Pilot cousins will attempt to skydive into each other's PLANES
Pilot cousins will attempt to skydive into each other’s PLANES after putting them into 120mph nosedives 14,000 feet above Arizona in never-before-seen air stunt
- On April 24, skydiving cousins Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington will make history with the first-ever dual skydive into separate airplanes
- The Red Bull Air Force pilots will be the first to ever try a stunt that combines formation flying and skydiving
- On Sunday the pair will take off from Sawtooth Airport in Elroy, Arizona, both piloting their own Cessna 182 single-seat aircrafts 14,000 feet in the air
- Once side by side in the air the planes will fall into a nosedive at 120 mph, using a custom airbrake that holds the aircrafts in a controlled decedent
- During descent, Aikins and Farrington will freefly skydive into the others aircraft and take control of the planes, completing the plane swap
A pair of pilot cousins will attempt to skydive into each other’s plane after putting both aircraft into nosedives in a dangerous stunt that’s never been attempted before.
On April 24, skydiving cousins Luke Aikins, 48, and Andy Farrington, 39, will make history when they attempt to switch airplanes midair, making it the first-ever dual skydive into separate airplanes.
They’ll do so while the planes are traveling at 120mph 14,000 feet above Arizona, with their attempt streamed live on Hulu from 7pm ET Sunday.
The Red Bull Air Force pilots will be the first to ever try a stunt that combines formation flying and skydiving.
But the cousins, based out of Washington, are experienced pilots and free fallers who have been skydiving for decades.
In 2019, Luke became the first person ever to survive a skydive with no parachute. He jumped out of a plane at 25,000 feet, then used special sensors to guide himself to a landing net.
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Skydiving cousins Luke Aikins, 48, and Andy Farrington, 39, will make history when they attempt to switch airplanes midair, making it the first-ever dual skydive into separate airplanes. They are pictured during a practice run in March
Luke, left, and Andy, right, are experienced pilots and free fallers who have been skydiving for decades
In 2016, Aikins set a world record by freefalling 25,000 feet without a parachute and Farrington won the Red Bull Championship in 2003 and has recorded over 27,000 jumps- 100 of those with his older cousin.
On Sunday the pair will take off from Sawtooth Airport in Elroy, Arizona, both piloting their own Cessna 182 single-seat aircrafts 14,000 feet in the air.
Once side by side in the air the planes will fall into a nosedive at 120 mph, using a custom airbrake that holds the aircrafts in a controlled decedent.
During descent, Aikins and Farrington will freefly skydive into the others aircraft and once inside the cockpit disengage the airbrake systems and take control of the planes, completing the plane swap.
The stunt, which will be livestreamed on Hulu at 7 pm, has been 10 years in the making and the next step for Red Bull Air Force events, which achieved a glider to glider midair transfer in 2010.
On Sunday the pair will take off from Sawtooth Airport in Elroy, Arizona, both piloting their own Cessna 182 single-seat aircrafts 14,000 feet in the air
Aikins and Farrington will freefly skydive into the others aircraft and once inside the cockpit disengage the airbrake systems and take control of the planes, completing the plane swap
The cousins worked with fellow pilot and engineer Paulo Iscold to make the ‘plane swap’ stunt come to life
The cousins worked with fellow pilot and engineer Paulo Iscold to make the ‘plane swap’ stunt come to life.
He worked on designing the air-brakes that will keep the planes in a controlled vertical descent, slowing the planes down as they freefall towards the ground.
The cousins have already done several practice jumps from planes with the speed brakes installed and Farrington told Redbull they almost have it down.
‘It’s taking almost every notion of flight and almost crumpling up and throwing it away,’ Farrington said. ‘Like, we’re trying to create some drag. We’re trying to make the airplane fly straight down at a reasonable speed and making it so it works for our needs. With the science behind it, the data and everything that we adjusted and tweaked, it’s really close to being the way we want it.’
Despite the huge risk involved in this never-before-seen stunt, Aikins says he is ready for the challenge.
‘It’s the pinnacle of my career, and my goal is to inspire the world and show that anything is possible,’ Aikins said in a statement. ‘You can set your mind on something that at times seems wild, crazy and unattainable, but through ambition and creativity, you can make it happen.’
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