Current:Home > MarketsChicago woman, 104, skydives from plane, aiming for record as the world’s oldest skydiver-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Chicago woman, 104, skydives from plane, aiming for record as the world’s oldest skydiver
View Date:2024-12-23 19:38:51
OTTAWA, Ill. (AP) — A 104-year-old Chicago woman is hoping to be certified as the oldest person to ever skydive after making a tandem jump Sunday and landing 13,500 feet (4,100 meters) later at a northern Illinois airport.
“Age is just a number,” Dorothy Hoffner told a cheering crowd moments after touching the ground Sunday at Skydive Chicago Airport in Ottawa, about 85 miles (140 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The Guinness World Record for oldest skydiver was set in May 2022 by 103-year-old Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson from Sweden. But Skydive Chicago is working to have Guinness World Records certify Hoffner’s jump as a record, WLS-TV reported.
Hoffner first skydived when she was 100. On Sunday, she left her walker behind just short of the Skyvan plane at the Ottawa airport and was helped up the steps to join the others waiting inside to skydive.
“Let’s go, let’s go, Geronimo!” Hoffner said after she was finally seated.
When she first skydived at 100 she had had to be pushed out of the aircraft. But on Sunday, tethered to a U.S. Parachute Association-certified instructor, Hoffner insisted on leading the jump.
She looked calm and confident when the plane was aloft and its aft door opened to reveal tan crop fields far below shortly before she shuffled toward the edge and leaped into the air.
The dive lasted seven minutes, and the plane beat Hoffner to the ground after her parachute opened for a slow descent. Finally, the wind pushed Hoffner’s white hair back as she clung to the harness draped over her narrow shoulders, picked up her legs as the ground neared and plopped onto a grassy area at the airport.
Friends rushed in to share congratulations, while someone brought over Hoffner’s red walker. She rose quickly and a reporter asked her how it felt to be back on the ground.
“Wonderful,” Hoffner said. “But it was wonderful up there. The whole thing was delightful, wonderful, couldn’t have been better.”
After her jump, Hoffner’s mind quickly turned to the future and other challenges. The lifelong Chicago woman, who’s set to turn 105 in December, said she might take a ride in a hot-air balloon next.
“I’ve never been in one of those,” she said.
veryGood! (36713)
Related
- QTM Community Introduce
- 72-year-old woman, 2 children dead after pontoon boat capsizes on Lake Powell in Arizona
- Kamala Harris energizes South Asian voters, a growing force in key swing states
- Delaware gubernatorial candidate calls for investigation into primary rival’s campaign finances
- Denzel Washington teases retirement — and a role in 'Black Panther 3'
- Francine Pascal, author of beloved ‘Sweet Valley High’ books, dead at 92
- Olympic men's triathlon event postponed due to pollution levels in Seine river
- Evacuations ordered for Colorado wildfire as blaze spreads near Loveland: See the map
- Judge sets April trial date for Sarah Palin’s libel claim against The New York Times
- A New York state police recruit is charged with assaulting a trooper and trying to grab his gun
Ranking
- Brian Austin Green’s Fiancée Sharna Burgess Celebrates Megan Fox’s Pregnancy News
- US Army soldier accused of selling sensitive military information changes plea to guilty
- Chants of 'Heil Hitler' shouted by antisemitic protestors at Israel Olympic soccer game
- Did the Olympics mock the Last Supper? Explaining Dionysus and why Christians are angry
- Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to kick off fundraising effort for Ohio women’s suffrage monument
- 8 US track and field athletes who could win Olympic gold: Noah, Sha'Carri, Sydney and more
- A Pretty Woman Reunion, Ben Affleck's Cold Feet and a Big Payday: Secrets About Runaway Bride Revealed
- Taylor Fritz playing tennis at Olympics could hurt his career. This is why he's in Paris
Recommendation
-
Jimmy Kimmel, more late-night hosts 'shocked' by Trump Cabinet picks: 'Goblins and weirdos'
-
Erica Ash, 'Mad TV' and 'Survivor's Remorse' star, dies at 46: Reports
-
Target denim take back event: Trade in your used jeans for a discount on a new pair
-
2024 Olympics: Colin Jost Shares Photo of Injured Foot After Surfing Event in Tahiti
-
Federal judge denies request to block measure revoking Arkansas casino license
-
Law school grads could earn licenses through work rather than bar exam in some states
-
2024 Olympics: Swimmer Ryan Murphy's Pregnant Wife Bridget Surprises Him by Revealing Sex of Baby at Race
-
Tesla recalling more than 1.8M vehicles due to hood issue