ELOY - 300-way record attempts - Press Clips

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http://www.arizonarepublic.com/smartliving/articles/1205skydive05.html

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300 sky divers, 90 seconds, 1 goal: Record-setting jump over Eloy


By John Stanley
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 5, 2002


Ninety seconds.


Sky divers from around the world will have just a minute and a half per jump to set a world record, as they try to link 300 people in an intricate midair formation over Eloy, all while plummeting earthward at more than 100 miles an hour.



300-person sky-diving formation


WHAT: Attempt at a world record.

WHERE: 4900 N. Taylor Road, Eloy. From Phoenix, take Interstate 10 east toward Tucson. Take Exit 198 and turn southeast on Arizona 84. Go seven miles and turn north on Tumbleweed Road (look for airport sign). Go two miles and look for the sky-diving school, Adventures in Skydiving, to the left of the large grassy area on the drop zone.

WHEN: Saturday-Dec.15 The first two days will be training and practice. The first record attempt will be Monday.

ADMISSION: Free.

FACILITIES: Restaurants, coffee shops, restrooms, etc., at Skydive Arizona Center.

WHAT TO BRING: Lawn chair, binoculars, hat, sunscreen, cooler, water, soda, snacks.

DETAILS: www.300-way.com/index.html or www.skydiveaz.com or 1-(520)-466-3753.


If they don't set a record, they'll try again, making up to four jumps a day, if necessary.

Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld of Chandler, George Jicha of Goodyear and Jack Jeffries of New York City have spent about a year and a half planning this event.

"We have recruited the best sky divers in the world," Brodsky-Chenfeld says, noting their team includes people from more that 20 countries.

The record for a free-falling formation is 282 people, set in Thailand in 1999. In all, more than 100 attempts to create a 300-way formation have failed.

Nevertheless, Jicha, a physician's assistant, predicts success early in the week. (On Saturday and Sunday the team will make several practice jumps. The first crack at the 300-way formation will be Monday.)


Fourteen aircraft will take jumpers to an altitude of 20,000 feet, more than a mile higher than a regular sky dive. Spectators will not only be able to see the formation, which will be about the size of a football field, they'll hear it roaring downward through the sky, Brodsky-Chenfeld says.

At 6,000 feet the attempt - successful or not - ends.

"We'll burst apart like a fireworks show, spreading to one square mile across the sky," Brodsky-Chenfeld says. "Then in the next five seconds you'll hear 300-plus parachutes cracking open across the sky."

Al Gramando, general manager of Skydive Arizona in Eloy and one of the international judges on hand to certify a record, cautions that setting a record won't be easy.

"The formation has to be built exactly the way it's planned," he says. "If someone is holding onto an arm instead of a leg, it doesn't count."


Reach the reporter at (602) 444-4414.

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The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Zenister 0]

no no no

thats not the way to get to Eloy

I-10 to Tucson. Exit 201 (Toltec rd) take a left. 1st Right after the overpass (looks like the on ramp but its not) cross the RR tracks, take a right, then take the next left. Cant miss the DZ..

(particularly not with 300 canopies openning at the same time.)

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[Cornholio 0]

OK, someone had better get DAMN good video. I want to be there, but can't so when I watch the video, I want to see and hear the "sounds of a 300 way formation falling through the sky. "

Butthead: Whoa! Burritos for breakfast!
Beavis: Yeah! Yeah! Cool!
bellyflier on the dz.com hybrid record jump

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OK, someone had better get DAMN good video.

Let's see who's on the camera team; Mike McGowan, Bruno Brokken, Wendy Smith, Willy Boeykens, Eduardo Ferraiuolo, Brent Finley and Gustavo Cabana.

Yeah, they might get some ok footage.

In case there's a name there you don't recognize, you can always go HERE for some short bios.

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The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Gawain 0]

6000 ft break off altitude....wow, imagine getting to be one of the guys on the outside, 15+ second track!

