Discovery to air world-first as skydivers aim to switch planes mid-flight in ‘Plane Swap’

Skydivers Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington aim to switch planes mid-flight in 'Plane Swap'. Aikins and Farrington will jump out of planes as they barrel towards the ground, skydive in tandem into the other’s plane before regaining control and performing a safe landing – all in under a minute.'Plane Swap' — will require steely nerves and precise engineering. Ad/> 'Plane Swap' is live on Eurosport and discovery+ from 00:00 to 03:00 on April 25 'Plane Swap' is the first time in aviation history a pilot will take off in one plane and land in another.

The concept is Akins' brainchild that was inspired by a 1990s photo in an aviation publication and manifested over a lifetime. Aikin's career has seen him become an acclaimed skydiver — undertaking more than 21,000 jumps — commercial aeroplane/helicopter pilot, innovator and coach, and consultant on the legendary 2012 Red Bull Stratos mission. The Washington native is always looking for ways to use science and engineering to push the sport to new heights.

In 2016, he set a new world record by freefalling from the mid-tropospheric altitude of 25000 ft without a parachute, landing in a carefully constructed 30m x 30m net. It's one of three world records he holds. Meanwhile, Andy Farrington, also from Washington, was born to fly.

Raised amongst a family of skydivers, his mum, Jessie, made about 100 jumps with Andy in utero. Andy made his first tandem jump at age 12, went solo at 16, and has since become the king of the skies, having accumulated over 27,000 jumps, 1,000 BASE jumps and 6,000 hours as a pilot. Hours of research and development have gone into the modifications required to ensure the feat is possible, with world-renowned aeronautical engineer Dr Paulo Iscold partnering