Chicago woman, 104, aiming for record as world's oldest skydiver
A 104-year-old Chicago woman is proving that dreams really do come true by trying to become the world's oldest skydiver. (Skydive Chicago via FOX 32 Chicago)
Dorothy Hoffner, the 104-year-old Chicagoan who recently attempted to set the world record as the oldest person to parachute from a plane, died Monday, a report says.
A spokesperson for Hoffner told the Chicago Sun-Times they were honored that the skydiving experience from Oct. 1 was able to serve as an incredible cap to her "exciting, well-lived life."
"Age is just a number," Hoffner told a cheering crowd moments after touching the ground at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, about 85 miles southwest of the Windy City, the Chicago Tribune reported.
She left her walker on the ground as she made the tandem jump in northern Illinois.
CHICAGO WOMAN, 104, JUMPS FROM PLANE, AIMING FOR RECORD AS WORLD'S OLDEST SKYDIVER
Dorothy Hoffner, 104, descends with tandem jumper Derek Baxter as she tries to become the oldest person to skydive, Oct. 1, 2023, in Ottawa, Illinois. (Daniel Wilsey via AP)
It was her second time falling from the sky, following her first jump when she was 100 and had to be pushed out of the aircraft. This most recent time, Hoffner insisted on leading the jump from 13,500 feet while tethered to a U.S. Parachute Association-certified instructor.
The dive lasted seven minutes, including her parachute's slow descent to the ground, the Associated Press reported. Coming in to land with the wind pushing Hoffner's white hair back, she clung to the harness over her narrow shoulders, picked up her legs and plopped softly onto the grassy landing area.
Friends rushed Hoffner to wish her congratulations while someone brought over her walker.
"The whole thing was delightful, wonderful, couldn’t have been better," said Hoffner, who would have turned 105 in December. She had wanted to take a hot-air balloon ride next.
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"The whole thing was delightful, wonderful, couldn’t have been better," said Dorothy Hoffner, who would have turned 105 in December. (Daniel Wilsey via AP)
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"We look forward to receiving evidence from Dorothy’s attempt for our Records Management Team to review," a spokesperson for Guinness World Records Limited said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The current record for the title of the oldest tandem parachute jump female was set in May 2022 by 103-year-old Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson from Sweden.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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