While many seniors choose to celebrate their 90th birthday with friends, family and cake, former president George H. W. Bush decided to break the mold and jump out of a helicopter.

On Thursday, June 12, the 41st president brought in his 90st birthday by skydiving near his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. His helicopter departed Thursday morning from Walker's Point at 10:45 a.m. He and Mike Elliott, a retired member of the Golden Knights, the Army's parachute team, jumped from the helicopter at 6,000 feet, the Boston Globe reported.

He was accompanied by several other jumpers who happened to be former Golden Knights members as well. Two jumpers wore smoke flares on their ankles, while another two had video cameras, according to Richard Guy, 51, a friend of Elliott's. In a recorded video, the group is seen doing a free fall before they engaged their chutes.

According to Guy, Bush made an unexpectedly hard landing at St. Ann's Episcopal Church.

Although he is wheelchair bound, the jump marked the president's eighth skydiving experience. The first time Bush jumped from an airplane was when his plane was shot down in World War II over the Pacific, family spokesman Jim McGrath said. He also jumped out of a plane to celebrate his previous milestone birthdays when he turned 75, 80 and 85.

The former president announced his jump via Twitter Thursday morning, tweeting, "It's a wonderful day in Maine -- in fact, nice enough for a parachute jump.''

''It's vintage George Bush,'' McGrath said. ''It's that passion for life. It's wanting to set a goal, wanting to achieve it. I'm sure part of it is sending a message to others that even in your retirement years you can still find challenges.''

Back in January, H.W. Bush was released from a Houston hospital after spending seven weeks under care for bronchitis, an infection and a persistent cough, CNN reported.