(TheRedWire.com) – A Chicago woman, 104, aimed to become the oldest person to have ever skydived. Dorothy Hoffner, who had to leave her walker on the ground to jump from the plane, told the crowd of onlookers that age was just a number after landing at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa.
The previous record for the oldest skydiver according to the Guinness World Record was done by Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson, 103, from Sweden. However, the Skydive Chicago center, which is only around 85 miles away from Chicago, is attempting to certify Hoffner’s jump.
Hoffner had tried skydiving for the first time at 100 years of age. To make the jump, Hoffner had to leave her walker behind. She also required assistance to help her up the stairs of the Skyvan plane. There, she joined a group of other people preparing to skydive.
Once seated in the plane, Hoffner stated, “Let’s go, let’s go, Geronimo!” While during her first time skydiving, the woman had been pushed out of the plane, on Sunday, Hoffner had led the jump while being tethered to a U.S. Parachute Association-certified instructor.
Throughout the activity, Hoffner remained calm, and she quickly leaped into the air after reaching the edge of the plane. Once out of the plane, she completed a forward roll and was stable as she free-fell to the ground.
The total time of the dive was around seven minutes, including the time required for her parachute to reach the ground slowly. When she landed, Hoffner brought up her legs and landed softly on the grass.
Unfortunately, just days later she passed away after attempting to complete the record breaking jump. We know one thing is for sure – she lived life to the fullest!
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