Skydivers Over Sixty World Record Attemp

100 Men And Women Over 60 Years Old Attempt A Skydiving World Record Senior skydivers are back to attempt giant freefall formation after narrowly missing the mark last year Perris, Calif. (March 27, 2023) – From April 13-16, 100 skydivers aged from 60 to 80 years old from around the globe will attempt a new world record by creating a giant formation in the sky of Skydive Perris, California. The current Skydivers Over Sixty (SOS) record was set in 2018 when 75 people connected in Illinois. To do so, they will jump simultaneously from five different airplanes and meet in the atmosphere at speeds exceeding 120 mph, where they will join hands and legs in a specific and predetermined order. They will have less than 60 seconds to complete the snowflake-like figure before flying away from each other to open their parachute safely. To succeed, every senior skydiver must be in their assigned position in the formation. It is a challenging feat to achieve, let alone when you are over 60 years old. Each attempt will be made from a minimum of 18,000 feet, an altitude so high that supplemental oxygen is required. Watch last year’s seventh attempt (Aerial videos by Luciano Bacque and Craig O’Brien) This fantastic team came incredibly close to breaking the record in 2022. It was a stressful four days; they almost succeeded on their first try, but the timing of their connection was off by mere seconds. On multiple consecutive attempts, just one jumper (a different person each time) was not able to join the formation in time. The weather also worked against them. They lost days of practice/attempts when grounded for safety due to high winds and clouds and could only attempt the record eight times. This year’s group is not only composed of professional skydivers but of people from all walks of life (most of them now retired): rocket scientists, physicians, fishers, nurses, venture capitalists, accountants, pilots, teachers, a mailman, a missionary, a roofer, a winemaker… and a female astronaut! Between all of them, they total about 670,000 skydives, an average of 6,400 jumps per person. The first one to jump out of an airplane did it in 1962, and the last a mere fifty years later. The main organizer Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld is a legend in the sport, multiple world champion with more than 30,000 skydives and author of “Above All Else.” “Last year worked perfectly—almost,” Brodsky-Chenfeld said. “Our strategy will be mostly the same. It’s all about every participant performing at the top of their game for one minute. And the same minute for all 100 of them.” Located in Riverside County, Skydive Perris is one of the biggest skydiving centers in the world, home to several world records and international events. With a fleet of eight aircraft dedicated to skydiving, a prestigious skydiving school, an on-site wind tunnel, a restaurant and a pool, people have traveled from all over the world to jump here for over 40 years. What: Skydivers Over Sixty world record attempts Who: 100 men and women from 60 to 80 years old, from all walks of life and countries Where: Skydive Perris, 2091 Goetz Road, Perris CA, 92570 – approximately an hour from Los Angeles When: Event Thursday, April 13 to Sunday, April 16, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT Why: To beat the current record (75) and show the world there is still a lot to life after 60 # # # About USPA Founded in 1946, the United States Parachute Association (USPA) is a nonprofit association dedicated to the promotion of safe skydiving nationwide, establishing strict safety standards, training policies and programs at more than 200 USPA-affiliated skydiving schools and centers throughout the United States. Each year, USPA’s 40,000 members and hundreds of thousands of first-timers make roughly 3.3 million jumps in the U.S. USPA represents skydivers before all levels of government, the public and the aviation industry and sanctions national skydiving competitions and records. For more information on making a first jump or to find a skydiving center near you, visit www.uspa.org or call 800.371.USPA.