101-Year-Old Man Hits The Silk

A 101-year-old man is believed to be the world's oldest skydiver after he accepted a dare from friends and jumped out of an airplane Wednesday at nearly 10,000 feet.

Frank Moody, from Holloways Beach on 's northeastern coast, beat the record set by a 94-year-old Norwegian in 1999, said Amanda Pilkington, from Skydive Cairns, which organized the jump.

Moody jumped in tandem with an experienced skydiver Wednesday morning from more than 9,900 feet, she said.

"He's an absolute legend. It was a bit of a drunken dare by some of his mates at the local Holloways Beach football club. He said: 'Sure, I'll go jump out of an airplane,"' Pilkington quoted him as saying, adding she nearly fell off her chair when she first heard Moody go for the record.

"We decided to attempt to beat the record as well as giving Frank an awesome experience and one that he'll remember for the rest of his life. He's very switched on and very witty and charming. It's an absolute pleasure to have done this for him," she said.

Pilkington said the club would send video of the jump and other details to the Guinness Book of Records head office in London and expects confirmation of the record shortly.

Moody went down to the football club with his son John after the jump to have a Guinness beer to celebrate and collect on bets place by his friends.

"He's been given his footage and photographs so he's got proof and evidence that he's done it," Pilkington said.