Skydiver jumps from 25,000 feet without a parachute

42-year-old professional skydiver and stunt man Luke Aikins has made history on Saturday, by jumping off an airplane at 25,000 feet without wearing a parachute, landing in a 100ft by 100ft net.

After 18 months of preparation, the Screen Actors Guild almost put a spanner in the works by insisting that he wore a parachute for the stunt as a precaution.

However following further negotiations, which continued while the plane was climbing to the jumping altitude, the Guild had a change of heart and the requirement was lifted.

Mr Aikins said the need to wear a parachute would have made the jump more dangerous because of the need to adjust his position as he approached the net.

The Telegraph