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90-Year-Old Woman Celebrates Milestone Birthday by Jumping Out of a Plane

By Regina Sienra on August 2, 2023

Photo: Screenshot from 12News

Turning 90 is a huge achievement. That's why a woman named Marg Burg wanted to celebrate it in a truly spectacular fashion. For her milestone birthday, the Arizona senior had one thing in mind: “I’m gonna jump out of a plane,” she told 12News. And so she took to the skies with the help of a skydiving instructor.

The inspiration for this came from having seen a public figure celebrate his birthday in a similar fashion. “Well, I saw George Bush do it when he was 90. And I thought, ‘Well, if he can do it, I can,'” Burg said. After all, the fact of making it to her 90th birthday was an adventure in its own right. “I never thought I'd ever reach 90, you know?” the woman says. “But here I am. I'm gonna do it!”

To fulfill her dream, Burg and her family reached out to Skydive Buckeye. To do the 14,000-foot descent safely, the team assigned an experienced instructor for a tandem jump, in which two people are connected via a harness.

“I'm excited for her. Yeah. Very excited,” said Marg's daughter Brenda Omahan, who admitted she was nervous but described her mom as very persistent. “She makes every day count. And we all love Mom very much. And I wish all my siblings could be here, but I'm representing mom.”

The footage of Burg skydiving is a perfect showcase of the woman’s determination. Not only does she look excited even before jumping from the plane, but she also has a big wide smile on the way down. When asked what she thought of the experience, she couldn't contain her joy. “It was wonderful, just wonderful,” she said, “like I was a bird. It was exciting to see everything from up there, just wonderful.” Here's to many more thrilling birthdays, Mrs. Burg!