Elizabethtown man breaks Kentucky skydive jumping record with 100 jumps in one day

THIS IS WLKY NEWS ET SIX AND ELIZABETHTOWN MAN IS LOOKING TO BREAK AN AMBITIOUS MILESTONE. THE RECORD FOR THE MOST SKYDIVES IN KENTUCKY IN 12 HOURS. MICHAEL PLANS TO JUMP OUT OF A PLANE, 100 TIMES TODAY, ADDING MINOR TELLS US WHAT’S INSPIRED HIM TO TRY. FOR THE RECORD. FOR MOST PEOPLE JUMPING OUT OF PLANE ONCE IS A BUCKET LIST ITEM. BUT FOR MIKE BRATCHER, IT’S SOMETHING HE LOVES TO DO. SO HE SAID, WHY NOT IT 100 TIMES IN 12 HOURS. IT ALL STARTED 60 JUMPS FOR HIS 60TH BIRTHDAY. AND THEN I GOT THE RESEARCH AND WHAT THE RECORD WAS FOR KENTUCKY. AND I SAW THAT IT WAS 80 FRIEND OF MINE, TROY WOULD BID 80 IN ONE DAY. AND I THOUGHT, WELL, NOT GOING GET THAT CLOSE AND NOT GO FOR THE. SO MIKE BRATCHER DECIDED HE COULD DO BETTER THAN JUST DOING 81 JUMPS. I TOLD HER BY WE’RE GOING TO EAT ELEPHANT TODAY YOU EAT THAT ELEPHANT ONE BITE AT A TIME AND OUR BITES ARE IN INCREMENTS OF TEN. THE JUMP STARTED AROUND 6:30 A.M. MONDAY MORNING, WITH THE GOAL FINISHING ALL 100 BEFORE SUNSET. AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, HE NEEDED TO COMPLETE ONE CYCLE OF JUMPING OF A PLANE AND LANDING ABOUT EVERY 7 MINUTES. HE’S SO THAT TAKES RIGGS BE PACKED BY BACKPACKERS AND ALSO THE HELP OF GETTING D RIGGED AND RE RIGGED FOR THE NEXT JUMP SO THAT BY THE TIME PLANE IS DOWN HE IS READY TO BE BACK ON IT AND BACK UP IN THE AIR. AND ALTHOUGH THIS IS A BUCKET LIST ITEM FOR BRATCHER, HE ALSO WANTED BENEFIT A GOOD CAUSE AT THE SAME TIME THE RETIRED AIR FORCE VETERAN CHOSE TO SUPPORT BOTH THE ELIZABETHTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT’S SHOP WITH THE COP PROGRAM AND THE RADCLIFF DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS ORGANIZATION. EACH BEAR GOES UP WITH ME IS GOING TO HAVE A NUMBER ON ITS FOOT AND ALL THAT MONEY THEY COLLECTED FOR THE BEARS IS GOING TO GO FOR THEIR SHOP WITH A COP PROGRAM. BRADSHAW STARTED A GO FUND ME TO OFFSET THE COST, AND THE MONEY THAT’S LEFT OVER WILL GO TO THE RADCLIFF DAVE BRATCHER SAYS HE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF HIS FRIENDS AND SKYDIVING FAMILY. I GOT A HECK OF A LOT OF SUPPORT HERE AND WE’RE GOING TO GET IT DONE. AD

UPDATE: Bratcher completed his goal of 100 jumps in a day Monday night with his last jump at 9:10 p.m. Many people list skydiving as an experience they want to have once in their lifetime.For Mike Bratcher, a retired Air Force veteran and skydiving instructor, it's an experience he's had almost 4,000 times. So, what's 100 more? The 59-year-old skydiving instructor at Skydive Kentucky decided that for his 60th birthday, he would skydive 60 consecutive times — until he learned what the Kentucky state record is for consecutive skydives in one day.And as of Monday night, Bratcher accomplished his goal, jumping 100 times in one day, setting a new Kentucky record."I saw that it was 80, and I thought, well, I'm not gonna get that close and not go for the record," Bratcher said.So the goal was raised to 100 consecutive jumps."I'm not going to be direct at 80 or just get 81 to beat it, and so I just come up with a round number of 100," Bratcher said.The crew started around 6:30 a.m. Monday, and planned to wrap up that evening before sunset.In order to make that time, Bratcher has to complete a cycle of going up in the plane, jumping out, landing, and getting back in the plane to do it all over again, about every seven minutes. The 182 Cessna plane he'll be jumping from will only go around 2,100 feet to make the cycle faster.All of this excitement takes a crew.Led by his fellow skydiving instructor Josh Kingrey and his wife, there's a crew of about 50 more friends and family who helped Bratcher with the record attempt."We currently have about 20 of us on the ground right now, and we have a number of about 30 to 35 people volunteering throughout the day, cycling in and out," Kingrey said. "So it's really a community effort."A community effort that Bratcher said he's thankful for. Bratcher will also be jumping for more than the chance to add his name to the history books.He started a GoFundMe to help offset the cost of the jumps and to buy 100 teddy bears to donate.With every jump, a teddy bear jumped with him. He will then donate the bears to the Elizabethtown Police Department for their annual "Shop with a Cop" charity event.The rest of the money raised will be donated to the Radcliff Disabled American Veterans organization. To donate to the GoFundMe account, click here.

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. —

UPDATE: Bratcher completed his goal of 100 jumps in a day Monday night with his last jump at 9:10 p.m.

Many people list skydiving as an experience they want to have once in their lifetime.

For Mike Bratcher, a retired Air Force veteran and skydiving instructor, it's an experience he's had almost 4,000 times. So, what's 100 more?

The 59-year-old skydiving instructor at Skydive Kentucky decided that for his 60th birthday, he would skydive 60 consecutive times — until he learned what the Kentucky state record is for consecutive skydives in one day.

And as of Monday night, Bratcher accomplished his goal, jumping 100 times in one day, setting a new Kentucky record.

"I saw that it was 80, and I thought, well, I'm not gonna get that close and not go for the record," Bratcher said.

So the goal was raised to 100 consecutive jumps.

"I'm not going to be direct at 80 or just get 81 to beat it, and so I just come up with a round number of 100," Bratcher said.

The crew started around 6:30 a.m. Monday, and planned to wrap up that evening before sunset.

In order to make that time, Bratcher has to complete a cycle of going up in the plane, jumping out, landing, and getting back in the plane to do it all over again, about every seven minutes. The 182 Cessna plane he'll be jumping from will only go around 2,100 feet to make the cycle faster.

All of this excitement takes a crew.

Led by his fellow skydiving instructor Josh Kingrey and his wife, there's a crew of about 50 more friends and family who helped Bratcher with the record attempt.

"We currently have about 20 of us on the ground right now, and we have a number of about 30 to 35 people volunteering throughout the day, cycling in and out," Kingrey said. "So it's really a community effort."

A community effort that Bratcher said he's thankful for.

Bratcher will also be jumping for more than the chance to add his name to the history books.

He started a GoFundMe to help offset the cost of the jumps and to buy 100 teddy bears to donate.

With every jump, a teddy bear jumped with him. He will then donate the bears to the Elizabethtown Police Department for their annual "Shop with a Cop" charity event.

The rest of the money raised will be donated to the Radcliff Disabled American Veterans organization.

To donate to the GoFundMe account, click here.

Elizabethtown man breaks Kentucky skydive jumping record with 100 jumps in one day

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