Jimi Hendrix was trained as a paratrooper for air assault operations.
Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld or `` Dan BC '' is a six-time world champion skydiver , and a motivational speaker .. skydiver. Parachuting. In 1992 , Brodsky-Chenfeld survived a plane crash which killed 16 people , including several other members of his skydiving team .. He spent six weeks in a coma , with major injuries including a broken neck .. Even after the long recovery he was determined to continue skydiving .. In 1994 , he co-founded Arizona Airspeed , a skydiving team based at Skydive Arizona .. Brodsky-Chenfeld led Airspeed four - and eight-person formation skydiving teams to six World Championships .. Brodsky-Chenfeld is also a large formation skydiving world record holder .. He has made over 15,000 skydives .. Brodsky-Chenfeld was inducted into the Skydiving Museum and Hall of Fame in 2014 .. Brodsky-Chenfeld told his story in a memoir  : Above All Else  : A World Champion Skydiver 's Story of Survival and What It Taught Him About Fear , Adversity , and Success .. The book tells about his life , accident , recovery , drive to be a world champion , and transformation of the sport of skydiving .. The story 's universal appeal led to Brodsky-Chenfeld being asked to do a TED Talk .. TED Talk. TED ( conference )