- On April 15, 101 skydivers broke a record for the largest freefall formation for people over age 60.
- They successfully joined hands and legs while freefalling at speeds of 120 mph.
Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld has jumped out of a plane more than 30,000 times.
But the former skydiving coach told Insider that it was his jumps on April 15 that were ones that he won't soon forget.
It wasn't because the jump took place in an unusual destination or at an extreme height. Rather, it was because Brodsky-Chenfeld was part of a group of 101 skydivers who set out to break the world record for the largest freefall formation for people aged 60 and older.
The group, ranging in ages between 60 and 80, successfully formed a snowflake-like figure in the air before releasing their parachutes and landing.
To break the record, the 101 seniors jumped out of five planes
The 101 people are part of the Skydivers Over Sixty group, which is composed of people from around the world and includes mostly retirees.
Brodsky-Chenfeld, who was the main organizer of the event, said some of his fellow jumpers have been skydiving for decades, while others picked up the sport in retirement. Their backgrounds include a former astronaut, a venture capitalist, a winemaker, teachers, nurses, and physicians. Together, the group has recorded 670,000 skydives, which is an average of 6,400 jumps per person, according to a statement sent to Insider from Skydive Perris, a facility Brodsky-Chenfeld manages outside of Los Angeles.
The same group first set the record in 2018 when 75 people successfully jumped and created a snowflake-like formation mid-air.
This year, they attempted to set the record again — this time with 101 people.
On April 15, the group met at the Skydive Perris, and boarded five airplanes, which took them to an elevation of 18,000 feet.
Then, they jumped.
As they freefell at speeds reaching 120 miles an hour, the group had just one minute to join hands and legs to create a figure that looked similar to a snowflake.
After that one minute was up, they released their grips, spread apart, opened their parachutes, and landed.
As seniors, Brodsky-Chenfeld said the task can be quite challenging. The group lacks the flexibility that young people have, which he said makes arching and moving in the air more difficult.
Brodsky-Chenfeld said the first few jumps on April 15 were practice jumps. On the fourth try, they successfully made the formation, held it for seven seconds, and broke the world record.
"It was pure joy to be able to celebrate this accomplishment with everybody," Brodsky-Chenfeld said.
The group failed to break the record last year
Last year, the group failed to break the record. They tried multiple times, but each time, there was a different skydiver who wasn't able to join the formation in time, Brodsky-Chenfeld said.
Brodsky-Chenfeld was part of that group last year and remembers just how close they were to reaching the goal.
"Since we were so close, we had no choice but to come back and do it again," he said.
He added that the failed attempts are a reflection of how much skill and preparation goes into the day. Before jumping, a group works together to design a formation. Brodsky-Chenfeld said that each person in the group has a specific spot in the figure.
"There's a lot of choreography," he said.
Once people know their spots, the group has to time the jumps perfectly. When the five planes reach their set altitude, the skydivers jump and fly toward one another to start building the formation. Depending on the weight and size of a person, they might fall slower or faster, which is also taken into account. If just one person grabs the wrong wrist or leg, the formation won't be complete, which is what happened last year, he explained.
And while Brodsky-Chenfeld said the attempt last year was an incredible experience, the group was determined to break the record this time.
But they didn't break just one record. They broke two.
The group broke a second world record the same weekend
After achieving their goal on April 15, 95 members stuck around to attempt to beat another record the following day.
This time, they successfully made what's called a two-point, sequential formation. This involved 95 skydivers jumping out of planes, creating a snowflake figure, releasing their grips on each others' hands and legs, and then forming a second figure, according to a statement sent to Insider from Skydive Perris. Previously, a group of 60 from Skydivers Over Sixty set the record.
Brodsky-Chenfeld said he had initially gone into the weekend aiming to break one record, so setting two was even more rewarding.
With two new records in the books, Brodsky-Chenfeld said this weekend serves as a reminder that "age is really a number.