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Events

    National Skydiving Museum Weekend and Hall of Fame Celebration

    Fredericksburg, VA (April 6, 2012) - Mark your calendars for November 9 - 11 to be at Skydive Arizona (Eloy) for the 2012 National Skydiving Museum Weekend and Hall of Fame Celebration.
    The weekend's activities will focus on the “Birth of Formation Skydiving - The Star Crest Recipient Award” with the highlight of the weekend Saturday evening when seven skydiving legends will join 17 others into the museum's Hall of Fame. More than 300 people from around the world are expected to join in the festivities and the event is expected to bring in more than $125,000 to support building the museum.
    The activities start Friday morning and include exhibit displays with some of the rich history of the sport, a theatre featuring great skydiving footage, and a special display on the history of the Star Crest Recipient Awards (SCR). Throughout the weekend, a group of large-formation skydivers will be building 64-way formations to commemorate the birth of relative work.
    For those looking to share skydiving memories and catch up with old friends, the “Pioneers Lounge” sponsored by Pope Valley Parachute Ranch will serve as reunion headquarters. On Friday evening there will be a BBQ where Bill Newell, Jerry Bird and others will share stories about the SCR Awards program and its contributions to the sport.
    The culmination of the weekend will be the Hall of Fame reception and dinner Saturday evening presented by the Parachute Industry Association. The 2012 inductees are Carl Boenish (posthumous); Bob Buquor (posthumous); Claude Gillard; Craig Girard; Dan Poynter; and Hank (posthumous) and Muriel Simbro. The Hall of Fame recognizes and honors those, who through leadership, innovation and/or outstanding achievements have defined, promoted, inspired and advanced skydiving at the highest and sustained levels in the past, present and for future generations of skydivers. Seating is limited at the dinner so make your reservations early.
    Skydive Arizona™, located half way between Phoenix and Tucson, is the premier place for skydivers of all skill levels. With Arizona's beautiful weather, one of the largest aircraft fleets, amazing facilities and the largest drop zone in the world, Skydive Arizona has the ability to offer more sun, more fun and more jumps. This skydiving resort has become a mecca for the skydiving community!
    The fundraiser will benefit the National Skydiving Museum's $6-million capital program that will raise the necessary funds to build the museum in Fredericksburg, VA. The museum has already acquired the land that is situated adjacent to the U.S. Parachute Association. When completed, the 15,000 square foot National Skydiving Museum will recognize and promote the sport of skydiving through public education and awareness; recognize the contribution to skydiving by its participants, suppliers and supporters; capture forever the history of the sport through is events, equipment and personalities; and enhance aviation safety as it pertains to skydiving. It is expected the museum will draw visitors from throughout the world to experience the thrill of skydiving through its history of people, equipment and events.
    The National Skydiving Museum is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation governed by a Board of Trustees.
    For more information and to register for the National Skydiving Museum Weekend and Hall of Fame celebration, visit www.skydivingmuseum.org or contact museum administrator, Nancy Kemble, at 540-604-9745 or [email protected]. There are also a variety of sponsorship opportunities available for the event to show your support.

    By admin, in Events,

    Monkeys in Puerto Rico

    The Monkey Claw Free fly Team/School, based out of Skydive Cross Keys in Williamstown, New Jersey, just returned from Puerto Rico. Skydive Puerto Rico, located at the Humacao airport outside of San Juan, was the host of the 2nd Annual Free fall Festival. The festival was held from February 6 to the tenth and it was a huge success. The Monkey Claw Team arrived a few days prior to the start of the event to see old friends, explore the island and get in a little relaxation.
    They were greeted at the airport by local skydivers Hector, Julio and Christie. After a half-hour drive to Humacao they arrived at the DZ. Already the wheels were turning and tents were being raised in anticipation of the coming skydivers headed for the boogie. Afterwards the team went to their hotel at Palmas Del Mar only a few minutes from the DZ.

    Over the next few days the local skydiving community were gracious hosts and ample tour guides. On the list of attractions in Puerto Rico were El Yunque, a rain forest that is full of wild life, waterfalls, swimming holes and hiking trails. Another adventure was El Morro, a forbidding fortress in San Juan that was once used to protect the island from intruders.
    One morning a chartered Caravan was used to access Culebra, a tiny island off the coast of Puerto Rico. The island is great for a day of rest and relaxation. The beaches are vast and semi-private so there is no trouble finding that perfect spot by the water. The water is a blue and warm and full of reefs and fish to gaze at while snorkeling off the beach.

