95-year-old celebrates birthday by sky-diving
Kenneth Smith celebrated his 95th birthday with a sky-dive at Sky’s the Limit on Wednesday. Scan this picture with the Prindeo app to see a video of Smith’s jump. PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANK KANCSO/SKY’S THE LIMIT
Smith and tandem sky-dive instructor Joe Riz prepare to leap from the plane. PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANK KANCSO/SKY’S THE LIMIT
Smith and Riz come in for a landing. BRIAN MYSZKOWSKI/TIMES NEWS
One would imagine that most people would prefer to spend their 95th birthday in a calm, quiet and relaxing manner.
Maybe nice dinner with family and friends, sharing fond stories about the good old days. Nothing too exciting or stressful.
Kenneth Smith is not most people.
This Allentown resident, retired construction worker and former 11th Airborne Division artillery serviceman marked his big day by leaping out of a plane at Sky’s the Limit in East Stroudsburg on Wednesday.
“This is going to be my seventh birthday jump. It’s something different,” Smith said. “Each jump is a little bit different, but it’s all fun.”
A man of few words but plenty of action, Smith was something of a celebrity at the airport with a crew of first-time jumpers posing for pictures with the birthday boy, and the instructors saluting him for his service and continued dedication to sky diving.
Smith just may have caught the sky-diving bug years ago while serving with the 11th Airborne, though the experience nowadays is just a tad different.
“Back then, as far as jumping goes, that got me $50 extra. Now, I pay $205 to jump,” he said with a chuckle.
While some may be terrified to ascend to 13,500 feet and free fall for up to a minute before opening the parachute and gliding down, Smith and the crew at Sky’s the Limit love every minute of it.
“It’s a thrill. You really have to experience it, there’s really no explaining it. Some people think it’s scary, some people think it’s exciting,” tandem sky-dive instructor and videographer Vinnie Reeder said.
Reeder said that while the initial jump is incredibly exciting, once the parachute opens, it’s a relaxing ride to the ground with a gorgeous view.
Asked what he enjoys the most about his jumps, Smith cracked a smile when he responded with, “Walking away from it.”
“He’s been talking about it since last year, and he’ll be talking about doing it again next year within a day or two,” Smith’s friend Lois Binder said. “I think he lives for it.”
Even though he needed just a bit of help to get on the plane, Smith handled his tandem jump with instructor Joe Riz like a seasoned professional. Upon coasting to the ground and getting back up, he was already planning out his next jump.
“It was good. I’m ready to go next year again,” he said with a grin.
