Omri Galili - Israel's Fly Baby
"Skydive Eilat" is one of only two skydiving clubs in Israel. Roy Ritter, the Chief Instructor is very proud of his 800 members but especially of the 16 year old Omri Galili who at the age of 10 announced: "I want to be a Skydiver." When he was 8, Omri Galili arrived along with his family for a vacation in Eilat. Like any other kid who comes to town he swam in the red sea and the pool, and also visited the different attractions, among them - the Airodium (Vertical Wind Tunnel).
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But unlike any other kid that visit changed his life. Omri fell in love with "flying". During the next visits of his family in Eilat, he kept going to the Airodium and turned the visit into a "week of flying", says Roy Ritter who's family owns the Airodium.
"Already at the age of 10 he told me he is going to take the skydiving course", says Ritter about his young trainee. But Omri had to be patient. The skydiving course can only be taken after the age of 18. So in the meantime he kept getting more air time in the Airodium, and the checks he got from his Bar-Mitsvah he deposited into a savings account.
When he got to the age that he could start skydiving, Omri came to the dropzone for a skydiving course which he got as a present from his mother on his 16 birthday. On Friday, April 13th his dream came true, and he jumped out of the plane. Despite of the date (Friday the 13th...), Omri wanted to jump anyway. "I didn't know what to expect, I was frightened and I was screaming", admits Omri. During the first 3 jumps the parachute is opened automatically by a static-line almost right after you leave the plane. Thereafter the skydiver has to pull the pilot chute himself.
Omri has now jumped 31 times since that first jump. A great achievement for someone who has just finished the course a month ago. Every Friday he arrives to the dropzone, and there with the other skydivers he jumps, packs his parachute and when his turn comes he gets on the plane and jumps again.
A MINUTE WITH GOD
What makes people get on a small plane, climb to the height of 12000ft, jump out of it to fall for a whole minute?
At Friday afternoons, the "Skydive Eilat" dropzone is crowded with men and women, mostly youngsters, waiting for their turn to get on the plane. The whole procedure starts with gearing up, through waiting at the waiting point, the flight up, the jump and getting back to the hangar, and finally the tiresome job of packing the parachute.
Between jumps, they eat, exchange experiences, and catch a short nap in the shade. Bout not Omri. After the landing, he picks up the parachute and goes to the hangar to do what every skydiver hates the most - packing! Omri lays the parachute on the ground and desperately looks at the mess of the strings and fabric. While his hands dig and turn the fabric over, he exchanges experiences and impressions with his skydiving friends. Later they talk about altimeters and different kinds of parachutes, and all in a totally professional language. Most of the information is taken from the Internet.
"When Omri wanted to buy a parachute, he came to me with specific details of what he wants", explains Ritter, "he knew exactly which kind, size and colors he wants, everything".
The experience the older skydivers get in the field, the younger ones get from the Internet. At the club itself there are no differences. Everybody mingle with everybody: CIO editors, pilots, insurance agents, hi-tech people, students and high school pupils.
20 Percent of the skydivers are girls and their numbers are rising. Since there is no limitation on food before skydiving, everybody is busy eating what Dudi is making them. Everybody but Omri. After finishing packing the parachute, he sits on the benches not eating, not drinking and only waiting for his turn to go on the plane again.
Q: What does your mother say?
"She's cool with it. She's not frightened, only calls at the end of the day to ask how it was. I want her to do a Tandem, which is a skydive for two people, when the instructor and the student are connected together with a special harness."
You don't have to take the course to do a Tandem, and it is suitable for everybody, 13 year old children and over 70 year old elders. Even people with physical disabilities and blind people for example can also do a Tandem.
TO SIT IN THE AIR
And what exactly are the skydivers going through?
After getting on one of the two planes, one of them was purchased recently, the skydivers take off to the height of 12000ft (4km). At the signal of the instructor, they sit at the edge of the plane and after another signal, they jump. Then for a minute, at a fall rate of 250km/h, they fall. While falling with movements of the arms and the legs, you can sit, stand on your head and also do flips backwards and forwards, or dock with other skydivers for a group formation.
After the first minute, which is as the skydivers say, the best part, you open the main parachute and float down.
Q: What's in that freefall?
Omri: You can't explain that feeling in words. You have to jump yourself to understand. Your body turns into a flying machine. Your arms and legs are like wings of a plane, and every movement effect your body."
Q: And what do you think about while you are falling?
"While freefall I think only about I'm gonna do at the next moment and just have fun. The thoughts are always focused on the jump."
You could've thought that one of the main reasons to skydive at the area of Eilat is the incredible view, but apparently that's not it. "It isn't the view, it's the people that jump here", explain Omri.
Q: And have you done scuba diving?
"Nope. And I'm not interested in that either. I don't relate to the underwater view".
