Luke Aikins' Record Breaking Skydive Without A Parachute Has Shocked The Internet

People all over the planet are reliving the moment Luke Aikins broke the world record for the highest skydive without a parachute.

The American pilot shocked the world back in 2016 when he jumped out of a plane at 7,620 metres (25,000ft) above sea level.

But jumping from that height comes with a bunch of safety concerns and it requires a hell of a lot of training to pull off.

To make his task even more difficult, the net he was aiming for was just 100 feet squared. He had to hit that from all the way up or he'd end up splatted on the ground.

Instead of doing it privately and sharing the footage of the stunt later on, he decided to do it live on television and make everyone watch him plummet to the earth.

Admittedly, there was a five-second delay, but if it had cut out, everyone would know what had happened.

The stunt was called 'Heaven Sent' and took place in July 2016. It broke the Guinness World Record for highest skydive without a parachute.

Naturally, he was excited about the whole thing afterwards.

He said: "I'm almost levitating, it's incredible. This thing just happened! I can't even get the words out of my mouth.

Aikins did run into a few snags before he completed his jump. Luckily, he didn't run into anything during the feat, however.

A short while before he was due to go up there, the Screen Actors Guild ordered that he at least wear a parachute, regardless of whether he used it or not.

However, Aikins argued that the turn over onto his back before hitting the net - presumably one of the most important parts of the whole affair - would be too dangerous if he was wearing a chute.

The order was eventually lifted and he was allowed to jump without, thus completing his remarkable task.

Aikins was aided in his jump by three other parachutists, one who grabbed a discarded oxygen mask, another who wore a smoke canister to show where they were in the air, and another who was filming.

They backed off as the ground loomed, allowing Aikins to complete his task free from distraction.

On Facebook after the fact, he wrote: "We did and cannot thank everyone enough for the support. My vision was always proper preparation and that if you train right you can make anything happen. Thank you!"

A later statement said: "Aikins' leap represents the culmination of a 26-year career that will set a personal and world record for the highest jump without a parachute or wing suit."