When Del DeLashmutt jumps out of a plane, he takes his family with him.

On Sunday the retired Delta Airlines pilot and former naval pilot, who said he logged at least 18,000 hours flying planes, celebrated his 80th birthday by sky-diving for the first time — soaring over Moku­leia with a tandem instructor and landing at Dillingham Airfield.

DeLashmutt made the event a family affair, persuading 25 members of his family, including brothers, sisters, children and granddaughters, to jump with him Sunday.

"If he can jump at 80, I can do it now," 59-year-old daughter Debbie Rinzel said before the family sky dive.

"I don’t want to do it at 80, so I might as well do it now," added DeLashmutt’s 49-year-old daughter, Courtney Beddow.

There were some jitters among the family group, including for Kiana Beddow, Courtney’s 20-year-old daughter and the youngest of Sunday’s sky-diving expedition. But Kiana said that she was "excited" for her first jump, too.

Another 11 family members watched from the ground.

"They didn’t have enough nerve to do it," DeLashmutt said.

The family had to wait about four hours for the weather to cooperate and flew up in groups, jumping at five or six at a time. DeLashmutt took the plunge first, followed out of the plane by four granddaughters, he said.

When he landed, DeLashmutt said the wait was worth it.

"When you’re free-falling, it’s absolutely quiet and beautiful," he said.

The family planned to celebrate their jump later in the day with a party in Waikiki.

The next item to scratch off his bucket list, DeLashmutt said, would probably be a trip with his wife to Europe, where she’s never been, and St. Petersburg, Russia.

"Maybe this summer," he said. "Or, I might come back out here and jump again."