The Big Secret was still safe early Sunday morning as the Hutfelter family and their friends got together at Pitt Meadows Airport.

On the surface, the main event was a skydive by three generations from the same family – Cloverdale’s Chase Hutfelter, 23, his father Brad, 55, and grandfather Ken, 79.

Ken, who had been grounded in previous attempts due to arthritis, was given the okay to jump this year by his doctor.

The plan was to have three flights: The first would carry the Hutfelters, the second their friends and the third Chase’s girlfriend Breanne Fyvie.

While there was undoubted enthusiasm for the three generations of skydivers in the first group, they were partly a diversion for Breanne.

“I’ve had to keep it a secret – the hardest thing ever,” said Chase, who spent six months planning the event.

“We knew we wanted to be married for a long time. Planning on getting married is no surprise. Making the proposal a surprise is the hard part.”

(Just the previous day, he had to get a final adjustment done on the engagement ring, making excuses for his unexpected absence.)

The flights went off without a hitch, and without suspicion from the fiancée-to-be.

Launching from 12,500 feet and opening up the chute at 5,500 feet, Chase landed and mingled with friends and other skydivers in the crowd.

Breanne’s takeoff gave Chase a 20-minute window to slip into the Pacific Skydivers hangar to put on a tuxedo and prepare for her arrival on the landing field.

With a crowd of friends and family watching, Breanne quickly said yes to the proposal.

“Having the girl that I am absolutely head-over-heels in love with actually say she wants to spend the rest of her life with me... that’s a life-long high,” said Chase. “I’m the luckiest guy on Earth.”

Chase will finish renovations on his new house in White Rock in early September.

bjoseph@surreyleader.com