newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Fred Mack says he first tried skydiving on his 95th birthday. Mack promised his friends who came and supported him the first time, that he would come back for a second jump, if he lived to see 100.

So in the spirit of the late Jack LaLanne, Mack performed a 13,000 ft tandem skydive in Williamstown, New Jersey.

His cardiologist, Dr. Elliot Gerber, cleared Mack to skydive five years ago. Gerber said no one asked him to sign off on Mack’s jump this time.

CBS New York reported Mack took his dive at Free Fall Adventures in Williamstown.

He performed the jump in a clear blue sky from a 15-passenger turbine plane.

Mack and his instructor made a flawless landing onto an open grassy field.

SouthJersey.com reports Mack used to fly planes in the 1930s, and later worked as an engineer who helped design P-40 fighter planes during World War II.

Once he was back on the ground, Mack joined his friends and family at nearby hotel for a more traditional birthday party.

According to Mail Online, Mack is still driving at the age of 100. He has a 1953 Jaguar XK 120 and was recently confirmed by the manufacturer as the oldest active Jaguar driver in the world. A friend says he was a competitive skier into his 70s and didn’t stop skiing until he reached his 90s.

The Guinness Book of World Records is investigating whether Mack is the oldest person to ever skydive.

When asked how he felt after the event, Mack, who clearly takes life day to day, simply replied, “I’m still alive.”