LAKE ELSINORE, Calif., Nov. 21 (UPI) — An 80-year-old man broke six skydiving records by making 80 skydiving jumps over a 6 1/2-hour period in Lake Elsinore, Calif.
The man, Pat Moorehead of Long Beach, was celebrating his 80th birthday Sunday with an epic skydiving adventure, The (Riverside) Press-Enterprise reported.
Low clouds threatened to cancel the event, but the weather ultimately cooperated and Moorehead accomplished his goal.
"The plane has to be at least 2,000 feet in altitude for him to make a jump, so we will be keeping an eye on the clouds," explained Lyn Fogleman, one of the safety officers at Skydive Elsinore.
Moorehead said he made his first jump in 1960 in Lake Elsinore.
"I was a firefighter and some of the guys and I saw a program on skydiving and we all decided to give it a try," Moorehead said.
A team of three planes and 50 volunteers helped Moorehead reach his goal of 80 jumps during the day. Once a plane reached the right altitude, Moorehead jumped out and floated to the ground, where volunteers removed his parachute and place another pre-packed parachute on him before he ran aboard a waiting plane.
"It was really fun and the weather really wasn't an issue," said Jeff Winkler, who piloted 22 of the 80 jumps Sunday.
Moorehead's granddaughter and fellow skydiver, Chrysta Whitten, watched and cheered Moorehead on as he jumped over and over.
"I grew up in the drop-zone and watching him jump," Whitten said. "It takes a certain kind of person to skydive. I've been jumping for over two years and I think it's awesome.
Moorehead, who has more than 6,000 jumps under his belt, broke six skydiving records Sunday, three in the over-70 years old category and three in the over-80 category.
Original Page: http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/11/21/80-year-old-man-makes-80-skydives/UPI-72511321926870/