Former president George H. W. Bush skydived from a plane in Kennebunkport, Maine, to celebrate his 90th birthday.
This marked the eighth jump Bush had made in his 90 years of life.
“I got one more in me,” he told his granddaughter Jenna Bush Hager in an interview on MSNBC. Bush passed away on Friday, November 30, at his home in Texas. He was 94.
Here’s what you need to know:
He Couldn’t Use His Legs
As a Navy pilot in World War II, Bush’s first jump out of an airplane came when his plane was shot down over the Pacific island of Chi Chi Chima during a bombing mission, according to CBS. That first jump was at roughly 1,500 feet.
The Associated Press reported Bush made the jump even though he is no longer able to use his legs. Bush suffers from Parkinson’s disease, which has rendered him unable to walk on his own as the disease has progressed.
Bush waited till the last minute to announce the jump, in part, so he could back out if necessary, according to the AP.
Right after Bush landed safely on the ground, he was placed in his wheelchair, which you can see in the video above.
Ceremonial Jumps Became a Tradition for Bush
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The birthday and big milestone skydives have become a tradition for Bush. He jumped in 2007 to celebrate the reopening of his presidential library at Texas A&M. He’s jumped on his 75th, 80th, 85th and soon his 90th birthdays, which a spokesperson for the former president says is “vintage George Bush.”
“It’s vintage George Bush. It’s that passion for life. It’s wanting to set a goal, wanting to achieve it. I’m sure part of it is sending a message to others that even in your retirement years you can still find challenges,” the AP reported.
Bush has gone on record saying growing old doesn’t mean slowing down.
“Just because you’re an old guy, you don’t have to sit around drooling in the corner,” he told reporters back in 2009.
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Bush jumped with the All Veteran Group, which is made up of former members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights.
After his last jump in 2009, Bush said he loved the “exhilarating feeling” he got when he took the leap.