Wish I was going to be there...kick *ss to all who are going!!

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[grega 0]

I wonder how they are going to land . 300 parachutes landing almost at a same time on the same place uff...

"George just lucky i guess!"

[billvon 2,396]

>6000 ft break off altitude....wow, imagine getting to be one of the
> guys on the outside, 15+ second track!

7000 feet actually. Outer wave tracks to 2300 feet. (That's 30 seconds of tracking at typical track speeds.) For more info on breakoff etc check out www.300-way.com

[diverdriver 5]

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>6000 ft break off altitude....wow, imagine getting to be one of the
> guys on the outside, 15+ second track!

7000 feet actually. Outer wave tracks to 2300 feet. (That's 30 seconds of tracking at typical track speeds.) For more info on breakoff etc check out www.300-way.com

Yah, when I was an outer whacker in the 2000 attempts the track was AMAZING! Watching the ground really shoot by. Man, it was stand on your head after exit.......swoop, swoop, swoop.......BREAAAAAAAAKKKKKSSS!!!!!!!!!!....dock.....hold.....float, track track track......dump. What a jump. Then to turn around under canopy and see the whole sky filled with tons of canopies. Man. You just don't know, until you've been up there with "it".

Chris

[keskeie 0]

Yeah, there's a reason people love the big ways.....I felt the same on my little 60 ways in Laughlin. Only got to track 3000', but that was still beautiful.

We were never feeling bored because we were never being boring.
-Zelda Fitzgerald

[kallend 1,623]

Quote

Quote

>6000 ft break off altitude....wow, imagine getting to be one of the
> guys on the outside, 15+ second track!

7000 feet actually. Outer wave tracks to 2300 feet. (That's 30 seconds of tracking at typical track speeds.) For more info on breakoff etc check out www.300-way.com

Yah, when I was an outer whacker in the 2000 attempts the track was AMAZING! Watching the ground really shoot by. Man, it was stand on your head after exit.......swoop, swoop, swoop.......BREAAAAAAAAKKKKKSSS!!!!!!!!!!....dock.....hold.....float, track track track......dump. What a jump. Then to turn around under canopy and see the whole sky filled with tons of canopies. Man. You just don't know, until you've been up there with "it".

Chris

I was a DC3 floater - my jump went " track track track track ...... track track track track...dump". On one jump I registered 108 seconds of freefall time.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[BikerBabe 0]

Ooooh, I can't wait to see this!

We'll be heading down there early (EARLY) Thursday morning in our camper....

It's gonna be a blast!

Good luck to everyone on the jump!

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

[drenaline 0]

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I want to see and hear the "sounds of a 300 way formation falling through the sky. "

Or better yet the sound of 300 canopies opening, that should make a nice thunder!

HISPA 21
www.panamafreefall.com

[freakyrat 1]

Yeah

I remember my only big dive was a POP's 80-way attempt at Eloy. I was on an outer whacker and traked from 5,000 feet breakoff to 2,000 feet. I was the third person to land with my Stiletto and had to grab everything quick and run and look when all those canopies were suddenly coming in to land.

It was a real rush but was over quickly. Good luck to all the participants on the 300-way dive and have fun and above all means be safe.

Chris

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http://www.arizonarepublic.com/news/articles/1210Skydive10.html

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Sky divers, spectators marvel at world-record tries

By Patricia Biggs
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 10, 2002


ELOY - In an attempt to set a world record, 300 sky divers from about 20 countries on Monday descended on Eloy - literally.


More than a hundred spectators from as far away as Japan gathered at the drop zone of Skydive Arizona to watch as world-class jumpers dived from 14 turbine twin Otters flying in a V formation at 21,000 feet.

Among the jumpers were astronaut Mary Ellen Weber, of Dallas, and husband, Jerry Elkind.

Weber said the thrill of trying a 300-way jump is comparable to the two space shuttle missions she's flown.