    Wednesday the boogie began. Skydivers from all over the globe made their way to the little Caribbean island for the festival. There were jumpers from the United States, England, Argentina, Chile and St. Thomas. Over 200 skydivers would register for the event by the end of the week.
    John Eddowes from Skydive Cross Keys flew down only two of his growing fleet of aircraft. Thanks to the flying of John and another Cross Keys pilot, Rob Branch, skydivers were lifted to altitudes of 14,000 feet in a Super Otter and Super Sky van all week.
    A surprise arrived on Friday as a Bell Helicopter arrived to give rides and jumps to all of the boogie goers. Skydivers were treated to a fantastic ride up the river and along the coast before exiting 7,000 feet above the DZ.

    For RW jumpers Lyle Presse and Marc Cruse were available for load organizing and two attempts were made at breaking the Puerto Rico record over the weekend. The record was not broken but everyone learned a lot from the attempts and they are ready to break the record next year. Adrian Nicholas was available for load organizing and camera flying throughout the week.
    For the free flyers, Monkey Claw was available with their staff of Glenn "Stuey" Newman, Tim Miller, Bert Navarette, Adam Rosen and Heath Richardson. Monkey Claw offered load organizing for all skill levels throughout the boogie. There were flocking dives, tracking dives, big ways, sit jumps and tube jumps. The five instructors also offered one-on-one coaching to those interested in improving their skill level in all orientations.
    On the DZ there were food stands to satisfy even the hungriest skydiver. There were also two masseuses on site to soothe aching muscles. At night seminars were given on topics such as canopy flying and relative work skills. But the parties were even better.

    Every night something was planned. Thanks to the work of Hector Flores and the many sponsors of the boogie there was plenty of free beer. One night the entire DZ made its was to the local Chili's Restaurant for food, drinks and to watch videos from that days skydiving. There were bonfires on the beach, pool parties, deejays and lots of good vibes.
    Records were broken from day one. With over 200 registrants, making over 2300 skydives with over 120 loads and 12 helicopter jumps the boogie was a huge success. The added beauty of the island and the generosity of the local skydivers were an added bonus. If you did not make your way to Puerto Rico for the first two Free fall Festivals, mark your calendar for February 2003, because it is only going to get bigger and better.

    By admin, in Events,

    Looking Back at the 2019 PIA Symposium - Part 1

    Unfortunately, we weren't able to attend the recent 2019 PIA Symposium which took place in Dallas, TX from the 4th until the 8th of February. However, our friends over at Skydive TV did an amazing job at the event, creating a number of videos from the various stalls. We've put together some of these videos in a quick collection, allowing you to recap what was going down at the PIA Symposium if you were like us and unable to be there, or whether you're just interested in hearing what some of the vendors and stall managers had to say.

    PIA Symposium 2019 | EPISODE 1 from Skydive TV® on Vimeo.
     
    Sigma & Burble
    The video kicks off with an advert for the direction that Sigma has gone with their new partnership with Burble. An interview with Dylan Avatar from Sigma then commences to discuss the way in which the two companies have eased the pains of manifests when working with the software. The software focuses on syncing data between the jumper's Sigma profile with that of the manifest. By doing this, the dropzone is able to receive the necessary certifications from the jumper without the exercise of excessive forms or card management. The software is set for release in the Spring, with additional development work still in progress.

    Franz Gerschwiler from Burble then discusses how the system works, the desire for a March release date and gives a short demo of how data that is contained on the app, as well as the success that Burble has seen in recent years being adopted by more than 100 dropzones.
    NZ Aerosports
    Next, Skydive TV talks with Attila Csizmadia from New Zealand Aerosports who initially discusses the loss of company founder Paul ‘Jyro’ Martyn, who passed away in 2017, and how his visions shaped the company. With a memorial to Jyro, placed at the stall in his honor. Attila confirms that there won't be any new NZ products unveiled at PIA, however the company has recently launched the JFX II, which is discussed in its advances to the original JFX. The discussion then shifts to a new wingsuit canopy that the company have in the works and is currently undergoing testing, though no specific release date is mentioned. The interview moves to Julien Peelman, who discusses the future of the company and what's on the horizon for NZ Aerosports. He mentions the "Anna" which is a high performance canopy that fits between the JFX II and the Leia. Peelman then goes on to discuss the move from 2D to 3D software for the company and the advances in the development software being used.
    Sun Path Products
    At the Sun Path booth, Rob Kendall talks passionately about the company's new Javelin Odyssey design, which draws heavily from feedback received by customers of the old Odyssey. He talks about several new features on the container, from the adjustments to the side panel to enhanced safety aspects, though states that the design is still a prototype and will be further tested before launch. Doug Baron then takes over to discuss the adjustments made to the back piece of the container, a feature which will offer enhance ergonomics to the user, as well as briefly discussing the new single lateral padding.
     
