Jumping 25 000 Feet Without a Parachute

With more than 16 000 jumps to his credit， professional skydiver Luke Aikins has performed many heart-stopping stunts， but his latest feat tops them all. On July 30， 2016， the 42-year-old brave man became the first man in the world to leap off a plane from an altitude of 25 000 feet without a parachute！

Instead， he relied on a net that measured 100-by-100-feet， or less than one-third the size of a football field， to break his fall and help him land safely.

The stunt， aptly named "Heaven Sent"， was so （A） d that the United States Parachute Association （USPA） initially denied the skydiver's （1） r to jump without a parachute. However， the association had a change of heart just minutes before the historic event.

On Saturday evening， cheered on by family and friends that had gathered at California's Simi Valley， Aikins boarded the Cessna （B） a that would fly him to the desired altitude. Aikins plummeted（垂直落下） toward the ground， face first， with his arms outstretched. At about 10 000 feet， the skydiver handed his oxygen mask to one of two team members who were doing the jump as well. They， of course， had （C） p ！

He then continued the perilous journey by using air currents to direct his body and a GPS helmet to guide him towards the awaiting net. Flying at （2） s of up to 120mph， Aikins flipped onto his back before gracefully landing into the net.

How did Aikins accomplish such a dangerous feat and emerge unscathed （未受傷的）？ Extensive skydiving （3） e played a significant role in his （D） s . Besides being a professional skydiver， the fearless man is also a trainer and safety advisor for the USPA where he teaches military personnel how to skydive.

Though Luke Aikins will forever be remembered as the first （E） s to jump from a plane without the safety of a parachute， he does caution skydivers against attempting this stunt.

（A， B， C， D， E FOR CROSS， 1， 2， 3 FOR DOWN. The first letters of the absents were given.）