Skydiver jumps, lands without chute

After a two-minute freefall, Luke Aikins landed dead centre in the 100-by-100-foot net on Saturday at a ranch on the outskirts of Simi Valley. 

As cheers erupted, Aikins quickly climbed out, and hugged his wife, Monica, who had been watching from the ground with their 4-year-old son and other family members. “I’m almost levitating, it’s incredible,” the jubilant skydiver said, raising his hands over his head as his wife held their son, who dozed in her arms.

“This thing just happened! I can’t even get the words out of my mouth,” he added as he thanked the dozens of crew members who spent two years helping him prepare for the jump, including those who assembled the fishing trawler-like net and made sure it really worked.

The stunt, broadcast live on for a TV special “Stride Gum Presents Heaven Sent,” nearly didn’t come off as planned when Aikins revealed just before climbing into his plane that the Screen Actors Guild had ordered him to wear a parachute to ensure his safety. 

Aikins didn’t say what prompted the original restriction, and representatives for the show and the Screen Actors Guild did not respond to phone and email messages. 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 dangerous.