     
    Revl
    Revl provide a product of interest mostly to dropzones, as they offer an intelligent hardware and software solution to video capture, editing and publishing. Eric Sanchez talks to Skydive TV about how their product will capture each jump in high quality video, then use AI technology to process the video and edit it in such a way that it removes the need for video editors. Their product will then automatically upload the edited video to the cloud in, and in a matter of minutes one is able have the video automatically edited and uploaded to the cloud for each client. They use a QR code system to tie each video to the client. Not only does this product edit automatically, but it also goes through the process of charging the battery and erasing the previous data after cloud syncing, by itself. It also has the ability to merge multiple videos together during the editing process, so outside and inside videos will be merged into a single final edit. Definitely an interesting product, and we'll be watching to see whether this does get picked up at dropzones.
    Elite Rigging Academy
    Derek Thomas, with more than 50 years of rigging experience, discusses a bit of his back story and how Elite Rigging Academy came about. He explains his desire to create a rigging course that isn't just a week long experience, but rather a comprehensive 3-week course 

    By Meso, in Events,

    Load Organizing Basics


    Image by Serge Shakuto
    Relying on the default method is unsatisfying because you may find yourself being the only ‘experienced’ jumper on a load of tandem pairs and AFF students, the odd skydiver on an aircraft with an organized group that you haven’t been invited to join, or one of a few miscellaneous jumpers. In any case, you’ll probably end up with limited choices: punching a hole from 14,000’ or attempting to put together a jump with people whose level of skill and experience you don’t know.
    Whether you become a load organizer by necessity or by choice, remember that the process of actively organizing a formation skydive is not the same as passively manifesting an aircraft load. The organizing process precedes manifesting and requires you to assume a leadership role over a group of jumpers; it is just like herding cats. “Do I really have to tell people to talk through or walk through the dive flow more than once?” Yes, you do…
    The first task is to figure out who is willing and able to participate in the jump — record names and evaluate who you are inviting on the load based on their experience level (not just number of jumps) and their competent ability to perform as the dive flow demands. Pay close attention to the number of relatively inexperienced jumpers on a load; the desire to develop the skills of new skydivers should never compromise the safety and well-being of the entire group. Every jumper must be aware of the time required for the pre-jump dirt dive and post-jump debrief as well as the timing of the jump, whether it is the next fuel load or the last load of the day.
    Inevitably, at least one person will ask “So, what are we doing on this jump?” The answer has more to do with the purpose of the jump and less to do with the specific formation(s) to be built. The purpose affects every aspect of the plan – it may be to develop a new jumper’s skills; to practice for a larger or more complicated formation; or to qualify jumpers for the SCR or SCS award. Sometimes, it may just be to decompress with a no-stress jump after a long day.
    Based on the purpose of the jump as well as the number and skill level of the jumpers, determine the formation(s) to be built — remember, not every jump has to have multiple transitions. Keep it simple or make it complex by adding variations that stretch the flying skills of the participants; whatever you plan, whether it’s no-contact dives, docking dives, or flying ‘pieces’, focus on orchestrating a safe, enjoyable skydive. You can use a variety of sources to plan formations but you may have to rely on your imagination; one resource is the Wild Lava app, Skydiving Formations, which contains more than one-thousand 2-way to 20-way formations.

    Image by Serge Shakuto
    At this stage, you must decide on the exit method and order to facilitate a fast exit in order to maximize working time and to minimize horizontal and vertical separation between jumpers. Consider if the purpose and plan call for a linked or unlinked base piece and how many jumpers are going to be outside the aircraft. While there is a tendency to refer to everyone outside the aircraft as a ‘floater’, true floaters are flyers that will enter the formation later, rather than sooner. Finally, don’t neglect thinking about the location of the videographer — if you relegate the camera guy to the back of the exit order, you may not get the video record of the skydive that you had hoped for.

