Three friends living in the Turkish capital Ankara prove age does not matter when it comes to being an adrenaline junkie. All in their 70s, three parachutists showcased their skills recently in an airshow in Eskişehir, a central province neighboring the capital. “We want to inspire the youth. We want to feel that excitement, that adrenaline rush,” Ömer Erdem, captain of the parachute team says.
Calling themselves “Deli Anlılar” (a play on the Turkish word “delikanlı” meaning "crazy blooded" or "young man," which roughly means “those living crazy moments"), the parachutists took a liking to aviation in their high school years after attending airshows. Years later, they still regularly attend events in Eskişehir, Ankara and other provinces.
Erdem, a 72-year-old businessman, says he has been skydiving since his early 20s and founded the team with his friends in 1973. “We won second place in a nationwide competition in 1975 and won first place in 2014. This year, we joined an event in Selçuk (in western Türkiye) and attended the airshow in Eskişehir. We also established a youth team. Setting an example for them is one of our purposes. Regardless of age, you can live that excitement,” he says. “You feel like an excited child in every jump,” he added.
Doğan Müjdat Süzen, 73, says his passion for parachuting goes back to his youth, after seeing parachutists performing stunts when he was 15 during an event celebrating Republic Day. “It is love. I cannot describe it. You feel like a bird out there,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA) recently. Süzen has been parachuting for the past 56 years and says he wants to show that “everyone can do it.” “I will keep doing it as long as I am in good health.”
Halit Öner, a 71-year-old real estate agent, has been parachuting since he was 16. Despite the objections of his two daughters, he continued it into old age. “I told them that there was no risk and after taking them to a few jumps, they were convinced and even liked watching me. I strongly recommend it to young people. It is a sport without any risk and anyone can do it,” he says.
