Skydiver becomes first person to jump and land without chute

American Luke Aikins has become the first person to jump from 25,000 ft (7,620m) without a parachute, landing safely in a net.

He then climbed out of the net and embraced his wife, Monica, who was among a cheering group of family and friends, including their 4-year-old son, Aikins’ dad, two brothers and a sister, who’d all anxiously watched the breathtaking spectacle. The words I want to say I can’t even get out of my mouth.

Aikins said he considered pulling out at that point because having the parachute canister on his back would make his landing in the net far more unsafe.

“Less than 24 hours ago, I was informed that I’m gonna have to wear a parachute to do this jump”, he said. All it took were two minutes, 25,000 feet and years of preparation. One of them was holding a camera, another was releasing smoke so the people on the ground could follow his descent while the third was carrying canned oxygen.

Aikins prepared for the jump dozens of times before the actual stunt but always with a parachute and opening it at the last possible moment.

Aikins admitted before the jump he was nervous and his mother said she was one family member who wouldn’t watch.

“They’re very similar to the lights that a pilot sees when landing a plane at an airport”, said Talley.

If you’ve ever skydived, you’ll know that it’s an incredible experience. I imagine it was filled with all sorts of interviews and footage of the 42-year-old’s previous jumps. He worked with Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian skydiver who set the record for the highest jump in 2012, falling 128,000 feet from the edge of space.

Luke Aikins is a seasoned skydiver and also serves as safety and training advisor for Unites States Parachute Association.