    Your capacity for organization and leadership will be tested when it comes time to practice exits and entry order. As the load organizer, you establish flying procedures such as the base / pin combination and whether the plan requires slot-specific docks or not; to prevent traffic jams, you may specify quadrants or sectors to be flown. Preliminary dirt dives can be accomplished wearing jumpsuits without equipment while the last ‘waiting-to-load’ practice has the advantage of allowing everyone to key on jumpsuit and gear color combinations. An often overlooked opportunity during dirt dives is to emphasize flying the formation and the importance of good reverse grips on grippers rather than wrists (or ankles). If there are going to be transitions, ensure that everyone understands the signal and who gives it.
    The conclusion of the initial dirt dive is probably the best time to brief jumpers on the break-off and deployment altitudes based on experience and/or formation size. Also, depending on the conditions, it may relevant to discuss jump run and exit and opening points as well as who will be spotting the load. Reinforce the landing pattern based on current conditions. If you haven’t done so already, manifest the load and coordinate exit order with other groups / individuals onboard the aircraft:

    Formation skydivers (belly-to-earth). Free-flying formations (head-down, standing, or sitting). Freefall students with instructors. Tandem pairs. Tracking or angle flying groups. Wingsuit flyers. Once everyone has landed, account for all jumpers on the dive, debrief jumpers, and view the video of the jump. Even if your fellow skydivers don’t specifically thank you, most people do appreciate the work that the load organizer takes on and how the effort adds to the value of the jump. Throughout the process, be willing to accept constructive suggestions and make appropriate changes but know when you’ve reached the good idea cut-off point. Any time that a safety issue arises, address it directly.
    The process of developing the skills required to structure a formation skydive in a systematic way will test your organizational and leadership abilities; you will find that the results are worth the effort. One final thought, not everyone will agree with your decisions so don’t take any disagreements personally…
    Load Organizing Checklist

    Evaluate who you are inviting on the load based on:

    Experience level (not just number of jumps).

    Ability to perform as the dive flow demands.

    Commitment to the time (pre-jump dirt dive and post-jump debrief) required.

    Reputation for safety and air awareness. Establish the purpose of the jump:

    Developing new jumpers’ skills.

    Practicing for a larger or more complicated formation.

    Qualifying jumpers for the SCR or SCS award.

    Decompression. Determine the formation(s) to be built. Decide on the exit method:

    Linked or unlinked base piece.

    Number of jumpers outside the aircraft.

    Use of true floaters.

    Location of videographer. Determine exit order. Brief jumpers on:

    Jump run and exit / opening points.

    Transition signals.

    Break-off and deployment altitudes.

    Landing pattern. Manifest load and coordinate exit order with other groups / individuals onboard:

    Formation skydivers (belly-to-earth).

    Free-flying formations (head-down, standing, or sitting).

    Freefall students with instructors.
    Tandem pairs.

    Tracking or angle flying groups.

    Wingsuit flyers. Designate a spotter. Conduct dirt dives to practice exits and entry order. Establish flying procedures:

    Base / pin combination.

    Slot-specific.

    Not-slot-specific.

    Quadrants. Account for all jumpers on the jump. Debrief jumpers and view video of the jump.

    By cassella, in Events,

    Jump-Tandem Festival 2017 Report

    The first annual JUMP-TANDEM V.I.P. FESTIVAL took place at the Dropzone Prostejov in the Czech Republic on July 11-16 2017.
    As the coaches arrived, there was nobody smaller than Léo Blanchon of the Bro’s (FF) and Kim Törnwall (FF), Rolf Brombach (WS), Regan Tetlow (FS), David Nimmo and Luis Adolfo Lopez-Mendez of Fly Warriors (FF).
    Each of them trained a small group of skydivers 4,200 meters in V.I.P. style so that everybody made great progress in their skills during the festival. There were also jumps made from two hot air balloons hovering at 4000 meters! Everybody landed safely in the drop zone.




    There was a party every night with happy hour, live bands and DJs. The final night featured a raffle with prizes in value of more than € 7,000.
    JUMP-TANDEM Dropzone Prostejov has already organized two Vector Festivals (2011, 2012), World Parachuting Championships (2014) and many World Cups and European Championships (2005-2013), for which it has become well-known.


    Plans are for only one V.I.P. mark in Europe next year too, which means that there is going to be very limited space available for registrations. If you don’t want to miss your slot on the very special 2018 JT V.I.P. FESTIVAL, check either the website or Facebook page regularly for more information about the event.
    More available at www.jumptandemfestival.com or www.facebook.com/jumptandem1/.
    Special thanks to festival partners Aerodyne and Cypres for their support.