"In both cases, you're there, you're geared up to do this thing that you've spent a lot of time to prepare for. And then it's show time," Weber said.

No one expected to make the record in Monday's three jumps. But everyone has faith that they'll make it by the end of the week.


"We're just setting it up," said Geoff Abraham, a sky diver from Anna Bay, Australia. "We're getting a picture of where we're at before we actually try to link all the pieces together."

Judges from the Federation Aeronatique Internationale are on-site. Nine judges will be jumping with the group, watching and photographing from various vantage points.

The jumpers must link up in a specific design and hold the links for at least three seconds to set the record, according to chief judge Sherry Schrimsher of Dallas. The judges then submit the results to the FAI, which is the record-keeping agency for aviation.

The high energy was evident as jumpers and supporters mingled outside the main hangar Monday. Even Schrimsher seemed caught up in the excitement.

"This is absolutely marvelous," she said. "This is something that's been sought after now for eight years."

Experienced jumpers

The current world record, for 282 people linked, was set in Thailand in 1999. Many of the jumpers in Eloy this week were in that jump. Several others were in the women's world record of 131 linked, set last month in Perris Valley, Calif.

Schrimsher said there have been several other attempts at a 300-way jump.


"I just feel good about this crew," she said. "They've just got the dynamics."


The "dynamics" include sky divers who were involved in the earlier world-record jumps, as well as sky divers from international competitive teams who usually do not have time to participate in efforts such as this one, dubbed the Go Fast Sports 300-Way Skydiving World Record attempt.

The sky divers chose Eloy because of the weather, the availability of planes and the open space, according to organizer Troy Widgery, owner of Go Fast! Sports.

"This and Perris Valley (Calif.) are the best facilities in the world," Widgery said.

The 14 planes being used set a world record on the first jump Monday for the most planes of that type flying in V formation. While spectators at the drop zone waited to watch the action, sky diver Duffy Fainer of San Diego gave them a play-by-play.

As the planes reach 10,000 feet altitude, the sky divers hook up to a common container of oxygen, which they breathe until they jump out at 21,000 feet.

The front plane flies at the highest altitude with the lead-off jumpers. The following planes are staggered at slightly lower altitudes, so all the jumpers come out about level.

The logistics of the jump require precise planning and practice "dirt jumps." Every sky diver's position is marked in step-by-step diagrams on the hangar wall.

The center of the 300-way link is four people holding hands. Outside that ring are two more rings, holding the legs of the inner divers by "grippers" on their legs.

From the outside circle, lines of jumpers extend in "whackers," named after the curved nylon line of weed whackers.

From the ground, spectators craned their necks as the planes flew directly overhead for the "jump run."

"I see them!" someone said, then other voices joined in. "Oh, man!" "Whoa!" "This is fantastic!"

The center rings form, and the whackers start to appear, working toward a formation 250 feet in diameter.

Separation

At 7,000 feet, the person in the center deploys his chute, and all the divers separate, spreading out over two miles before opening their wing chutes and navigating to their designated landing spots.

About 75 of the jumpers land in the grass directly in front of the spectators, who applaud and cheer. The other jumpers come walking in from the desert, carrying their chutes under an arm.

"Is it scary?" a young boy asks one of the sky divers.

"No! Heck no!" he answers. "It's too much fun!"

Santi Corella of Spain looked at his pocket computer after the first jump. He jumped at 20,270 feet, averaged 117 mph during the jump and did a freefall for 107 seconds before opening his chute.

Corella, a whacker, was a participant in the world-record Thailand jump.

He believes they'll hit the 300 mark this week.

"Actually, for the first attempt, I think it was excellent," he said after Monday's morning jump.

Barbara Duke of Los Angeles was a participant in last month's women's record in California. She said that while you're trying to link up, it doesn't matter how many people are in the sky.

