Dorothy Hoffner, aged 104, parachuted on Sunday October 1, 2023 in Ottawa (Illinois), not far from Chicago where she lives. The reckless American performed this jump in tandem with her instructor, Derek Baxter.
The duo jumped out of the plane at an altitude of 4.100 meters and returned to the ground seven minutes later. Dorothy Hoffner is not her first experience in the air since she made a parachute jump at the age of 100. Dorothy owes her baptism to Joe Conant, a nurse at the senior center where she lives. Over brunch in 2019, Joe shared his desire for skydiving which pleased the centenarian: “It looks interesting, I think I want to do that”. Together, they took the plunge… into the air and Dorothy loved the experience. To launch the first time, the retiree then needed to be pushed out of the plane to make the big dive. From now on, and as shown in the online videos, Dorothy sets off with enthusiasm, without nervousness. After placing her feet on dry land, the centenarian retrieved her cane which helps her walk. " It was wonderful. Floating down, it's so smooth, nice and peaceful. I just felt comfortable up there,” said Dorothy after her last jump. Joe Conant, who became her faithful friend, also skydived with her on October 1st. Skydive Chicago instructor Derek Baxter, whose tandem jump with Dorothy was her 10.402nd, said he wanted to make sure she could lift her legs when landing: "She did it much better than most people.” Born December 17, 1918 in Chicago, Dorothy Hoffner never married and had no children, which she said gave her more freedom in life. At 104 years old, Dorothy Hoffner, who is not particularly looking for thrills, became the oldest tandem skydiver in the world by performing this jump from 4.100 meters above sea level. Currently, the record for the oldest person to skydive is held by Swedish Linnéa Ingegard Larsson, in May 2022 at the age of 103. While waiting for her record to be approved by the Guinness Book of Records, the woman who will celebrate her 105th birthday next December is already preparing her next project, determined to satisfy her thirst for freedom: taking a hot air balloon ride. By adding, quite simply: “I have never been in one of these machines”. _VX
2,673 total views
No comments