Eight skydivers leapt out of a light plane minutes before it crashed and killed experienced pilot Paul Smith. The light plane crash landed in thick bush near to Moruya airport on NSW's south coast on Saturday afternoon, with Smith the only remaining occupant of the aircraft. The 54-year-old pilot and skydiving instructor died at the scene. He was a very well-respected, very experienced, and very well-liked local resident, Det Insp Justin Marks told reporters on Sunday.
You may have seen my TEDx talk. If so, you know its premise is having the courage to take a leap. My first story was about the first time I jumped off a high dive at the swimming pool. The second story was the leap of coming out. Both of those were scary. Did they prepare me for leaping out of plane 14,500 feet in the air? Not so much. You can't die from the first two.
Aria's initial idea arose from his humanitarian aid work in Ukraine, where he met Paul, a 60-year-old ex-military soldier who breaks stereotypes.