"It's the adrenaline", explains Omri's sister, Efrat, which is also caught in the skydiving enthusiasm. After landing she breaks into screams of excitement. "I was screaming up in the air also", she laughs. "What a trip it was", said some other skydivers.
Omri and Efrat were at the dropzone when the accident of the English skydiver who broke his leg occurred. Both of them don't understand why he did the turn so close to the ground. Both of them weren't intimidated by it. "There's nothing you can do, it's a dangerous sport", says Ritter, the chief instructor, who has about 4,500 jumps and was second place world champion in '94 for 2-way skydiving.
There are two skydiving clubs in Israel- "Skydive Eilat", and "Paradive" at the Bonim beach. "And that's quite a lot for a small country like Israel", explains Ritter. The dropzone in Eilat was opened at 1996, and it's a family club. As mentioned, Roy is the chief instructor, and his sister Noya with 900 jumps is the dropzone manager and also an instructor. Their father, Moshe, flies the planes. 800 skydivers are members in the club. Skydivers from all around the world arrive there, among them Kenshy from Japan, who after doing a Tandem while he visited in Eilat, decided to take a course and eventually decided to stay in Israel. Today he works at the Jewelry Stock Exchange in Ramat-Gan and comes to the club every weekend.
COLD FEET
Q: Has it ever happened that someone got into the plane and didn't want to jump?
Roy: "there was a reporter at the US who did a big article about skydiving and she was to jump herself, but she got cold feet at the last minute. Skydiving is addictive. And most of those who tried it wouldn't give up the treat."
"I'm looking at the menu in a restaurant and thinking that for a meals price and a little bit more I can jump, so I give other things up", says an enthusiastic skydiver.
For those of you who are interested, we will tell that it's not a cheap story - a skydiving course lasts 4 days and costs 990$. "In the north and other places in the world the price is much higher. 1500$", says Roy, "We're cheaper, because we have the Airodium. The students fly first at the wind tunnel, and only then gets to the dropzone. It's a great practice and prevents mistakes".
The jumps themselves are also not cheap. A price of every jump 250 NIS (New Israeli Shekel, 64$). Omri who dropped out of school for personal reasons, works at operating a chat room of the Israeli children channel, and that's how he finances his jumps. He also bought a parachute which he paid for by himself with a little help from his grandfather.
Omri comes every weekend to Eilat to jump, and gets his rides with other skydivers from the north. "And what do you do in the evening, go to parties in Eilat?". Efrat and Omri shake their heads: "After a day of jumping we don't have the strength to move", says Eftat.
At the dropzone there are also air conditioned bunk houses, and at the end of the day, the guys continue diving. Straight to bed...
THE EQUIPMENT
The parachute is made of a Teflon fabric and silicone. The fabric is strong, light and can handle large mass. Every skydiver has also a helmet, altimeter, audible altimeter that beeps and tells you when it's time to open. If for some reason, the main parachute didn't open, there is a "babysitter", which is a black box that automatically opens the reserve parachute. And of course there are the jump suits. Despite of their beauty, they are not necessary, and you can jump in the nude. And some do. A few tourist skydivers chose to celebrate the new millennium with nude skydiving, and pictures of that funny jump decorate the club's walls.
"Every skydiver has a nickname", says Ritter. Omri, who is today the youngest skydiver in Israel got the nickname FLY BABY. Omri likes his nickname very much: "Here the age doesn't matter. We are all skydivers and we are all friends. They treat me like an adult, and only sometimes they call me kid".
When the "kid" grows up, he wants to be a skydiving instructor. "He will be an instructor and he will come to instruct here", says Ritter with pride. "I want him to do it all. You are looking at the pride of the club!".
This article appeared in a local Israeli newspaper and was translated from Hebrew to English by Omri. Omri hangs out in the Dropzone.com Forums.
Thanks Omri!
~ sangiro
Omar Alhegelan - Prince Of The Sky
As the sun rose over the desert I hurried for the hangar, knowing full well that time is always in high demand for a world champion. I am greeted as always with a smile and I watch as it dances in his deep brown eyes. Omar, always the epitome of manners, gives a full on hug with gentle reminder to those around him to not forget to greet others with sincerity. He hands me a resume of which I cannot use, but I glance over it and learn more about the complexity of the man standing before me. I am left amazed for there was much I did not know about him, and the knowledge only served to raise the bar.
To say that he is well educated would be an understatement, his experiences as diverse as a man twice his age. He is a man of many layers that can only truly be seen by spending much time in his presence. He is a traveler, an educator, an actor and a businessman. He is soulful, mindful, spiritual and deeply private. He has lived in several countries on different continents and speaks five languages fluently. He speaks others only conversationally and therefore discounts his knowledge of them. He is engaging and happy, that happiness carries over to those around him. As a skydiver, he offers help to all that would ask, and is quick to offer correction when errors are made, especially if it compromises safety. Omar is committed to the continued development of freeflying and thusly available to all for comment. His goal is simple, the perpetuation of the sport of skydiving.
