George HW Bush takes 90th birthday celebration to new heights

'It’s a wonderful day in Maine - in fact, nice enough for a parachute jump,' tweeted the 41st US president, who first jumped from an aircraft almost 70 years ago in World War Two.

Former President George HW Bush, left, strapped to Sgt 1st Class Mike Elliott, a retired member of the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, made his eighth parachute jump on June 12, 2014 in celebratShow more

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BOWDOINHAM, Maine // Former US President George HW Bush marked his 90th birthday by skydiving out of a helicopter above Kennebunkport, Maine, on Thursday.

He was seen on television footage soaring under a red, white and blue parachute with a group of US Army veterans, delivering on a vow he made five years ago even though he can no longer walk.

“It’s a wonderful day in Maine - in fact, nice enough for a parachute jump,” tweeted the 41st US president, who first jumped from an aircraft almost 70 years ago when he was shot down over the Pacific Ocean in World War Two.

Live video showed Mr Bush soaring over a wooded area of coastal Maine, where he has long maintained a home. After landing, a support team returned him to the wheelchair Mr Bush uses to get around.

The elder Mr Bush, father of 43rd US President George W Bush, has been celebrating birthdays with occasional skydives for years.

He marked his 75th and 80th birthdays with jumps as well.

In 2009, when he jumped to mark his 85th birthday, his son then-President Bush said: “I think he’s a nut to jump.”

Skies in Maine were heavily overcast with little wind on Thursday.

* Reuters, additional reporting from Associated Press