US skydivers reclaim record by flying massive American flag in freefall jump

On Pearl Harbor Day, a staff of elite paratroopers flew a 3,200-square-foot American flag in freefall over Arizona, practically doubling Libya’s current rating and securing a brand new world file with an authorized leap that’s now headed to the Guinness E book of World Data.

Libya set the earlier file on October 5, 2025 over Benghazi by flying the then largest flag ever deployed throughout free fall.

After seeing the Libyan leap, retired US Military Ranger Jariko Denman contacted entrepreneur Jared Isaacman about making an attempt to deliver the file again to the US.

Denman informed Fox Information Digital that he first noticed the Libyan leap on social media and reshared it with the caption: “Who’s going to interrupt this file?” who in the end initiated the challenge.

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Parachutists carried a 3,200-square-meter American flag in free fall after leaping from a Vietnam-era Huey throughout a file try in Arizona on December 7, 2025. The licensed leap aimed to reclaim the free-fall flag file from Libya. (Credit score: Perspective Methods)

The 2 assembled a staff of execs from Skydive Arizona and Skydive Chicago, together with Corridor of Fame skydiver Rook Nelson. Veterans Sens. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., Steve Curtis and Nick Kush additionally joined the trouble.

The file try happened on December 7, 2025 in Eloy, Arizona, one of many nation’s main skydiving hubs.

He mentioned the staff chosen the date based mostly on schedule availability.

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Group members maintain the totally opened 3,200-square-foot American flag on the bottom. (Credit score: Perspective Methods)

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The staff jumped from a Vietnam-era Huey at about 10,000 ft and deployed a 3,200-square-foot American flag, virtually twice the scale of the Libyan flag.

Denman mentioned nobody had ever tried to lift a flag of this measurement earlier than, creating “a variety of unknowns” and making the file leap “fairly scary.”

In accordance with the staff, the leap has been licensed and will likely be included within the Guinness E book of World Data.

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Members of the skydiving staff gathered for a bunch picture in Arizona throughout a world file freefall try on December 7, 2025. (Credit score: Perspective Methods)

Solely probably the most skilled members of the group dealt with the flag in freefall as a result of technical calls for and dangers concerned.

Denman famous that the scale and weight of the flag, which was 170 kilos, “introduced many exterior hazards to mitigate,” including that the staff needed to think about dangers not beforehand encountered on an analogous leap.

He additionally credited the engineering staff for making the trouble attainable, saying, “It was my concept, however Steve Curtis did many of the work. And Sterling Becklin designed the complete system from scratch. I am actually happy with what the staff did for one another.”

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Denman, Isaacman and Sheehy participated within the leap, however had no management over the flag itself. A floor crew supported the operation and all personnel and gear landed safely.

Sheehy mentioned he seen the trouble as each a staff effort and a symbolic one.

“I used to be honored to be a part of the unbelievable staff of veterans, SEALs, Military Rangers and a number of the greatest paratroopers on the planet who introduced the world file for the biggest flag ever parachuted from an plane again to america,” he mentioned. “There is no such thing as a doubt about it: this file belongs on American soil, and inserting it alongside this nice staff of patriots is a becoming solution to kick off subsequent 12 months’s celebration of 250 years of American Independence.”