In his unassuming way he greets people daily at Skydive Arizona, many having no idea who he is, or of his achievements. He comes across as a "regular Joe" and many are astounded when they learn of his identity. His many accomplishments have never caused him to be arrogant, for it is his belief that anyone can do the same. It requires dedication and the right mindset. He has spent the past 10 years skydiving and tells me frequently: "It's nothing that 10,000 jumps won't fix!" I laugh at his gentle humor.
With 10 National and World Gold Medals, 5 skydiving World Titles, 3 BASE World Records, his humility is refreshing. Jumping with the least of us is often times what brings him the most rewards. "How great it is to make someone's day by simply jumping with them?" And he does!
When not in training mode one may find Omar painting in his studio, or just hanging around the café to converse with the passers by.
His hobbies are many, from water sports to multi media art, and philosophy. He believes in having balance in all things in his life and works toward that end. He believes in giving back to this sport and encourages all to do the same. Whether it is simply by answering a few questions for the people who come to watch, or by rewriting rules, Omar is ready to help. He is a great role model, a gentleman, but moreover a true ambassador to the sport of skydiving. If by chance you happen to meet up with him, ask him to jump because he would like nothing better. Just a word of caution though, he can fly anybody like a "cheap kite" just ask Sangiro. It's on video!
Oakland Skydiver Dies After Losing Consciousness
Lodi, May 27 - The San Joaquin County Sheriff's office reports that an Oakland man died Saturday after jumping with a group of parachutists, possibly from a mid-air emergency that might have started on the ground. "It appears that the decedent suffered some sort of a medical emergency during the jump which incapacitated him, disallowing him to properly and safely complete the landing," said spokesman Joe Herrera of the San Joaquin Sheriff's Department.
An autopsy will be needed to determine the cause of death. The man has been identified as 52-year-old Daniel Paul Skarry, of Oakland. He was discovered by occupants of a home after he landed in the back yard, crashing down with his parachute between some trees on the property.
Other jumpers made no mention of noticing anything unusual at the start, according to subsequent interviews with deputies.
"The parachutist had been jumping for at least 15 years. He was one of 22 jumpers who had left Lodi Airport to jump in formation. The initial jump went fine and the decedent joined a group held together at the wrist," said Herrera.
According to one of the jumpers holding the man's wrist, Skarry's grip became weaker, then gave way. They had started from an altitude of 15,000 feet.
The group watched helplessly as Skarry got below them and seemed not to move, except where pushed by the wind, Herrera said.
When he reached the 1,000-foot level, the parachute's automatic activation device switched itself on. He fell to the ground amid trees in a residential yard, Herrera said.
The occupants of the house called for help. Skarry was taken by helicopter to the hospital at UC Davis, but was pronounced dead at 11:48 a.m. after medics unsuccessfully performed CPR, Herrera said.
The Federal Aviation Administration will be notified of the incident, and the coroner's report may be conducted in Sacramento County, Herrera said.
Skarry may have already had hypertension and diabetes, Herrera said.
NZ Aerosports Offers "Weatherhold Woogie" For Those Trapped Indoors
With Covid-19 shutting down cities and even countries around the world, it's not just skydivers who have been affected by the limitations put on both movement and the ability for businesses to operate. We've seen a number of music artists and even actors coming out and offering online forms of entertainment for those stuck under quarantine or even lockdowns.
Well now New Zealand Aerosports have decided to offer a little something for the skydiving community. You're likely to be out of luck finding an operating boogie in the current situation, but that doesn't mean you can't still create a bit of a skydiving vibe from the comfort of your computer. It may not quite be the same as partying with all your friends, but it's still cool to see something that can lighten the mood in these otherwise uncertain times.
Below is the information on this "Woogie" event as sent out by NZ Aerosports:
By Administrator, in News,
Norge Roi - "Da Base" - It's a Beautiful Thing
When you're engineering a blueprint to construct a world skydiving record, you have to start with a solid foundation. Roger Nelson, at Skydive Chicago, was building the 300-Way World Record attempt on Chicago native, Norge Roi.
The objective of Skydive Chicago's endeavor to break its own world record was simple. Position twelve aircraft in formation at 21,000' above the ground. Have 300 skydivers jump out of the airplanes. Then, they will fly their bodies and dock on each other to form a pattern of concentric circles as big as a football field.
Last, at predetermined altitudes, they will let go of each other, make a 180° turn, place their arms in a delta-wing position, and speed away from each other, deploy their canopies, and land. They have 70 seconds to create the formation while they're dropping through the sky at about 120 mph.