    By admin, in Events,

    Jump Into The New Year with Skydive Live

    SKYDIVE LIVE’s Annual

    JUMP INTO THE NEW YEAR Boogie

    16-19 January 2015

    Our PAC750 airplane, friends, raffles, good vibes and lots of jumping in celebration of the New Year!
    Come on down Thursday night, January 15th, and hangout with us as we prepare for this fun-filled FOUR day weekend event. We have the fastest jump plane in the Florida panhandle - a PAC750 starting up at 9am on Friday, and a Cessna 182 for hop n’ pops. The DZ is 20 acres with 200+ acres of safe “outs” and plenty of space for you to camp out – either pitch a tent or sleep in our 5,000 square foot hangar which is carpeted for packing and is equipped with an personal outdoor shower available for use. RV hookups are available for a small fee and families are always welcome – bounce house and toys for the kids.
    There will be lots to do each day, weather days we’ll have free courses, camera course, safety and exit order courses, and anything else you request, just give hit us up on our Facebook page, Skydive Live, and ask. The "GoPro pic of the day" gets a free jump, we'll have Last Load of the day Swoop n’ Chugs, load organizers – from belly to free fly, bonfires at night, and more to follow!
    For the $25 entry fee, you get a free t-shirt, free lunch each day, and one ticket toward any of the raffles. Friday is a Pig Pick’n BBQ. We ask that everyone please bring a side dish. Saturday night, will be catered – Chicken n’ Dumplings, sweet potato casserole, green beans and more, all for $10. Breakfast is available – you can skydive for 4 days straight cause everything from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed is taken care of! No need wasting time running in to town– just have fun!
    Raffles – 20 minutes in the Paraclete XP tunnel in North Carolina, a free reserve pack job, a full or open face helmet, your choice and more to come.
    There will be organizers for all levels of FS and Free Fly, several coaches, and riggers on staff. Two Awesome free fly coaches – Matt and Darcy, Darcy will be our FreeFly Load Organizer. Our full time packer is Jerrid – He’ll pack, you just jump!
    Sandy Grillet will be making an appearance as our load organizer for the weekend. Sandy is a current 4, 8, and 16 way competitor with over 9,600 jumps. He’s as much a coach as he is a load organizer so if you’re looking to improve your belly skills, Sandy is your guy!
    Julia Secker-Walker is an AFF-I, coach, and videographer with 700+ jumps. She enjoys skydiving in all disciplines and she especially likes jumping with new students! We are excited to have Julia on staff this season!
    So whether it’s your 5th jump or 5,000th jump come out to Skydive Live @ 5138 County Highway 0605 Defuniak Springs, FL. 32433 (some GPS’s have the Highway 0605 as Jackson Still Cutoff, they are the same)
    Schedule training/tandems with Dave 910-533-9097 Any DZ questions, call Jim 850-978-4532. Questions or directions, see www.skydivelive.com

    Looking forward to a great weekend!

    By admin, in Events,

    Flanders Boogie 2017: World Class Organizers, Cheap Jumps and Belgian Summer


    What do Belgian beers and boogies have in common? Greatness. If you haven't combined both yet, you are missing out.
    Last chance was at end of July, in Moorsele (west Belgium). The Flanders Boogie is quite possibly the largest boogie
    in Europe. Not happy with that, the club behind -PCV- makes it also the cheapest. PCV is a non-profit organization,
    which means that every penny is used to make the club greater, while keeping the jump ticket prices the lowest in the continent -as low as 15€ to 13000ft-. If you aren't convinced yet maybe 3 supervans and 1 grand caravan will
    tip the balance.


    An event for every jumper.


    The Flanders Boogie is an inclusive event in nature. At all levels. The number of jumpers increased over the last
    few years, reaching now almost 500, from more than 20 different nationalities. There are jumpers from every skill
    level and discipline.


    In this day and age, freeflying is the most popular discipline. As such, most of the participants and organizers
    focused on different forms of freeflying. Every
    day in the morning participants had to sign up for the desired group. Head up, head down, tracking/tracing or
    dynamic flying. Each one of these disciplines was further divided in beginner, intermediate or advanced groups.
    That made it easier to find an appropriate bunch of mates for each flyer. 13 coaches took care of the groups, that had a
    maximum of 7 participants (+ coach). Do you think that a cheap boogie would have second level coaches? Think again.
    Ally Milne, David Nimmo, Hedda Andersen, Julian Barthel, Kurt Dockx, Luis Lopez-Mendez, Reed Ramage, Troy Rodway,
    Rene Terstegen, Kim Van der Horst, Mike Wittenburg, Dylan Poty and Rich Madeley (from Fly Warriors, Fly-In, Airspace,
    Skydive Empuriabrava, Maktoum, Turbolenza, ...) were the freefly organizers, and some of the best flyers of the planet.
    Moreover, the all-mighty Gustavo Cabana joined some of the jumps so mere mortals could see the shredding of the
    most advanced jumps right before each day's party. Don't believe me? Watch the video.



