Plane swappers grounded

The US Federal Aviation Administration has withdrawn the pilot’s licences of a pair of daredevils who attempted amid air leap between each others’ planes lastmonth, and plans to fine one of them almost US$5000 (NZ$8000) for going ahead with the stunt after officials told him not to do it. One of the planes crashed into an Arizona desert. Longtime pilots and skydivers Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington planned to fly a pair of Cessna 182s over Arizona and then swap between them as they descended. Aikins asked the FAA for an exemption from normal safety rules, but was denied. Aikins was able to complete his jump to the other plane and take control, but the plane he had left entered a spin, and Farrington had to parachute to safety.