Bush says his dad a "nut" to plan another sky-dive

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Sunday he thought his father, the former president, is a "nut" to plan to celebrate his 85th birthday with another sky-dive.

The current president kidded the former -- who has marked several birthdays with parachute jumps -- as the two of them appeared together for a joint interview on "Fox News Sunday."

"I think he's a nut to jump out of an airplane at age 70, 75, 80 and 85," said Bush, who steps down as president January 20.

"You're going to have some trouble convincing mother" about doing the next parachute jump, Bush, 62, told his father, George H.W. Bush, who turns 85 on June 12.

"I told you the reasons, though," the 41st president said. "You don't want to sit around, just because you're an old guy, drooling in the corner."

The younger Bush replied with a laugh, "You can drool and jump at the same time."

The elder Bush celebrated his 80th birthday in 2004 by sky diving strapped to a U.S. Army paratrooper. He planned to jump solo, but tricky winds caused him to jump in tandem for safety reasons.

George H.W. Bush first jumped out of an airplane when he was a U.S. aviator shot down over the Pacific during World War Two.

He now walks with a cane because, as he told Fox, "I think I have an imbalance that came from a back operation."