The oldest tandem skydiver ever is a 104-year-old Chicago woman who gave up her walker and boarded a plane. This wasn’t even her first freefall.
On her 100th birthday, Dorothy Hoffner made her first skydive, but she later asked to do it again because she didn’t want to be thrown out of the plane, according to CNBC. She desired to make the first jump.
She did precisely that on Sunday. According to NBC Chicago, Hoffner fell from a plane 13,500 feet in the air while attached to a Skydive Chicago instructor. She parachuted down to a grass landing place in the Ottowa, Illinois, countryside, her white hair flowing in the breeze.
The Associated Press reports that Hoffner said to the gathering of supporters, “Age is just a number,” just after touching the ground. She received her red walker back after receiving applause and congratulations from her friends and family.
Hoffner resides in a Chicago assisted living residence. She got the inspiration for her crazy pastime from there.
She claimed in an interview with The New York Times that when a friend of hers discussed going skydiving, Hoffner responded, “I want to do that.”
In an interview with CNBC, Hoffner remarked, “Coming down with a parachute on top of you is fun and it seemed so nice and peaceful.” The entire countryside was visible; it was stunning.
Hoffner applied to Guinness World Records, which stated that it was seeking documentation before evaluating the record-breaking attempt. Normally, the review procedure takes 12 to 15 weeks.
The former tandem parachute world record holder, 103-year-old Rut Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson, accomplished this feat in Sweden last year. Hoffner and Larsson were both born in 1918. Maria Yegella earned the record for the oldest solo parachute jumper last year in Florida at the age of 84.
A hot-air balloon ride is the next excursion Hoffner has planned, according to the AP.