Family said no to Everest, but he set world record in skydiving

A Keralite has created a world record after he skydived from a height of 43,000 feet in Tennessee, US. Jithin Vijyan, a native of Baluserry in Kozhikode district, had tied the national flag around his arm while making history.

The record breaking event took place on July 1 at 5pm Indian time. He also achieved the great feat of jumping from 43,000 feet with the Indian flag tied around his arm.

It took Jithin Vijayn seven minutes to reach the ground from a height of 43,000 feet. For three minutes he was in free fall. When he reached 5,500 feet above ground, he released the parachute and then took four minutes to finally touch the ground.

The forty-one year old Jithin Vijayan is the CEO of an IT company, N Dimensions Solutions Pvt Ltd, based in Kochi. Since his childhood, Jithin had this intense passion to fly. This first led him to Paragliding and from there he switched in to skydiving.

Jithin Vijayan acquired A Grade license from Spain. He also trained at skydiving centers in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and UK.

What perhaps makes these feats extra special is that Jithin picked up skydiving less than a year ago — on October 2022, to be precise. Within 10 months, he has become an accomplished skydiver with 148 jumps to his name.

Jithin’s first skydiving experience, however, was in 2019, when he and his family were on a holiday in New Zealand. “It was a tandem jump, meaning you are tied to an instructor. These jumps usually happen from an altitude of 15,000 feet, and the freefall only lasts under a minute,” he explains.

What perhaps makes these feats extra special is that Jithin picked up skydiving less than a year ago — on October 2022, to be precise. Within 10 months, he has become an accomplished skydiver with 148 jumps to his name.

Jithin’s first skydiving experience, however, was in 2019, when he and his family were on a holiday in New Zealand. “It was a tandem jump, meaning you are tied to an instructor. These jumps usually happen from an altitude of 15,000 feet, and the freefall only lasts under a minute,” he explains.

“The thing with skydiving is that you have to make a jump each month. If the gap between jumps is too long, say, two months, then the person has to demonstrate the ability by undertaking a jump or two. There’s an assessment, and only if you qualify can you lose the instructor,” says Jithin, who kept up his practice by stealing visits to in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and even the UK.

This dedication has also led to a new Guinness record — for the most consecutive days to skydive (different dropzones), which is 18. Jithin’s next skydive jump is slated for September - in Russia. This time, he has no plans to set new records, as yet. “I’m looking forward to completing a few formation sets. I want to become a tandem instructor,” he says.