    Even though freeflying has an important presence in the Boogie, the number of belly jumpers is still very significant.
    They also had their big share of fun. Quality 4 and 8 ways? That is guaranteed when world champions like Hayabusa are in the house.
    Big ways (16 and 32 ways)? No problem when Marco Arrigo, Martial Ferre, Lesley Gale, Roy Janssen, Johan Van Eeckhout
    and Herman Landsman are in charge. Are you a beginner skydiver and you think this boogie is not for you yet? Wrong.
    Coaches of the club organize fun 4-ways, with one coach and one experienced videoman, where you can learn the basics
    of relative work, if you are cleared to jump with more people. I told you. This is an inclusive boogie.


    Wingsuiting is the last big modern group discipline. If massive flocking is how you roll, you'll have a good time
    here as well. Darren Burke, Benoit Syben, Joran Dekker and Julian Boulle were the bosses in the area this year.


    If that is not enough, sometimes balloon jumps, high altitude jumps, CRW or cross country jumps are also organized during
    the Boogie days. Unfortunately the weather made it difficult this year for these activities.


    Be careful with what you wish.


    Last year the weather was hot. Too hot. I bet more than one was wishing for cooler weather. I know I did. Wish granted. This
    year was by far the year with the most challenging weather conditions. Wind, clouds and low temperatures -for being
    July- were the norm the whole week. Belgian summers tend to be a bit unpredictable, but this level of crappiness
    is a new high. Multiple weather holds and 500+ jumps limits kept a lot of people on the ground. The plus side?
    There is a brand new tunnel 15 minutes away, and the motivation was high as soon as the conditions improved a little bit.
    That's obvious when you notice that we broke a local record: 115 loads in a single day! Nobody wanted to miss the
    chance when after 5 days we had a day of good weather.


    More than jumping.


    The Boogie is also a great opportunity to talk to all the vendors present there. You can see their newest products,
    talk about them, demo them, try them on and even get measured if you decided to order a new container or suit later
    on. NZ Aerosports, Icarus, Performance Designs, Aerodyne, Vigil, Cookie, Sonic, SWS, Sife, Parachute Systems, Intrudair,
    UPT and Boogie Man representatives were there during the boogie with their latests products. Since last year, one
    of the evenings all the vendors present there organize the vendor's night, where beer and snacks are on them!
    The sponsors of the Boogie -lots of them present during it- also helped to make it more attractive with awesome
    prizes during the raffle. The prizes included discounts on products, free gear, tunnel time, t-shirts... you name it.


    After a legendary day of jumping (or of waiting) you need a legendary night of partying. Did I mention Belgian beer
    while watching the video of day, edited most days by the master mind of Marcel Leen? Well, I did it now. After it
    there was live music or DJs to keep the mood high. For some, too high. Maybe the questionable weather was not that
    bad on some cases.


    Wrapping up.


    During 7 days 459 skydivers from 20+ countries made 6904 jumps in 414 loads (16.67 jumpers per load, and 59 loads
    per day). The weather tried to keep everyone down and in the lowest day just 21 loads went up. The Boogie rebounded
    and made 115 loads when the conditions were good. Fun was had. Skills were learnt. The sky was shredded. Beer was drank.
    The wind blew and we blew back. That was stupid but we blame the beer. If you weren't there you missed out. Learn
    from your mistakes and save the date for 2018. If you were there and you are feeling the Boogie blues maybe watching again the daily videos will cheer you up.

    Flanders Boogie 2017 - Day 1.
    Flanders Boogie 2017 - Day 2.
    Flanders Boogie 2017 - Day 3.
    Flanders Boogie 2017 - Day 4.
    Flanders Boogie 2017 - Day 5.
    Flanders Boogie 2017 - Day 6.
    Flanders Boogie 2017 - Day 7.

    By admin, in Events,

    FAI World Cup 2014 - Indoor Skydiving Competition

    The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) - The World Air Sports Federation, was founded in 1905. Skydivers from all over the world have been waiting for this moment of recognition where the indoor skydiving collides with skydiving and the indoor sport competition becomes real.
    In November 2014, history was made in the air sports. For the first time ever Indoor Skydiving was recognized as a sport by the FAI and a World Cup was held at iFLY Austin in Texas, USA. Many countries were represented such as Russia, USA, Canada, Mexico, France, Sweden, Czech Republic and Monaco.

