Lifestyle

Texas Centenarian Takes Leap of Faith

By  | 
Tony Maples Photography

 

Al Blaschke is a 100-year-old Texas man who marked the turning of a century by taking a leap of faith: a skydiving jump from an altitude of 10,000 feet! Wednesday, January 4, 2017, Blaschke made his birthday wish come true with the assistance of instructors at Skydive Temple in Salado, Texas.

He Wanted to Wait Until He Was 100.

Texas Centenarian Takes Leap of Faith

Photo: Facebook/Kathleen Serie KWTX

In an interview with ABC News, Wendy Faulkner, an instructor at Skydive Temple, said about Blaschke, “Three years ago, a friend had brought up the idea of skydiving, but he told them that he wanted to wait till he was 100.” To ensure that happened, Blaschke, together with his friend, 72-year-old Betty Schleder, made a visit to the skydiving center in late 2016.

Free-Fall For Approximately 40 Seconds

Texas Centenarian Takes Leap of Faith

Photo: Facebook/La Fayette

After ensuring he was fit to take the instruction and make the jump, the crew scheduled his skydive, and on Wednesday afternoon, the pair were flown to 10 thousand feet while Blashcke’s friends and family “from all over the country” witnessed his jump. Blaschke and Schleder each did tandem jumps, which means they were connected to experienced skydiving instructors, and the two did a free-fall for approximately 40 seconds before a five-minute parachute ride to the ground.

He Wished it Had Lasted Longer

Texas Centenarian Takes Leap of Faith

Photo: Facebook/La Fayette

Blaschke told KVUE in Austin (an ABC affiliate) that even though he enjoyed the jump, he wished it had lasted longer, saying, “It was too short. I saw more than I thought I would with my eyes.” In an afterthought, he noted that the experience was unsurpassed by anything he had done before. And Blaschke has done a lot of things! He’s taken a spin in a Lamborghini and gone dogsledding – goals he set after grieving the loss of his wife, Eleanor, in 2010. And he won’t be taking a break anytime soon, noting that the next goal he has set is to see the Northern Lights with his nephew, remarking, “I just wish everybody could have as an enjoyable life as I’ve had.”