Karl Aho takes the plunge

• Karl Aho

First-time skydiver Karl Aho celebrates his 83rd birthday. Submitted
• Aho over the harbor

Aho, in red jumpsuit, free falls from 11,000 feet with an experienced skydiver. Submitted
• Aho landing

Aho landing after his jump. Submitted

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• Skydive Superior

At age 83, Karl Aho of Two Harbors decided it was time to take the plunge. Sunday, Aug 26, he did it. Aho, who is already a pilot, an author, an artist, a craftsman, gardener, husband, father and grandfather celebrated his 83rd birthday by adding “skydiver” to his list of titles. Friends, family and local television stations were there to witness the event.

He had only been thinking about the jump for a week or two when he made the appointment at Skydive Superior in Superior, Wis.

“It was my birthday gift to myself. I wanted to show people that when you grow old, you don’t have to grow dull,” he said.

From the sound of his many accomplishments, Aho’s life has hardly been dull and he shows no signs of wanting to slow down.

“Senior citizens should not be sitting around waiting to die. They should be using this time [to do] everything wonderful in the world,” he said.

So, dressed in a red jumpsuit, sneakers, goggles and a helmet, Aho boarded the plane for a tandem jump—a jump in which a new skydiver is strapped into a harness with a more experienced jumper.

At an altitude of 11,000 feet, the pair took the leap, falling at a rate of 120 miles per hour or 200 feet per second. The free fall to 4,500 feet took just over 50 seconds at which time the parachute was deployed.

“It was like flying without a plane,” Aho said, “I thought, ‘how wonderful.’”

With his first jump in the history books, Aho said his career as a skydiver may not be over.

“I’m giving some thought to doing some other kinds of jumps,” Aho said. Next could be a solo jump.

Karl Aho is not the only one in his family who has marked a significant occasion in this unusual way. Ten years ago his wife, Alene, made her first jump. She had just recovered from lymphoma and decided it was a good idea to do it then, he said.

“Senior citizens should not be sitting around waiting for the grandchildren to send pictures to hang on the refrigerator. They should be drawing pictures and sending them to the grandchildren. Life is too short to do nothing,” Aho encouraged.

Tags: two harbors, outdoors, skydiving