"You're so focused on just going to your slot," she said. "But when you're under canopy, there's a difference, because there're 299 other canopies."

Spectator Tony Valenzuela, a carpenter from Glendale, came out for the jumps.

"This is my first day of retirement," he said. "It's awesome, man! It's awesome!"


First time for Eloy
Al Patton, operations manager for Skydive Arizona, said the Eloy business does a lot of world-class events and competitions.

"This is the first time we've done an assault on the world record," he said.

Phoenix residents Dick and Bev Prosence brought lawn chairs and binoculars to watch.

"Whether they make it or not, it's going to be spectacular," Dick said. "This is the biggest thing to happen in Eloy."


Reach the reporter at [email protected] or (602) 444-7961.

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http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/breaking/12_10_02skydiving.html

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Skydivers in Eloy fall short of record - but will try again


LARRY COPENHAVER
Tucson Citizen
Dec. 10, 2002

Jennifer Behrens this week is on a lofty mission, one that takes her and 299 other world-class skydivers nearly four miles above the earth so they can plunge from airplanes toward the desert near Eloy at more than 100 miles per hour.
During their way down, they hope to set a new world record for linking together 300 skydivers.
"We will do this. Absolutely. And when we do, we will break it again," said the 32-year-old Tucsonan and chief financial officer for an architectural firm.
Behrens, who has lived in the Old Pueblo for six years, said she had four jumps today that were attempts for the record. The event is to continue through the week.
In the third-of-four jump today, 290 linked up, but it does not count as a record because the planned 300 was not reached, said her husband, Greg Behrens, 50, who is watching from the ground.
Greg Behrens, a skydive instructor at Marana Skydiving Center, has logged 14,270 jumps, but most are commercial tandems with students, he said. Jennifer Behrens logged number 900 this morning.
From the ground, the spectacle is awesome, he said.
"It's neat to watch. It's really an amazing thing to see," he said. "And the sound they make when they all open their chutes, it's like thunder."
The jumpers come in many ages and many backgrounds, Jennifer Behrens said. "There are a lot in their upper 40s and up to 60 years old.
But age doesn't seem to matter because the caliber of skydivers is very high.
"We are doing wonderfully so far. It's going very well," she said. "We just have a few kinks for work out."
The stunt calls for skydivers to link up in a specific design and hold the formation for at least three seconds. Nine Judges from the Federation Aeronatique Internationale, a record-keeping agency for aviation, witnesses and photographs the precision of the formation.
The current record, 282 jumpers, was set in December 1999 in Thailand, Jennifer Behrens said. "The 300 is elusive and we have been trying for it for more eight years."
She said she participated in another attempt in 2000 in the Chicago area, "but we didn't break a record at all."
However, this attempt will not fail, she predicted. The jumpers have been practicing on the ground as well as in the air, and they've been reviewing all the safety aspects.
"Safety is number one. The record is second."
Jumpers are carried to the 21,000-foot jump level by 14 twin-engine aircraft known as turbine Otters. They fly in a "V" formation with the lead planes at a bit of a higher altitude than the following aircraft. That allows participants to exit the planes safely and to rendezvous quickly.
"I think this is the best attempt so far the history of the jump," Jennifer Behrens said. Practices are going well and the technology being used has been impressive.
"I just feel good about this crew," added chief judge Sherry Schrimsher of Dallas, Texas. "They've just got the dynamics."
Part of the "dynamics" is the large contingency of skydivers involved in the earlier world-record jumps, as well as skydivers from international competitive teams.
The center of the 300-way link is four people holding hands. Outside that ring are two more rings made up of skydivers holding onto straps on the legs of the inner divers.
From the outside circle, lines of jumpers extend in "whackers," named after the curved nylon line of weed whackers.
"I am in the third to the last circle. I am a whacker near the outside, and I can see the build," Jennifer Behrens said. "Then I can get out of there and get far away to open before I open."
When all the chutes are deployed the "the formation after the break away is two miles across," she said.
The free program, dubbed the Go Fast Sports 300-Way Skydiving World Record attempt, is open to the public at Skydive Arizona at the Eloy Airport northwest of the town along the Sunshine Boulevard exit off Interstate 10.
The site was selected because the weather is good and the area is very open.