    This is also the first time that a junior category has been recognized within the air sport. Aerokart Akademie sent their best flyers, two FS junior teams with flyers ranging from 10 to 13 years old and an average score of 12.8 and 10.7, Akademie 1 and Akademie 2.
    Both teams have been training hard and competed against five other teams in the same division leading the way for the Bad Boys, representing Czech Republic, with a beautiful win of 20.9 average score. Close behind was our USA team Spaceland Lite and Team eXact from Sweden. The podium never looked so good with so much international talent. In the female category, team Aerokart Deep Blue had a smashing victory with a 24.7 average score, allowing the female team from Czech Republic, Hurricane Factory Chicks, to get second place. These girls certainly made an impression with their coordinated jumpsuits and smiles.

    The Freefly discipline, part of the Artistic Events, always amazes the general public with the synchronized movements and sent the crowd rallying with applauses. Not to be surprised, team USA has put an enormous dedication into showing the world their passion for indoor skydiving and created a routine that took the judges off their feet. Team Mandrake, composed of Chris Dixon and Javier Serrano, won Gold with a 65.0 total score.
    Collective, the other USA team followed with the silver and Orion Freely from Sweden took bronze showing the judges’ one of the most challenging synchronized team exits of the competition The Mexican team, Avix, showed to everyone that with love and dedication, being part of the first world cup was an experience of a life time and to not ever be forgotten no matter what place you got.

    If you enjoy a dance routine performed by a single person that is full of emotion and energy; full enough to make your arm hair spike, than you know that the Freestyle category blew away many eyes and made many heads turn. Music choreography and soft dance moves were incorporated to impress the judges and general public. The indoor World Cup hosted seven Freestyle competitors and they all had their unique signature moves. USA was represented by our ‘Golden Boy’ Reese Willson with an total score of 60.4 and a final round flown with his arms inside his jumpsuit to encourage the disabled to participate in the sport! In second place were the famous pointy toes of Mike Silva with team Collective of the USA, followed by the exquisite flying technique of Olga Bakulina and Leo Volkov with the Russian delegation. Following up the Russians was Drew, Man of Steele, of the USA with his shocking triple flips, then the youngest world medal holder in indoor skydiving history Mateo Lumnios with his matching orange shoes. Lastly in the Freestyle category, Lise Hernandez Girouard represented Canada and got the crowd singing to “pretty woman” during of one of her performance rounds.

    Three countries were represented in the VFS category, USA, Poland and Mexico. SDC standard held their world class status with an average score of 24.3, sharing the podium with team Fly Definition in second place and Avix from Mexico in third. SDC Standard teammates Mickey Nuttall, Will Pesek , Rook Nelson and Jason Peters set the bar really high for anyone that would like to take their World Champion title away next year!
    A few years ago Gillian Rayner, the IPC Controller, explored the idea of creating the World Cup Indoor skydiving, working with Axel Zohmann, Director of the IBA, and iFLY Operations Manager, Erin Horton. Modifying the rules of skydiving and adapting them to an indoor 14 foot wind tunnel, we dedicated this World Cup to all future World Champions that will come after this grand year.
    To many hours of flying in the wind tunnel and to leaping into new winds, may this year motivate many of us to train and to empower our community to achieve new flying skills. We raise the glass to the FAI for making this dream a reality for all of the competitors. Here Here!

    By admin, in Events,

    Eloy World Cup 2019 Results & Gallery

    The FAI World Cup of Formation Skydiving and Artistic Events was held at Skydive Arizona during early October 2019. Teams representing 16 different countries spent the week competing in Formation skydiving (4-way, 4-way Female, 8-way and VFS) and Artistic Skydiving (Freestyle and Freefly).
    The event opened with a memorable ceremony featuring RedBull pilot Kirby Chambliss and the Women’s Skydiving Network debuted their first all-female demo team who jumped into the event with 20’ x 30’ flags and smoke.
    After the opening ceremony and official draw, it was down to business as all the competitors prepared for the week ahead. The next few days were full of action as each team demonstrated their skill and sportsmanship through each round of competition. Luckily, good weather meant for a speedy competition and all events were finished by October 11th. With a full day to play before the closing ceremonies, competitors and local skydivers got together in a 10-way speed scramble competition. One round incorporated a jump from Skydive Arizona’s venerable DC-3!
    The awards ceremony the night of October 12th was one to remember. With over 400 guests, the hangar was vibrating with excitement and enthusiasm. Gold medals went out to the French Freestyle team as well as their 4-Way Female team. USA took gold home for 4-Way open and VFS. Norway received a gold medal for their Freefly team and Russia for 8-way FS.
    All disciplines will have their chance to compete again at the next FAI World Cup which will be held in Norway during the month of August 2021.
    All photographs were taken by Bruce Griffith, while scores listed below have been gathered from results.worldskydiving.org






     




























