Skydiving is one of the most popular adventure sports in the world, with millions of people trying it out every year. Thousands of women across the world skydive for fun, and in this article, we’re going to look more closely at a few of the oldest female skydivers. Let’s get right into it!
The 6 Oldest Women Skydivers
6. Élisa Garnerin
Age: 62 (deceased)
Location: Parc Monceau, Paris, France
No. of dives: Unknown
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
If her surname sounds familiar, it’s because Élisa Garnerin is Jeanne Geneviève Garnerin’s niece! As Élisa grew older, her father decided to profit off of the family name and introduced his daughter to the world of skydiving. At the time, Napoleon had been defeated at the battle of Waterloo, and the French needed a new form of entertainment. As a result, Élisa’s father decided to introduce her to the idea of skydiving.
She quickly became famous, with notices about her diving being published in various newspapers and journals. Élisa made her first ascent and descent at the Jardin de Tivoli in front of a large crowd that include the King of Prussia and his son. As time went on, Élisa continued to perform for the French public.
Did you know?
Élisa Garnerin faced difficulties with the Parisian police, who disliked the large crowds that gathered to watch her perform.
5. Katharina Paulus
Age: 66 (deceased)
Location: Zellhausen, Germany
No. of dives: 165
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
Katharina “Käthe” Paulus was another force to be reckoned with when it came to skydiving. She was known for skydiving from parachutes, like many of the women from her time, and she was also known for creating hundreds of parachutes every week during the First World War.
Paulus was an avid skydiver who loved spending time up in the air. In addition to being a skydiver, she was also an aerial acrobat and pilot!
Did you know?
Katharina “Käthe” Paulus invented the world’s first collapsible parachute, and created more than 8,000 parachutes during the First World War.
4. Jeanne Geneviève Garnerin
Age: 72 (deceased)
Location: Parc Monceau, Paris, France
No. of dives: Unknown
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
Although Jeanne Geneviève Garnerin might not have been considered a skydiver by folks in the 18th century, she most definitely is considered to be one today! Garnerin became interested in the idea of skydiving after seeing her future husband, André-Jacques Garnerin, take his first flight in a hydrogen balloon.
After she befriended him, she became his student and eventually, his wife. She first flew with him in 1798, and one year later, she flew solo in a gondola before descending back to the ground with a parachute. As the years passed by, she went on to skydive all over France.
Did you know?
Jeanne Geneviève Garnerin was the first woman in the world to ascend and descend solo from a gondola.
3. Cheryl Stearns
Age: 69 (alive)
Location: United States of America
No. of dives: Over 21,000
Photo Source: Charlotte Magazine
Cheryl Stearns is one of the oldest living skydivers in the world! She has had a prolific career as a skydiver, and her life has seen her win some wonderful achievements. For instance, Stearns won a bronze medal in 2000 in Japan at the XXV World Parachuting Championships.
She first jumped out of a plane as a teenager and has not looked back ever since. An interesting fact about her is that she has been a part of the StratoQuest project, which is working towards beating Joseph Kittinger’s record for the highest skydive jump.
Did you know?
Cheryl Stearns holds a few skydiving records. These include the most number of jumps made by a woman; she jumped over 21,000 times, and the most number of jumps in 24 hours by a woman; she jumped 352 times in a row.
2. Tiny Broadwick
Age: 85 (deceased)
Location: Long Beach, California, United States of America
No. of dives: Unknown
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
Georgia Ann “Tiny” Thompson Broadwick was known for two things: being a skydiver and inventing the ripcord. In addition to being one of the oldest women of her time to have been a skydiver, Broadwick was also the first ever woman to jump out of a plane with a parachute.
She became interested in skydiving after she saw Charles Broadwick’s traveling troupe, called World Famous Aeronauts. His troupe was known for parachuting from a hot air balloon, and after leaving her young daughter behind, Broadwick joined his troupe. She went on to become his adopted daughter to make travel arrangements easier and started to perform with his troupe. Although she later began to skydive from planes, Broadwick began her career as a skydiver by jumping from hot air balloons.
Did you know?
Tiny Broadwick earned her nickname from her short stature. She was the youngest of seven girls and was only 4 feet 8 inches tall.
1. Dorothy Hoffner
Age: 104 (deceased)
Location: Chicago, United States of America
No. of dives: Unknown
Photo Source: NY Times
Dorothy Hoffner was arguably one of the coolest women in the world. She went skydiving for the first and last time when she was 104 years old. Although she is known for going skydiving at an age that not many 100-year-olds would, Hoffman had openly spoken about how she wasn’t the sort of person to try out thrill-seeking activities!
She first went skydiving when she was 104 years old, after talking to a friend who visited her at her retirement home. After her friend realized that she wasn’t joking about trying out skydiving, they went to a nearby airport, and Hoffner skydived for the first time. She called thinking about what she was going to have for dinner right before jumping out of a plane in tandem!
Did you know?
Dorothy Hoffman sadly passed away a few days after skydiving. However, she set the Guinness World Record for being the oldest person to go skydiving.
Conclusion
In this article, we walked you through a list of some of history’s coolest women! All of the women mentioned in this article broke various social and personal barriers and made their mark on the world of skydiving. If you’re someone that’s interested in learning how to skydive, we highly encourage you to try it out!
