Connecticut skydiver makes 100 jumps in one day, breaking record
Hump Day #HumpDay
Skydiver Doug Hendrix made 100 jumps in a single day on June 16, breaking the state record.
Many people spend “hump day” working away in their offices, counting down the days to the weekend. Doug Hendrix instead found himself 2,500 feet in the air on June 16 enjoying the sunny weather and skydiving from a plane not once, not twice, but 100 times.
Setting a new state record for the most skydiving jumps in a single day, Hendrix, of Storrs, started his day at the Ellington Airport. His plane took off at 5:15 am. Nearly 13 hours later, around 6 p.m., he landed from his final jump — his 100th — and called it a day. The previous unofficial skydiving record in Connecticut was 61 jumps in a 24-hour period.
Skydiver Doug Hendrix made 100 jumps in a single day on June 16, breaking the state record.
“Basically I wanted to do it because I love doing new things, challenging things,” said the veteran skydiver. Hendrix, who has been jumping about nine years, is an instructor and demonstration jumper with Connecticut Parachutists and part of an eight-member formation team. Back when he was an engineering student at the University of Connecticut, he was president of the school’s skydiving team.
Skydiver Doug Hendrix made 100 jumps in a single day on June 16, breaking the state record.
“I don’t have exactly the same feeling as I did on my first skydive, where I was feeling a little bit scared and overwhelmed but it is still a lot of fun and I have been doing different things while skydiving to keep it exciting.”
Hendrix had previously hit a personal best of 30 skydive jumps in a day, but packing his own parachute each time made for a physically-demanding day and cut down the number of jumps he could do. This time, while jumping solo, it was a team effort and he had people helping him with five parachutes that he rotated through.
“I had five packers on the ground. One of the packers would pick up the parachute I just dropped on the ground and pack it back up to use again,” he said. At the same time, another packer would help strap a new parachute onto him.
Armed with a team of supporters and helpers on the ground cheering him on and assisting him with his gear, Hendrix was able to do the 100 jumps, which he did as a fundraiser for the Ellington Fire Department. Hendrix does not have a final tally yet but estimates he has already raised several thousand dollars. He said he is grateful for all the support, especially the four Ellington businesses and the many individuals who donated to the effort.
Skydiver Doug Hendrix made 100 jumps in a single day on June 16, breaking the state record.
“I want to give a shoutout to everybody who donated or bought a raffle ticket. We were trying to make it a community-building event and I appreciate everyone buying in,” he said. “We had about 40 to 50 people from the neighborhood stop in on the day of the event to cheer me on. That was much appreciated and it was great to see everyone there.”
Asked about his preparations, Hendrix said skydiving does require some physical fitness, but is not really that physically demanding. Instead, he worked on mentally preparing himself by visualizing the jumps and overall experience.
“It was certainly mentally taxing as it was the same thing over and over again,” he said. “It was important for me to stay hydrated and fed throughout the day. My ground crew did a great job to make sure I was eating and drinking enough.”
Skydiver Doug Hendrix made 100 jumps in a single day on June 16, breaking the state record.
The flight from the ground to where he did his jumps was about 3.5 minutes long, and it took him about a minute to get to the ground. During the 13-hour day, he took a few breaks for himself and the pilot to recharge and refuel.
“It worked out to be an average of once every seven minutes I was jumping. It was about a minute to the ground, and then basically I had to drop my parachute and pick up a new one and then get back on the plane,” he said.
Andrea Valluzzo is a freelance writer.
Skydiver Doug Hendrix made 100 jumps in a single day on June 16, breaking the state record.
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