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http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=6343057&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=68561&rfi=6

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300 skydivers trying to set world record at Eloy airport

By: Wire Service, Associated Press December 10, 2002

ELOY (AP) - A group of 300 skydivers has come to town this week to try to set a world record.
More than one hundred spectators were on hand Monday at the drop zone of Skydive Arizona to watch as jumpers dived from 14 planes at an altitude of 21,000 feet.
The group executed three jumps on Monday - essentially for practice - and said they expect to set the record by the end of the week.

The jumpers must link up in a specific design and hold the links for at least three seconds to set the record, said chief judge Sherry Schrimsher of Dallas.

Schrimsher expressed her enthusiasm for the event.

"This is absolutely marvelous," she said. "This is something that's been sought after now for eight years."

Nine judges from the Federation Aeronatique Internationale will be jumping with the group, watching and photographing from various vantage points.

The judges will then submit the results to the Federation Aeronatique Internationale, which is the record-keeping agency for aviation.

Mary Ellen Weber, an astronaut from Dallas and a participant in the jumps, said the thrill of trying to capture the world record is comparable to the two space shuttle missions she's flown.

"In both cases, you're there, you're geared up to do this thing that you've spent a lot of time to prepare for. And then it's show time," Weber said.

The current world record of 282 people linked together in a jump was set in Thailand in 1999. Many of the jumpers in Eloy this week were in that jump. Several others were in the women's world record of 131 linked, set last month in Perris Valley, Calif.

The skydivers chose Eloy because of the weather, the availability of planes and the open space, said organizer Troy Widgery, owner of Go Fast! Sports.

"This and Perris Valley (Calif.) are the best facilities in the world," Widgery said.

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http://yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_3041.shtml

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Two's company, 300's a record: Yuma dentist trying to be part of history at 20,000 feet

BY MATT RIEHL
Dec 11, 2002

The three-year-old tandem sky diving record is growing a little long in the tooth as far as 300 world-class jumpers, including Yuma dentist James Browning, are concerned.

Hence, the group is attempting a jump north of Tucson, that, if successful, would shatter the existing record for the number of people linked together during a jump.

Browning, an experienced sky diver with a dental practice in Yuma, was chosen to participate in the event, but was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

The group, comprised of sky divers from about 20 different countries, executed three jumps Monday — essentially for practice. The assault on the record began in earnest Tuesday. Spectators gathered both days at the drop zone at Skydive Arizona outside Eloy in hopes of seeing the record-setting jump. The Sun was unable to ascertain Tuesday evening whether the record was broken that day. If not, the group has until Sunday afternoon to do so, although they said they expect to do it by the end of the week.

Fourteen turbine engine Otters take the jumpers to an altitude of 21,000 feet, more than a mile higher than a regular sky dive, and out they go, hurdling earthward at about 100 miles an hour. They have 90 seconds per jump to set the record. The formation, which is easily discernible from the ground, is about the size of a football field.

All 300 jumpers must link up in a specific design and hold the links for at least three seconds to set the record, said chief judge Sherry Schrimsher of Dallas.

Schrimsher expressed her enthusiasm for the event.

"This is absolutely marvelous," she said. "This is something that's been sought after now for eight years."

Nine judges from the Federation Aeronatique Internationale will be jumping with the group, watching and photographing from various vantage points.

The judges will then submit the results to the federation, which is the record-keeping agency for aviation.

Mary Ellen Weber, an astronaut from Dallas and a participant in the jumps, said the thrill of trying to capture the world record is comparable to the two space shuttle missions she's flown.

