Skydiver becomes first to land without chute

A 42-year-old US skydiver with more than 18,000 jumps made history when he became the first person to leap without a parachute and land in a net instead. After a two-minute freefall, Luke Aikins landed dead center in the 100-by-100-foot net at the Big Sky movie ranch on the outskirts of Simi Valley. As cheers erupted, Aikins quickly climbed out, walked over and hugged his wife, Monica, who had been watching from the ground with their four-year-old son, Logan, and other family members. Crew members spent two years helping him prepare for the jump, which he conducted with three other skydivers, each wearing parachutes. The 42-year-old daredevil, whose father and grandfather were skydivers, made his first tandem jump when he was 12, following with his first solo leap four years later.