Norge isn't just a team player, he's a team builder.It sounds scary, doesn't it. Yet, this effort wasn't about fear. It was about discipline, concentration, and team work. That's why Roger Nelson chose Norge Roi to be in slot "001"- the Captain of "Da Base". Norge isn't just a team player, he's a team builder.
Many of the other 299 skydivers who participated in the World Record Camp arrived with thousands of jumps in their logbooks on August 12 to start building the formation. They were committed to making 24 jumps. But Norge's 6 to 15 person Base Team had been practicing all summer. One member drove six hours to practice each weekend. Another drove four hours. The Base Team had launched nearly 200 times, and successfully completed Da Base 97 % of those times. As a union carpenter, Norge understands the value of a cornerstone. Da Base was the cornerstone of the 300-Way.
When asked what his duties as Base Captain were, Norge explains, "I was responsible for launching Base on heading, at the right speed, with nice, set back-up plans."
Da Base grew from 6 to 15 and then to 60 on the record. But, Norge's responsibility didn't end there. He signaled the entire 300-Way skydiving formation when it was time to stop flying and start deploying their canopies. Break-off altitude for this formation was 6,500'. The team member opposite Norge wore his chest-mounted altimeter upside down, so that Norge can read it without turning his head.
Conversation is impossible in freefall. Nevertheless, Da Base Six: Norge, George Wright, Duane Klinefelt, Christa Cross, Robert Lawton, Doug Durosia, and Mark Folkman communicated. "We had eye signals and head gestures-- we were very intimate with each other. My guys were spotting for me, all around me, watching for me."
At 6,500', Norge threw out his pilot chute, a piece of fabric that in seconds catches the air, and deploys his main canopy. His pilot chute was the first signal that the dive was over.
On video, when Norge's canopy deploys, he appears to be rocketing straight up from the center of the formation. In reality, the formation continued to fall while he was suspended above them.
This is unusual because, at the end of a skydive, most skydivers turn and track away from the formation, for collision avoidance, before they deploy.
When asked, as the centerpiece of the 300-Way, what he saw, Norge replies, "It was a beautiful thing. It was a trip. I've probably been extracted from 2,000 formations. I watch it every time. It almost looks like I'm taking off from it. It's a beautiful thing, the huge circular platform of colorful human bodies."
"It's a beautiful thing. It's a romantic thing. Especially the sunset load." Only a very few people in the entire world have seen what Norge saw under canopy high above the formation. He adds, with wonder, "The deployment sequence looked like a fireworks explosion-- people were tracking away, then their canopies opened." Norge nods and repeats, "It's a beautiful thing."
Norge's aesthetic appreciation may, at first, seem in-congruent. He's an imposing figure in his bright yellow jumpsuit, solid at 6' and 225 pounds. Rugged, with an easy grin that makes him seem much younger than his 45 years, his tone shifts. "I could see everything from up there, and I go into a defensive mode. I look for cutaways, wraps. Because I'm at 6,500', I could spot canopies on the other side of the river. As soon as I landed, I reported them to manifest so the divers could be picked up. I identified my guys by their parachutes. I wanted to know that they were OK. "
As he continues, Norge softens again. "I was up so high -- I could see the twelve planes lined up on the horizon for the traffic pattern." And again he adds, with sincerity, "It's a beautiful thing. It's a romantic thing. Especially the sunset load."
He explains, "I set up. I land. Then I reported on who's here. Who wasn't. Then, I went to the captain's meeting for the debriefing."
Norge was also the Base Captain on the July 26, 1998, 246-Way World Record at Skydive Chicago. He has made nearly 3,000 jumps since he began in 1985.
Why does he do it? Why does he keep skydiving? He gazes off into the distance while answering, "We're magic people... There's something in our composition... We have a high artistic value... Everybody here has a life wish... The camaraderie inspires me... We experience things that most people never experience... It's a special life... I really feel blessed... Not many people get to do this... Especially at this level... These are some of the best skydivers in the world."
Roger Nelson was trying to create another world record, and he put a Chicago carpenter in charge of building the foundation. The efforts to break the record concluded on Sunday, August 20th. For more information about the record attempt, visit www.skydivechicago.com.
Marcelaine Wininger is an instrument-rated commercial pilot, flight instructor, Grand Rapids FSDO Safety Counselor, and a skydiver. Her free-lance writing has appeared in McCall's, The AAA magazine, and Michigan Living, The International Journal for the Fantastic in the Arts, Teaching Theater, Michigan Education Association Voice, English Journal, Midwest Poetry Review, Superiorland, UP Catholic, Above the Bridge , Marquette Monthly and many newspapers. For three years she was a national-level American Red Cross Disaster Public Affairs Officer. In addition, she's an English teacher of at-risk high school students at Houghton High School in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Non Skydivers Learn Canopy Piloting
The Ground Launch CenterTM has implemented a new program designed to teach non-skydivers the art of canopy piloting. The center is a playground for experienced pilots, and provides a solid training environment for all levels of canopy pilots. The GLC offers advanced canopy control, Blade running activities and canopy piloting training to low time skydivers. Jim Slaton, who started the center, has put much of his focus into creating a solid training program that can even teach non-skydivers how to fly a parachute before they make their first solo skydive! Jim believes ground launching will play a huge role in the future development of canopy pilots and canopy piloting (a.k.a swooping) as a sport. More on that later…
After a full season of development at the center Jim finally accepted his first non-skydiver into the program. Why would a non-skydiver want to learn canopy piloting you ask? The first student pilot was a 49-year-old male from the Northeast U.S. that had made a few tandem skydives over the last couple of years but was terrified of the canopy flight. He had flown in the wind tunnel in Orlando, and was comfortable with his freefall abilities, but not his actions under an open parachute. He read about the Ground Launch Center™ in Skydiving magazine and contacted the center for training. Jim had just finished the "Zero Intro" program for the center, which was designed to teach non-skydivers canopy piloting through tandem progression and a series of hovering flights. The Zero Intro training begins with an introduction to the modern ram-air parachute and it's design parameters.
The ground training includes harness training, kiting and basic canopy handling. The student learns kiting and how to fly the parachute overhead using all of the controls. The student is then placed in a "saddle" area on the training hill where the student is allowed to kite the canopy overhead and hover above the ground tethered to the ground instructor. The student then conducts a series of tandem flights with the instructor to learn the basics of parachute flying. Through tandem progression the instructor demonstrates flat turns, stalls, riser turns, harness turns and more. The student is allowed to hold the controls with the instructor so they can feel the timing and speed of all inputs made during each flight and landing. The student eventually graduates to the point where the instructor gives the student full control of the toggles and talks the student through the pattern, set up and landing while flying as a tandem pair.
When the student can fly all aspects of the pattern, demonstrate full control of the parachute and land the tandem on a designated target several times they are allowed to make their first solo flight. The student makes their first solo fight with the same Set 400 parachute they were flying during the tandem progression phase. They are taken back to a small training hill with a gentle slope that allows for very little altitude and flight time. The student and instructor are both equipped with a voice activated radio. The instructor assists the student through the launch and guides them through a short flight and into the landing area. The student continues with these low level flights until they demonstrate full control of the parachute and land (standing up) on a designated target several times.
The student then graduates from a Set 400 to a 240 square foot parachute and conducts the same set of maneuvers as before. When the student has demonstrated proficiency with the 240 on the training hill, they are moved up to the 600ft launch site. When they prove proficiency on the 600ft hill they are moved up to the 800ft hill where they have enough flight time to perform a full set up, approach and landing, solo. In the case of our 49 year old male, he made 13 tandem launches with the instructor followed by 12 solo flights under a 240 in three days of training at the center. After the tandem progression phase of the training he was able to run a pattern and perform a stand up landing in the designated area on every solo flight! After successful completion of the GLC's "Zero Intro" program our 49-year-old male enrolled into the AFF course and is soon to become a licensed skydiver.
The center is not only breeding better canopy pilots for skydiving, they are breeding a new generation of canopy pilots that are pushing the very limits of the ram-air parachute. For the first time ever, other professional athletes and aerial enthusiasts can get involved with parachuting without some of the restrictions that come along with skydiving. We are not talking about Paragliding (also conducted at the GLC) but more like "speed gliding" with the appeal of Swooping and BladerunningTM. If you want to see some of what we are talking about check out the Pro Tour's latest DVD entitled GRAVITY PILOTS "Canopy Piloting Revolution" at www.gravitypilots.com or find more info on the Ground Launch Center™ at www.canopypiloting.com
Nina Kuebler - The Endeavors of a Champion
In the early mornings when most people are still sleeping, one will find Nina and the rest of her teammates making the first load at 5:30 am. This occurs only after a good warm-up and stretching session. I asked Nina how it was she started skydiving. She told me that her family has a vacation home next to a drop zone in Switzerland and when she was a little girl she watched the skydivers. This was back in the day when people were still jumping round canopies. For Nina it was never a question if she actually wanted to skydive, it was matter of time and money.
Name: Nina Kuebler
Swiss National Team
Position: Outside Center
First jump: 5/14/91
Jump number: 5000+
Nina's skydiving career started after she completed Medical School in 1991 at the age of 29. Nina says that had she started skydiving earlier in her life it may have taken on a different direction, rather than becoming an orthopedic trauma surgeon.
Being one of the few females in a profession dominated primarily by males, served to pave the way for Nina to participate in what is primarily a male dominated sport. It takes the same type of dedication, focus, courage and discipline to become one of the top female skydivers in the world, as it did in surgery.