"In both cases, you're there, you're geared up to do this thing that you've spent a lot of time to prepare for. And then it's show time," she said.

At 6,000 feet the attempt ends, whether the record is set or not. In all, more than 100 attempts to create a 300-way formation have failed to date.

The current world record of 282 people linked together in a jump was set in Thailand in 1999. Many of the jumpers in Eloy this week were in that jump. Several others were in the women’s world record of 131 linked, set last month in Perris Valley, Calif.

The sky divers chose Eloy because of the weather, the availability of planes and the open space, said organizer Troy Widgery, owner of Go Fast! Sports.

"This and Perris Valley (Calif.) are the best facilities in the world," Widgery said.

---

Matt Riehl can be reached at [email protected] or 539-6936.
The Associated Press contributed to this report

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http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=6366838&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=222077&rfi=6

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300 best go for the record


By: JOSE GARCIA, Eloy Enterprise December 12, 2002

Eloy skies will be filled by 300 of the best skydivers as they attempt to break the world record for formation jump in the Go Fast Sports 300-Way Skydiving World Record Event. They will be at Skydive Arizona through Sunday.
More than 300 skydivers filled the skies of Eloy as they attempt to break the world record for skydiving formation.
The best skydivers from 20 countries from around the world are loading 14 Twin Otters aircraft at Skydive Arizona in an attempt at the Go Fast 300-Way Skydiving World Record Event. Many of the women in in this jump participated in the Jump for a Cause 2002 at Perris Valley Skydive, Perris Valley, Calif.

According to Mallory Lewis, media representative Go Fast Sports, said that this will be the largest number of civilian Twin Otters in formation.

There have been five attempts at the 300-way record. In 1999 the record for 282-way formation was set in Thailand, but they were given an extra day to set that record. The last time that the record was in the United States was in 1998 when it was held in Chicago

Many time they will hold the event and don't set the record, Lewis said.

On Monday they made two attempts at the 300-way, Lewis said, and had them do what's known as seeing the picture. This allows the skydivers to see where they are to place themselves and test the traffic.

They will be attempting to make four attempts at the record through Dec. 15, but due to a change in weather there was only two attempts on Monday.

They will simultaneously be exiting the planes at 20,000 feet diving toward the middle in an effort to link up in a predetermined formation. The skydivers, who will be flying at 120 miles per hour will freefall for over 90 seconds and will have to hold the formation for three seconds. They will open their parachutes at 6,000 feet. When they land they will be landing at one of three designated areas.

Traditionally they exit the plane at 13,000 feet and open at 2,000 feet.

Opening at 2,000 feet for 300 skydivers is dangerous, Lewis said. "The most danger is in getting away from each other and opening safely to avoid collision." During the first two day they are just trying to figure out the traffic and formation.

The skydivers will be using four colors, red, blue, white and black. The use of the different colors will help them in knowing where they need to go.

Lewis said that over the weekend they did 100-ways in groups. "There are a lot of skydivers from other countries to get use to the area."

Generally they have them going up into 13 different groups loaded into the aircrafts. Along with the participants they also have nine camera persons filming the attempts for review. When they come done the dub the videos and take them to the 13 groups so that they may be able to fine tune their next jump.

There are also about 30 skydivers that are sitting on the bench as back up. "Out of 300 people we will have some get sick, or have to go or have a bad day," said Brad Hood, media representative, Go Fast Sports.

Among the jumpers at the drop zone were Mary Ellen Weber, astronaut and Arizona Airspeed's Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld.

Brodsky-Chenfeld, chief organizer said that even on Monday they weren't doing the 300, but things are going well, they are closer and more on track. "With every jump we're getting better." Right now they are just getting use to the 300 people and the 14 aircrafts.

They have done a lot the Arizona Airspeed, they have won the world championship, he said. "This is one mark we never attempted and it is exciting for Skydive Arizona."

