NATIONAL BRIEFING / MAINE
Former President George H.W. Bush marked his 85th birthday the same way he did his 75th and 80th birthdays: He leaped from a plane and zoomed downward at more than 100 mph in free fall before his parachute opened and he landed safely at a spot near his oceanfront home.
Bush made the tandem jump from 10,500 feet with Sgt. 1st Class Mike Elliott of the Army’s Golden Knights, who guided them to a gentle landing on the lawn of St. Ann’s Church.
“It’s a great, exhilarating feeling,” Bush said after he was removed from his harness. “I don’t feel a day over 84.”
He said he enjoyed the jump so much that he planned to do it again when he turned 90.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
