She has done it once.

She said if she could do it right now, she would do it again.

But Jane Haynes, on the occasion of her 100th birthday, said she wasn’t sure if she would take a dive from an airplane again if she has to wait.

Haynes made Fountain Hills history Saturday, Feb. 23, when she, her daughter Pat Haynes, and granddaughter Catherine Devoucoux, all took tandem skydives from two miles above the earth.

Jane made a distinction about her jump.

“It wasn’t a jump,” she said. “I fell out of the plane.”

And fall she did, for about a minute before her instructor pulled the rip cord and the parachute deployed.

“I didn’t really notice a big bounce when he pulled the cord,” Jane said. “I was kind of ready to be down.”

Jane kept her attention on the ground below during her jump.

“I just liked seeing everything getting closer,” she said. “I wanted to see what was going on down below.”

Jane is no rookie at adventure. She told her daughter that her daredevil life began “after 60,” when she would explore Arizona with her late husband, Fran, in their Ford Bronco as if it were a jeep. They traveled to England, Israel and Egypt, ran rapids in Alaska and climbed Mayan ruins in Guatemala. All before she was 70.

At 70, the family hiked the Grand Canyon and had a birthday party at the bottom.

For her 75th birthday, Haynes took a hot air balloon ride. When she was 80, she went heli-hiking in Canada. On her 90th birthday, she had to take a break, literally. She had broken her neck so her adventures had to be postponed until she was 100.

She decided on the skydiving (skyfalling) adventure after she watched her granddaughter take the plunge.

“I thought that looked pretty fun,” she said. “And since I had been up in the hot air balloon, I didn’t think this would be much different.”

Haynes essentially celebrated her centennial throughout the month of February. Early in the month, she was honored by two herb societies she founded and co-founded.

Fountain Hills Presbyterian Church, of which Haynes is a charter member, had a celebration Feb. 17.

On her birthday Feb. 20, Fountain View Village, where she lives, threw a birthday party for her.

She will have another celebration Friday, March 8, when the Fountain Hills Botanical Garden, which she founded with daughter Pat, holds a sign dedication. That ceremony is set for 1:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the garden, located at Emerald Drive and Fountain Hills Boulevard. It is open to the public.

Haynes is a pioneer in the community. She and her husband flew to Arizona on a McCulloch flight in 1973. On her birthday, Feb. 20, 1974, the family – including Haynes, her late husband, Fran, son Robert and daughter Pat – moved to Fountain Hills.

In October 1976, Haynes began writing a monthly column for The Times, called “Exploring among Saguaros.”

The column, complete with Haynes’ illustrations, offered advice and information about desert plants. For someone who grew up in Ohio, Haynes learned quickly about the Sonoran Desert and was able to share her knowledge with the newspaper’s readers.

She also became a beloved member of The Times’ family, continuing to write “Exploring among Saguaros” for 26 years.

Haynes still enjoys plants, and particularly herbs. She wrote an herb cookbook, and has had many accolades and awards from herb clubs and societies.

She partnered with three other Fountain Hills women to open Desert Kettle, which featured edibles made from desert plants and herbs, such as jams and jellies. Jane is the surviving member of that partnership.

Asked what was next on her agenda, Haynes said she wasn’t sure, but she was already thinking about what she can do on her next birthday.

Meanwhile, she enjoys her family and friends and life’s small pleasures.

When the jump was over, Haynes and her family walked in to the spectator gallery. There was a roar of excitement from the observers, who clapped and yelled for her.

“It was a pretty good birthday,” she said.

Hayne’s jump was with Skydive Arizona. Her instructor, Scott Wood, was “a really good instructor,” according to Pat.

Pat said Haynes was extremely safe the entire time she was preparing for and finally taking the plunge.

“Scott and my instructor, Rick, take paraplegics on jumps,” Pat said. “They are really well-trained and they were so kind to my mom.”

Apparently Haynes agreed. She called Scott “a big, beautiful man who didn’t say much but knew what he was doing.”