For Weber, who has been jumping for almost 20 years, setting the record will be a great achievement for the whole sport.

They are the best in the world, she said, they have been working on this for three years. They have had some pretty neat experiences.

She has always been a person of challenges, Weber said. There is nothing like being in space. Skydiving is a lot like her job, the same intensity and the same focus.

Skydive Arizona is the largest drop zone in the world making Eloy ideal for the record.

Larry Hill, owner of Skydive Arizona, said that it is easier for them to do this than other places. "This is a big deal it has been tried in Russia, Thailand and the U.S."

"It brings back a lot of friends here form around the world that I know," he said. A lot of people don't want to get involved, but they came just to be here watching.

Lewis said that this is great for the local economy, they bring in 300 people to have fun and spend money.

Al Gramando, general manager Skydive Arizona, said that they had counted at least 75 skydiver who had never been there before. While some are staying on the drop zone the rest are in hotels around the area.

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http://www.arizonarepublic.com/arizona/articles/1213skydivetalker.html

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High-flying feat: 300 skydivers set record


By Patricia Biggs
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 13, 2002


Step back, non-believers. The sky divers who descended on tiny Eloy this week have done it: They set a world record with a 300-way free-fall formation. And even before the beer started flowing, the participants and spectators were giddy from success.


"Once the parachutes opened, all you could hear was screaming," said organizer Troy Widgery of Thursday's fourth jump. "There was yahooing, and people were running around. It was like the Super Bowl was won."

Even Joe Trinko, who holds 17 national sky-diving titles, was in a tizzy.

"This was an amazing event," Trinko, 36, said. "In all the 11,000-plus jumps I've made in my 18 years, I have to say this was in the top five."

Today, the fun continues at 1 p.m. when they try to break their own record with a 330-way formation.

But Thursday night was party time in the hangar at Skydive Arizona as the hard work and oxygen deprivation of the week faded into the thrill of accomplishing an eight-year dream.

"We are gonna party tonight!" sky diver Mary Traub said.

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http://www.kmsb.com/bits/KMSB_bits_skydivers_1213.9d4967df.html

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Skydivers attempt to best own world record
12/13/2002

By Libby Albers / azfamily.com Staff


"If at first you don't succeed--- so much for skydiving." -Henny Youngman


ELOY -- On Thursday, 300 of the best skydivers from 20 countries gathered in Arizona to set a new world record.

One day later, the group has already decided they aren't satisfied and will attempt to blow the new record away.


Linked in a freefall formation for 9 or 10 seconds, the world-class skydivers broke the old record of 282 jumpers -- set in Thailand in 1999 -- at Skydive Arizona in Eloy.


It was the sixth attempt to set the 300-way record, part of the Go Fast 300-Way Skydiving World Record Event.



Skydivers from around the world joined hands to break the record Thursday.

Most of the jumpers in the latest jump were also participants in Thailand.

Astronaut Mary Ellen Weber, one of the seasoned jumpers in Thursday's record-breaking event, said the thrill of trying to capture the world record is comparable to the two space-shuttle missions she has flown.


A skydiver for 20 years, Weber said being an astronaut or a skydiver takes similar intensity and focus.


How difficult can it be?


The logistics of setting up a dive involving so many people is most of the battle in attempting to set a world record.


The jumpers board 14 Twin Otters aircraft, then simultaneously exit the planes at 20,000 feet and attempt to link into the set formation.

The skydivers are color-coded in red, blue, black and white suits so they can more easily coordinate their spot in the formation.


The difficulty, of course, lies in the fact that they're freefalling at 120 mph for more than 90 seconds during the jump.


They do take precautions, knowing fully that such a large jump is dangerous for everyone involved.


In addition to starting the jump 7,000 feet higher than the typical dive height of 13,000 feet, they open their parachutes at 6,000 feet -- compared to the standard 2,000 feet in a normal dive.

Well, no accounting for accuracy here, eh?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver