A centenarian from Chicago, Dorothy Hoffner, aged 104, may soon be certified as the world’s oldest skydiver. On Sunday, she took the plunge at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, delighting onlookers and potentially breaking a world record in the process.
After her exhilarating dive, Hoffner was greeted with cheers and applause. “Age is just a number,” she confidently remarked to the crowd, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
She’s challenging a record set just last year, in May 2022, by Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson of Sweden, who was 103 at the time. Skydive Chicago is collaborating with Guinness World Records to get Hoffner’s brave leap officially recognized.
This isn’t Hoffner’s first time jumping out of a plane. She first tried skydiving at the age of 100. On this recent occasion, she boarded a Skyvan aircraft, leaving her walker on the ground. With enthusiastic vigor, Hoffner exclaimed, “Let’s go, let’s go, Geronimo!” once seated.
Interestingly, during her initial skydiving experience, she needed a little push to exit the aircraft. However, this time around, tethered to a certified instructor from the US Parachute Association, Hoffner took charge, jumping from an impressive 13,500 feet.
Spectators watched in awe as Hoffner, with grace and confidence, executed a perfect forward roll in the sky after jumping out of the plane. She spent a total of seven minutes in the air, from her thrilling freefall to her gentle parachute landing.
Upon landing, friends surrounded and congratulated Hoffner. When asked about the experience, she described it as “delightful, wonderful, couldn’t have been better.”
Having already ticked skydiving off her bucket list twice now, Hoffner is looking ahead. The adventurous lady, turning 105 in December, expressed an interest in hot-air ballooning, revealing, “I’ve never been in one of those.”