At 95 mph, former Golden Knight sets world record at Skydiving World Cup

HOKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- It's been nearly 30 years since Greg Windmiller first learned to fly in the sky. The veteran spent a total of 26 years in the Army with 15 of those years as a Golden Knight.

"When I was a child, I dreamed I could fly. Skydiving allows you to do what you dreamed of doing," said Windmiller.

He is back from setting a huge record at the 2019 World Cup of Canopy Piloting in South Africa. It's a unique form of skydiving that involves competitions in speed, distance and accuracy. He told ABC11 he has set six world records in the speed event of canopy piloting and has hundreds of medals to show for it.

"It's probably the most dangerous discipline in all of skydiving. At any one point, we might walk away from that competition and might not be there," said Windmiller. "I love the reward. I love the risk. I love the adrenaline. More than that, I love the people I surround myself with in that discipline."

Windmiller told ABC11 the process involves jumping from a plane that's about 6,000 feet in the air. He swoops down onto a course that's the equivalent of an entire football field at speeds as high as 95 miles per hour. He set the world record at 1.960 seconds.

He first learned to fly in the sky at Fort Bragg and is now competing on a worldwide stage.

"It means a lot to be able to compete and represent North Carolina as far as Raeford, Fort Bragg area. This drop zone has done so much for me. I feel like I need to give back to it," said Windmiller.