Cancer Survivor Sets Guinness Record as Oldest Man to Fly in a Wingsuit

Richard “Rich” Greenwood, 74, beat cancer and returned to the skies to become the oldest man to fly in a wingsuit, earning a Guinness World Record. 

The American skydiver set the mark on June 5, 2026, at 74 years and 136 days, taking the title from Wisconsin’s Robert Felt, who had achieved it at 72 years and 64 days in May 2026.

Greenwood’s love of flight



began at age five, when he built tiny tissue-paper parachutes and tossed them off his family’s garage roof. At 18, he signed up for skydiving lessons. 

He went on to earn certificates in commercial piloting, aircraft mechanics and parachute rigging, and studied aerospace engineering and aviation safety. Before retiring in 2018, he worked as an aircraft accident investigator for the US Air Force.