In 1999 Nina started her first year of serious 4way training. During that time she had the opportunity to meet and work with Dawn English and Joey Jones (Generation FX, World Cup Champions 4-way 1998) in Titusville. They served as mentors and were a great inspiration to her both in skydiving, and in her personal life. Nina offers the greatest thing she learned from them was that who she is as a person, was not defined by what she did in her academia career.
Nina explains that the difference in Dawn and Joey's teachings was that she did not always understand the directions given by Joey. Dawn would explain the same thing in a different way, which enabled her to perform the movement correctly. Nina offers that perhaps it is because women process information differently than men. In comparison the same holds true in her many years of experience as a trainer of young surgeons.
As one who skydives on a daily basis, Nina has the chance to see all kinds of skydivers. It has been her experience that women as a group have more difficulty landing their parachute than any other portion of their skydiving. Nina is quick to mention that this holds true for her as well, and she assumes this is because women fly their canopies with more conservativeness than their male counterparts. She states that many seem to accept the fact that women just are "naturally" unable to land properly. What she has noticed, for example, is that women inherently tend to look at the ground upon landing rather than looking to the horizon. Having given people that simple piece of advice has resulted in immediate improvement.
Nina's career as a surgeon took a backseat to skydiving after competing at the world meet 1999 in Corowa. At which time Nina and her teammates decided to actively pursue fulltime skydiving. The team has been training for the most part at Skydive Arizona since October 2000.
Team Endeavor is basically self-funded and all have sacrificed home, jobs, finances, and relationships with friends to pursue the skydiving dream.
The past 2 years have been particularly successful as the team took on 2 young team members with jump numbers totaling 140 and 800 respectively. These 2 young jumpers had no 4-way experience but with 1,800 training jumps, in addition to the exemplary teachings of Dan Brodsky- Chenfeld, the team finished in first place at the SSL meet held at Lake Elsinore with an average of 20.33 in July 2003.
Team Endeavor will participate in the Swiss Nationals slated for August 15-17th 2003, and the World Championship in Gap France Sept. 7-14th 2003.
The team will return from the World Championships for a bit of rest and relaxation before taking on new students at Skydive Arizona, the tunnel in Perris Valley as well as Skyventure in Orlando. They will continue to train during this time in hopes of securing yet another gold medal for Switzerland.
Nina lives in Eloy and enjoys a simple, uncomplicated life in the desert. She is in hopes of continuing to share her knowledge with others by taking a more active role in coaching individuals and teams.
Niklas Hemlin - Breaking Boundaries
Image by Ben Nelson
Niklas Hemlin of Arizona Airspeed ventured out with a goal in mind and captured his first World Record - but not in belly flying, in the new category, Head Up. Not many long-term and committed belly flyers transition over to freeflying later in their skydiving careers. Especially one that has invested most of their lives into belly flying. It's refreshing to see that the boundaries of belly flying and freeflying are starting to blend.
Name: Niklas Hemlin
Jumps: 15,500+ (just below 16,000)
RW Jumps: 13,000+
Freefly Jumps: 100
ML: How many competitions have you been to?
Niklas Hemlin: I have attended 35 national and international recognized competitions. You couple probably double that number if you were to include local and none recognized events.
ML: How many medals have you won?
Niklas Hemlin: More than 35.
ML: Do you have any previous world records, if so, which ones?
Niklas Hemlin: I do not have any belly big formation world records J This would be my first big-way world record. I have an un-official world record with Airspeed for the highest 4-way average from when we won the World meet in Dubai 2012 at 27.9 average points.
ML: What motivated you as a young jumper and how did you get the idea to tryout to be on Airspeed?
Niklas Hemlin: What motivated me as a young jumper was the next jump. I was head-over-heels in love with our sport and the whole nature of it…jumping out of a plane, plunging towards the ground in freefall, pulling your parachute, and safely land to do it all over again. Since then, my love is all the same and more intense than ever. I seem to effortlessly find new ways to keep my passion and intensity for our sport. It has so much to offer me and it is literally limitless. To me, it’s a lifestyle and way of life.
ML: What is your new position on Airspeed?
Niklas Hemlin: I used to be the inside center and now moved to the point position on Airspeed. Each position on a 4-way team comes with its own style and characteristics. Throughout my 4-way career, I have been floating around all the different slots and found that each offer its own challenges and satisfactions. It is always fun to be put in a situation to learn and refine a new style and to push yourself. To me, it keeps it all fresh and motivating. Performing any slot on a world-class level requires absolute dedication and focus.
ML: You're more known in the community to be an RW skydiver, when did you start freeflying?
Niklas Hemlin: I seriously started to freefly January 2014. I did do some freeflying back in 1997 here at Skydive Arizona after spending three months in Florida training with my Swedish 4-way team. Since then, I haven’t done any freeflying until I started up in the tunnel this year. I have managed to accumulate about 50 hours in the tunnel YTD and around 100 freefly jumps. I hope to meet my goal of 52 hours of tunnel for this year and 150 jumps.
I’m a very goal oriented person and find it hard to keep my competitive spirit at bay. I had a goal of getting to a level in my freeflying that I could go and fly in the tunnel and in the air for fun and hold my own. I remember very vividly seeing people fly in the tunnel and in the air and wanted nothing more than to fly like them, effortlessly float through the air on all angles and on all their body’s flying surfaces. I looked so appealing and fun to me.
Airspeed is my heart and soul and takes up a lot of time and dedication. It takes all you time and devotion to become a world champion or a world class flier in any discipline. That being the case, I felt I had to spend the 2014 season to learn freeflying before I transitioned back onto the team as an active member from being an alternate for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
ML: What motivated you to participate in the upright world record?
Niklas Hemlin: To put myself in a situation where I HAD to perform. I remember seeing and hearing about the upright record and the headdown big-way scheduled for the fall at Skydive Arizona. I used it as a goal to progress enough to where I could at least participate in the upright warm up weekend. That was enough motivation for me to keep my focus and training. The warm-up weekend went well enough that I was asked to participate in the record attempt.
To be honest, I was, and in my opinion still am, not very good on my headup. It is a challenge for me because I really struggle with getting the hang of it and become as comfort and fly as effortlessly as I see others fly.
Image by Ben Nelson
ML: Can you tell me what kind of struggles you had on the record jumps and how you overcame them?
Niklas Hemlin: The most overwhelming part of the headup warm-up and record was my visuals. What is left and right headup is right and left headdown. Wow, flying headdown to the formation from exiting head up and then get there to transition back into headup. Oh boy, that was a mind f*#ker (teaser). To be honest, I did not figure than one out until the second day of the record. The second biggest challenge for me was to keep my mind at bay. I was filled with excitement and anxiety and had to calm myself and focus on my basics. Freeflying is not all instinctive and I have to think about what I’m doing and what I need to do. So, if I don’t keep calm and anticipate my flying, it all goes to shit.
ML: How much of the Upright World Record principles were like belly fly big ways?
Niklas Hemlin: I would say a good 99.9%. That was a huge advantage for me having so much experience with big-ways. That was the easy part. At least I didn’t have to stress out about that.
ML: What would be your advice to other belly flyers about getting into freeflying?
Niklas Hemlin: Lower your expectations and embrace the whole process of sucking. Do it for fun and understand it is nothing like belly flying, but at the same time, it is just like belly flying. For me, it was very healthy and humbling to “suck” at something again. It was very refreshing to be a student again and having to learn and unlearn. Being the guy in the room with the least amount of experience and, literally, being a safety hazard was a lot of fun for me. Just something about being in the early stages of something new and falling in love with it and not being able to get it out of your head. Oh yea, and it will improve your belly flying tremendously!
New Zealand skydiving plane crash
Badly injured victims of a plane crash in Motueka this morning were conscious and reassuring each other when help arrived, according to the first rescuers on the scene. Ambulance staff said two of the six people on the Skydive Nelson Cessna 185 plane were in critical condition with head injuries. The others on board the plane were badly hurt.
The 29-year-old aircraft lost power as it was taking off, and crashed deep inside a kiwifruit orchard on College St near Motueka airfield about 9.30am. It hit kiwifruit vines and slewed round 180 degrees as it struck.
All the injured were taken to Nelson Hospital by helicopter or ambulance, with the first - a 35-year-old man with serious head and chest injuries - arriving at 10.19am. The second critically injured patient arrived 25 minutes later.
Paramedic Hank Bader said the six people had suffered injuries including to the head and chest, and broken legs.
Father and son Ian and Cliff Satherley were working on an orchard with Pip Hart when they heard the plane go down nearby. They raced over to the crash site.
When they got there, they found people both outside and inside the badly wrecked plane, all conscious.
They were "just lying there quietly, reassuring each other. What they were doing was really good", Cliff Satherley said.
"All we did was reassure them, and make sure they were all breathing until emergency services arrived. Thank God there was no fire."
St John volunteer Vickie Hovenden, a nearby resident, arrived and emergency services - called by neighbour Ron Ewers - were not long behind her.
Fire engines, the Fire Service emergency vehicle and ambulances, quickly converged on the scene. Cordons were thrown up around the crash site, apparently amid fears that the aircraft's full fuel tanks could ignite.
Emergency services put out calls for doctors and extra medical staff from Nelson and Wakefield.
She said the plane had reached about treetop height when it appeared to lose power and plunged to the ground.
Her husband Ron ran inside and phoned emergency services. "They responded really quickly. It only seemed like a couple of minutes and they were there."
Mr Ewers witnessed the crash and said that the engine stopped as the plane was climbing.
"They're always working a bit when they take off. This one stopped working. We knew it was in trouble, being that plane we know he doesn't cut the motor for fun."
