Gov. Greg Abbott went skydiving on Monday with 106-year-old World War II veteran and assembly line worker Al Blaschke, who broke the record for the oldest person to participate in a tandem parachute jump.
Abbott and Blaschke each jumped with instructors from Skydive Spaceland San Marcos, which is located just south of Austin, according to a news release sent to The Dallas Express.
“Texans and Americans owe so much to the brave men and women who serve our nation and protect the freedoms that we enjoy each and every day,” Abbott said in a statement. “I am proud to share my first skydiving jump with Al Blaschke to honor veterans, like him, who helped safeguard the freedoms and promise of our country for generations of Americans.”
This jump fulfilled Abbott’s promise to Blaschke when the two met and exchanged stories at Georgetown’s Sun City one year ago, KXAN reported.
Following the jump at 8,500 feet, Abbott said, “The most shocking sensation is when you immediately exit the plane, and you’re just in freefall.”
“I had no clue where we were. We stabilized and then flew for a while without the parachute. [You] feel the parachute. It’s a lot of fun. It’s just amazing peace out there. It’s nice and calm,” Abbott added, as reported by KXAN.
Abbott, who has used a wheelchair since a tree fell on him while jogging in 1984, joked after his landing that his “biggest fear was realized and that is that I would land and not be able to walk away,” according to Fox 7 Austin.
Although this was Abbott’s first jump out of a plane, Blaschke has taken part multiple times.
Blaschke reclaimed the title of the oldest person in the world to tandem skydive, which has been broken multiple times since he initially broke the record in July 2020 at 103.
Abbott and Blaschke spoke with reporters following the jump, where Blaschke told the governor that he sang “When You’re Smiling” by Frank Sinatra as he was freefalling, per KXAN.
This song choice, first released when he was 12 years old, represents Blaschke’s lifelong slogan of “Keep smiling.”
“Every letter I write and every Christmas card, I say… ‘keep smiling.’ Always. Everybody should,” Blaschke said, per KXAN.
Abbott responded to Blaschke’s remarks by calling him “a great American.” The governor had little interest in discussing politics, adding that everyone would have to “stay tuned” on whether a fifth special legislative session would be called, as reported by the Corpus Christi Caller Times.