously broken his neck, wrist and collarbone doing stunts, Maddison said he considered this injury no more than a paper cut.

Mike Hughes’ steam-powered rocket jump

Using a rocket powered by the same technology as Knievel’s Snake River motorcycle, Hughes soared 1,374 feet across the Arizona desert in January 2014, staggering out of the contraption after it landed. He plans a longer jump later this year.

Dean Potter’s last BASE Jump

One of the sport’s most acclaimed and safety-conscious jumpers, Dean Potter (43) was attempting a twilight wing-suit leap from Yosemite National Park’s Taft Point on May 16, 2015, when something went wrong and he plunged to his death. Graham Hunt, a friend jumping with him, also died. BASE jumping is an acronym for leaping from a building, antenna, span or Earth and is banned in Yosemite, although it occurs there with some regularity.

Johnny Strange’s final flight

The American adventurer, who at 17 became the youngest person to summit the highest mountains on all seven continents, was 23 last October when he crashed into a mountain in the Swiss Alps while filming a video for a new wing-suit. The day before, he’d posted on social media stunning close-to-the-ground photos he’d taken, but he’d also noted the weather had been unpredictable.

Feats of the ‘French Spiderman’

“Urban climber” Alain Robert has scaled the tallest structures all over the world, often without ropes or harnesses and sometimes illegally. On Christmas Day 2004 he climbed to the top of Taiwan’s Taipei 101 Building, which at the time was the world’s tallest. Braving rain and wind, he climbed for four hours to get to the top, stopping along the way to chat with Taiwan’s President.

Changing planes midair

That’s what Paul Steiner did in 2010 when he climbed out of one glider flying at about 100 miles per hour over Austria, jumped onto the wing of another and then stood up and grabbed hold of the tail wing of the first plane as they flew in tandem. Steiner was wearing a parachute at the time, which he used to get back to the ground safely.

Write your Comments on this Article
Your Name
Native Place / Place of Residence
Your E-mail
Your Comment   You have characters left.
Security Validation
Enter the characters in the image above
    
Disclaimer: Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Kemmannu.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.
Please note that under 66A of the IT Act, sending offensive or menacing messages through electronic communication service and sending false messages to cheat, mislead or deceive people or to cause annoyance to them is punishable. It is obligatory on kemmannu.com to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request. Hence, sending offensive comments using kemmannu.com will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Kemmannu.com be held responsible.
Similarly, Kemmannu.com reserves the right to edit / block / delete the messages without notice any content received from readers.




Symphony98 Releases Soul-Stirring Rendition of Len
View More

Rozaricho Gaanch April, 2024 - Ester issueRozaricho Gaanch April, 2024 - Ester issue
Final Journey Of Theresa D’Souza (79 years) | LIVE From Kemmannu | Udupi |Final Journey Of Theresa D’Souza (79 years) | LIVE From Kemmannu | Udupi |
Invest Smart and Earn Big!

Creating a World of Peaceful Stay!

For the Future Perfect Life that you Deserve! Contact : Rohan Corporation, Mangalore.Invest Smart and Earn Big! <P>Creating a World of Peaceful Stay! <P>For the Future Perfect Life that you Deserve! Contact : Rohan Corporation, Mangalore.


Final Journey Of Joe Victor Lewis (46 years) | LIVE From Kemmannu | Organ Donor | Udupi |Final Journey Of Joe Victor Lewis (46 years) | LIVE From Kemmannu | Organ Donor | Udupi |
Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Udupi - Parish Bulletin - Feb 2024 IssueMilagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Udupi - Parish Bulletin - Feb 2024 Issue
Easter Vigil 2024 | Holy Saturday | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu, Udupi | LIVEEaster Vigil 2024 | Holy Saturday | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu, Udupi | LIVE
Way Of Cross on Good Friday 2024 | Live From | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu, Udupi | LIVEWay Of Cross on Good Friday 2024 | Live From | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu, Udupi | LIVE
Good Friday 2024 | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | LIVE | UdupiWay Of Cross on Good Friday 2024 | Live From | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu, Udupi | LIVE
2 BHK Flat for sale on the 6th floor of Eden Heritage, Santhekatte, Kallianpur, Udupi2 BHK Flat for sale on the 6th floor of Eden Heritage,  Santhekatte, Kallianpur, Udupi.
Maundy Thursday 2024 | LIVE From St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | Udupi |Maundy Thursday 2024 | LIVE From St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | Udupi |
Kemmennu for sale 1 BHK 628 sqft, Air Conditioned flatKemmennu for sale 1 BHK 628 sqft, Air Conditioned  flat
Symphony98 Releases Soul-Stirring Rendition of Lenten Hymn "Khursa Thain"Symphony98 Releases Soul-Stirring Rendition of Lenten Hymn
Palm Sunday 2024 at St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | LIVEPalm Sunday 2024 at St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | LIVE
Final Journey of Patrick Oliveira (83 years) || LIVE From KemmannuFinal Journey of Patrick Oliveira (83 years) || LIVE From Kemmannu
Carmel School Science Exhibition Day || Kmmannu ChannelCarmel School Science Exhibition Day || Kmmannu Channel
Final Journey of Prakash Crasta | LIVE From Kemmannu || Kemmannu ChannelFinal Journey of Prakash Crasta | LIVE From Kemmannu || Kemmannu Channel
ಪ್ರಗತಿ ಮಹಿಳಾ ಮಹಾ ಸಂಘ | ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯಾಂಚ್ಯಾ ದಿಸಾಚೊ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ್ 2024 || ಸಾಸ್ತಾನ್ ಘಟಕ್ಪ್ರಗತಿ ಮಹಿಳಾ ಮಹಾ ಸಂಘ | ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯಾಂಚ್ಯಾ ದಿಸಾಚೊ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ್ 2024 || ಸಾಸ್ತಾನ್ ಘಟಕ್
Valentine’s Day Special❤️||Multi-lingual Covers || Symphony98 From KemmannuValentine’s Day Special❤️||Multi-lingual Covers || Symphony98 From Kemmannu
Rozaricho Gaanch December 2023 issue, Mount Rosary Church Santhekatte Kallianpur, UdupiRozaricho Gaanch December 2023 issue, Mount Rosary Church Santhekatte Kallianpur, Udupi
An Ernest Appeal From Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Diocese of UdupiAn Ernest Appeal From Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Diocese of Udupi
Diocese of Udupi - Uzvd Decennial Special IssueDiocese of Udupi - Uzvd Decennial Special Issue
Final Journey Of Canute Pinto (52 years) | LIVE From Mount Rosary Church | Kallianpura | UdupiFinal Journey Of Canute Pinto (52 years) | LIVE From Mount Rosary Church | Kallianpura | Udupi
Earth Angels Anniversary | Comedy Show 2024 | Live From St. Theresa’s Church | Kemmannu | UdupiEarth Angels Anniversary | Comedy Show 2024 | Live From St. Theresa’s Church | Kemmannu | Udupi
Confraternity Sunday | St. Theresa’s Church, KemmannuConfraternity Sunday | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu
Kemmannu Cricket Match 2024 | LIVE from KemmannuKemmannu Cricket Match 2024 | LIVE from Kemmannu
Naturya - Taste of Namma Udupi - Order NOWNaturya - Taste of Namma Udupi - Order NOW
New Management takes over Bannur Mutton, Santhekatte, Kallianpur. Visit us and feel the difference.New Management takes over Bannur Mutton, Santhekatte, Kallianpur. Visit us and feel the difference.
Focus Studio, Near Hotel Kidiyoor, UdupiFocus Studio, Near Hotel Kidiyoor, Udupi