The plane did not get more than about 20 metres above the ground.
"The nose went down, it did a twist and then started down."
Senior Sergeant Grant Andrews of Motueka police said there were six people on the plane - a pilot, a video camera operator, two jumpmasters, and two passengers.
The crashed plane was a mangled mess, with a wheel and undercarriage debris scattered around.
"It's a miracle there are any survivors," Mr Andrews said.
He said when emergency services arrived they had to cut some people out of the plane and some had been flung out.
Stuart Bean, owner operator of Skydive Nelson, said the Cessna was bought two years ago and there had been no problems with it before.
Weather conditions were perfect and there was nothing unusual about the operations, said Mr Bean, a pilot. Six people was a normal load for the aircraft.
The plane was built in 1972 but was "not old for a Cessna", Mr Bean said.
The 10-year-old company, which employs six people, has one other aircraft and has operated out of Motueka since September 1999. Previously it was in Nelson.
Mr Bean declined to identify the people involved.
A Transport Accident Investigation Commission investigator was on the way from Christchurch.
Staff at the Skydive Nelson office were busy contacting relatives and friends of the people involved in the accident. Victim Support workers were on hand.
Nelson Hospital was well-prepared and equipped to handle the injured in the crash, general manager Keith Rusholme said.
Scheduled surgery was postponed in preparation for the arrival of the six patients, while all theatre, accident and emergency and intensive care unit staff were put on standby.
"Initially we had a full staffing component. We put everything on maximum alert and then wind it down from there, depending on what happens," Mr Rusholme said.
"In terms of numbers, this doesn't happen very often. But we're trained for this kind of thing."
Patients due to be transferred from Christchurch to Nelson Hospital because of the nurses' strike, remained in Christchurch for the time being.
Tasman Mayor John Hurley received news of the crash at a Tasman District Council meeting this morning and said his first thoughts were for the injured people.
"It (the skydive operation) is a well-run organisation in my view, from the information we have on it. It's a very regrettable situation.
New Wind Tunnel in Lake Elsinore
Marissa Partners, LLC and Aero Systems Engineering today announced their plan to open the world's most advanced design indoor skydiving facility. Located in scenic Lake Elsinore, the state-of-the-art complex will be the widest diameter commercial facility of its kind at 14 ft. and capable of producing wind speeds in excess of 150 mph.
The Tunnel VS 1(TM) is a realistic skydiving simulation experience. Unlike some older technology wind tunnels that exist today, The Tunnel VS 1(TM) provides participants with the actual sensation of flying through the air just like a real skydive from a plane.
"Our indoor skydiving facility will allow people of all ages to come in and experience the thrill of an actual skydive in a safe and controlled environment while also serving the training needs of recreational, professional and military skydivers throughout the world," said Bruce Federici, a managing partner for the firm.
"Think of all of those people who would never jump out of a perfectly good airplane in order to skydive, but would love to experience first hand what it is like to be free to fly!"
Indoor skydiving facilities have existed for some time for use by both the military and skydiving markets. Only recently have they begun to catch on as an affordable source of family recreation and entertainment.
"The City of Lake Elsinore is a recreation and tourism oriented community that already has a strong tie to skydiving," said Marlene Best, assistant city manager. "A facility like this would be a great addition, and create synergy with the attractions already here," she added.
Aero Systems Engineering Inc.'s President, Chuck Loux, said, "We are enthusiastic about this opportunity to work with Marissa Partners, LLC in providing this state-of-the-art wind tunnel."
Aero Systems Engineering has more than 50 years of wind tunnel experience, including the successful Matos Military Freefall Training Facility, provided to the US Army at Fort Bragg, N.C. Aero Systems Engineering provides wind tunnels and jet engine test cells worldwide.
Today's announcement is the first step in a new era for the entire skydiving industry and represents a major shift toward more family-based recreation.
About Aero Systems Engineering
ASE designs and supplies wind tunnels for testing in all speed regimes: low speed, subsonic, transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic. The company's primary wind tunnel business areas include turnkey projects (new facilities and facility upgrades), vertical wind tunnels/free fall simulators, automotive climatic wind tunnels, engine/rocket altitude test facilities, high temperature heaters, and design of all types of wind tunnels and associated systems and components.
About Marissa Partners, LLC
Marissa Partners is an investment holding company. The company's primary business is the development and operation of Vertical Wind Tunnels "The Tunnel VS 1(TM)" for recreational use. The company's focus is to create and market an exciting new form of recreational entertainment for the enjoyment of consumers and to provide a realistic skydiving simulator for skydiver training.
CONTACT:
Marissa Partners LLC
Bruce Federici, 909/615-3052
[email protected]
or
Aero Systems Engineering Inc.
Don Kamis, 651/227-7515
[email protected]