    By Meso, in Events,

    Dubai International Parachuting Championships - Day 9 & 10

    All Imagery By Konwent Photography
    After completing 3 rounds of Zone Accuracy, 2 rounds of Speed-Distance, 2 rounds of Distance and 2 rounds of Speed - all swoopers were ready to relax. Out of 59 CP competitors only 22 decided to take part in Freestyle competition on the very last day of 5th DIPC in Dubai.
    In one of the previous bulletins an important change was announced. Last year every competitor could decide for himself to participate in CP Freestyle or not. This year only the first 30 competitors of overall were supposed to be allowed to compete. “Supposed to” - because apparently this limitation has been cancelled 1h before the first round when only 10 approved competitors showed up. That’s why all CP competitors were finally allowed to compete. All day long were able to watch 22 swoopers doing NacNacs, Kowboys, Flips, Lazy Boys, Supermen and many other tricks.



    We’ve also asked Bjoern Korth, Event Judge of Canopy Piloting about the reason of new limitations.

    “The majority of swoopers focus on Distance, Speed and Accuracy in their training. For safety reasons we didn’t want to allow all swoopers to participate."

    - “The majority of swoopers focus on Distance, Speed and Accuracy in their training. For safety reasons we didn’t want to allow all swoopers to participate. Some of them might never done freestyle before. Competition is not the best place to start.” - says Bjoern - “Freestyle is also difficult to judge, it was not judged often before. Of course we have guidelines from FAI, but it’s still something new.”
    But looking at those who took part in these additional 3 rounds, they all seem to be happy about the jumps they’ve made. Even if not swooped perfectly, they were doing some really cool stuff with the pond just as it was their playground. We all hope that next year more competitors will take part in this spectacular show.
    - Well, I think that people don’t want to get hurt on the last day of the competition. Many of them leave Dubai tomorrow and the wet rig weights way more - laughs Marat Leiras from Skydive Dubai Team - Freestyle is great, lots of fun, everybody is relaxed and can explore this beautiful swoop pond. I try to use my imagination, free my mind and soul. During World Air Games 2013 organizers tried to combine Freestyle with “regular” Distance, Speed and Accuracy and it was really great. Something fresh and new in the sport.




    The last day of 5th DIPC
    Believe it or not, but during CP Freestyle the audience was much more active and numerous than during any other swooping discipline. Hundreds of people were giving big applause for every trick that ended up in the water and even bigger for spectacular maneuvers finished smoothly on the ground.
    - It’s really cool, I hope that next year I will be able to watch it again! It’s a new style of swooping, exciting and probably very dangerous - says Lydia watching the show.
    - I had to decide between Accuracy landings on the Beach DZ and Freestyle Swooping here - says a man with a Kazahstan T-shirt - but it was worth staying close to the swoop pond.



    As the CP Freestyle rules are difficult to follow for most of the audience, Regan Tetlow (Media Presenter of DIPC) and Greg Windmiller (USA National Team) explained every trick and the guidelines that competitors should follow. But not only the trick itself matters. Judges asses everything: setup, trick accuracy, landing and how long the trick was held on the pond. Final results are impacted by all those factors.
    - DIPC is doing great job for parachuting and skydiving in general. They really try to keep CP close to the public. Everything is organized so great, that it could be a kind of “benchmark” for all other parachuting event organizers - says Greg Windmiller.




    Bye bye, Dubai
    2014 DIPC took 8 long days. The variety of all skydiving disciplines, colorful surroundings, airshows, extreme sport itself - made the event great for professional and amateur photographers. HIPA organized the contest holding one of the highest money prize in the world ($7000 for 1st place, $25000 in all awards). - "It’s a great event for us, photographers" - Juan Mayer, Skydive Dubai photographer - "I don’t have many chances to see the Jumeirah Palm from other angles than usual, but when jumping on the Beach DZ I could really rediscover its beauty."

    The submission is already closed so we all look forward to see the results.
    Just before the Closing Ceremony a 50-way formation was jumped. Skydivers created “43” number to celebrate 43rd National Day of UAE. After spectacular airshows of Al Fursan, Zoltan Team and Parabatix - all medals have been given to the heros of the event. France, Russia and USA (and other) anthems were played many times during this evening.
    And this is how 5th DIPC became history.

    Current results can be found at both Omniskore's and EAF's websites
    Marta Molińska is a 28 year old skydiver, event organizer, PR specialist, journalist. She currently lives in Poland, running social media and event management for her domestic Dropzone Sky Camp. She fell in love with skydiving 2 years ago, and has over 600 jumps. She smiles a lot (like it was her trade mark).

    By admin, in Events,

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