Bill Murray really has guts. While a lot of celebrities will do some crazy things for attention, Murray isn’t generally one of them. Rarely do you see him falling out of Bungalow 8 with his panties around his ankles. Instead Murray goes for the more planned kind of attention – though albeit a bit more dangerous. He jumped out of an airplane at 13,500 feet this weekend for the Chicago Air and Water Show.
Bill Murray landed in Chicago on Friday like he never had before — by jumping from an airplane 13,500 feet up. The 57-year-old actor took several deep breaths before stepping out the open doors of a C-31 Fokker and dropping at about 120 mph to the city’s lakefront with members of the Army Golden Knights Parachute Team.
An exuberant Murray, whose jump kicked off the 50th Chicago Air and Water Show, landed safely on a beach. The actor pretended for a moment to stagger as if dizzy, then smiled broadly, waved to the crowd and shook hands with some of the Golden Knights. Friends asked Murray to participate in the show, which features demonstrations and performances in the air and on Lake Michigan, to support the Illinois United Service Organizations… “It seemed like a good idea at a time,” Murray said. “I’ve had second thoughts, believe me. I’ve been really nervous. All the jokes (from friends) involve death.”
At more than 2 miles above Chicago, the air temperature in the unpressurized plane dropped to 30 degrees. The roar of the plane’s engines and winds coming through the open doors was deafening. Up in the plane, Murray, a native of Wilmette, Ill., looked out the window and took short calming breaths from a yellow oxygen tank. A buzzer went off in the plane around 3 p.m. It was Murray’s time to jump. He and Jones, connected by ropes and harnesses, ambled down the aisle. After a countdown they stepped off, instantly disappearing into the skies below.
Once he landed, Murray said a Golden Knight jumper had tried to ease his nerves by telling him he would want to repeat the jump. “But right now,” Murray said, “I really feel like having a drink.”
[From the Daily News]
Here are photos of Bill’s awesome jump this weekend. Thanks to to PR Photos.
Awww Bill, a hometown guy 😉
No way would you get me to skydive. I would pass out from my fear of heights, and not be conscious to pull my parachute. 😯
Bill is so cool ! I’m with you Daisy, They’d have to kick me out of the plane to get me to jump.
Yeah…sounds like someone gave up drinkng & now is jonesing for exhilaration. After being sober for 2 yrs. in my 20’s I was going nuts. After I had a road rage incident I knew I had to rid myself of pent up energy. So I went skydiving. & you know what…it was almost an AA meeting. Recovering drunks galore.
Let me say…yes, it does take guts to jump, even tandem ( you are strapped to a pro) but that separates ‘them’ from ‘us’. It takes true balls to take a course & jump out on your own w/a static line (bolted to plane floor that pulls the pin/cord for you)all on your own. Even gutsier to go back & do it again ’cause you know what to expect. It is so worth it relying on just yourself b/c when your chute opens & you pump it up & slow down a bit, it is this big strong canopy above you. All you hear is the wind. Occasionally the people on the ground radioing you to ‘hold that header’ or ‘make a sharper left’ but the chutes are square & can be steered like hangliding. I even had a taxicab company on my radio frequency. When you rely on yourself in case of a problem (which happens)you are bringing yourself to a level of consciousness you never dreamed possible. Gives one a good idea what you would be like in the case of a life/death emergency. It isn’t cheap & it is very addictive. You also realize you can do just about anything if you invest the time to jump yourself, by yourself. That is the differnece ‘tween a tandem jumper or a solo jumper. Give Bill a few months, he’ll be jumping on his own soon.
Yep, they’d pretty much have to ditch the plane, to get me to jump out. 😀
I could not do it. I get weak and dizzy on the second step of a ladder. But my aunt celebrated her 70th birthday by skydiving and loved it. To each his own.
Wait! Is that Bill drinking a beer? If it is, no wonder he didn’t jump on his own.
Wow! I guess Bill finally saw “The Bucket List”!! Although, Nicholson & Freeman did it better… 😆
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