PARKASSY, Pennsylvania (CBS) — One jump from an airplane may be too much for some, but on Wednesday more than 100 falls from the sky to try to break the state record I have a man.
Wednesday is Chris Howard’s 40th birthday. He celebrates special days by giving back to his community.
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He hopes to raise at least $5,000 for his foster child. Every time he jumps out of the plane, he’s one step closer to that goal.
Dozens of spectators watched the Bucks County man fall into the history books at Penridge Airport on Wednesday.
“We brought the kids. We knew they would be thrilled and they were,” said spectator Mike McGrory.
Skydive Philadelphia flight instructor Howard aims to jump out of a plane 101 times in 24 hours.
By 4pm, he had already made 80 jumps, breaking the previous state record of 40 jumps.
“Today is actually my birthday, and I wanted to celebrate my 40th by skydiving 100 times a day,” Howard said.
Audience member Brydan McGrory said, “I think it’s pretty cool, like the courage to not pass out in the air.”
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It takes a large team to accomplish such a feat.
After Howard jumps out of the plane, someone removes the parachute and puts a new parachute on. A golf cart takes him to the plane for the next jump.
“We normally fly one aircraft, but now we always fly two,” said Drop Zone Manager Aaron Thiel.
Several customers are paying to jump at the same time as Howard.
Through donors, corporate sponsors, raffles, grocery sales, and more, the organizers hope to raise $5,000 for Bucks for Kids, a nonprofit that helps foster children.
Becky Van Dyne, board member of Bucks for Kids, said, “Since foster parents can’t really afford to pay for it, we’ve got summer camps, sports camps, scholarships, art lessons, music lessons, tutoring, and more.” We are providing funds for the fulfilling activities of
Foster parent Luke Artell said: “I’m really happy that Chris is going to be a part of this.
At the final check, Howard was on his 90th jump.
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Once he’s done all his jumps, he’ll need to fill out a form so the U.S. Parachute Association can certify his record-breaking achievements.