Assault on Canopy Formation World Record Thanksgiving Weekend

Beginning on November 22, 2003, members from around the world will meet at Lake Wales (FL) Municipal Airport to begin training to beat the Canopy Formation (CF) World Record, held by the European community since 1996. They will train for four days, competing for their place on the official World Record beginning on November 28, 2003.

Canopy Formation jumpers open their parachutes within a few seconds of leaving the airplane. Using pre-planned maneuvers, they join to build airborne formations by hooking their feet in the parachute lines of the other jumpers.

Between eighty and one hundred master skydivers will spend four days attempting to break the current CF World Record of 53, set by the European skydiving community in September 1996. Numerous attempts have been made since, meeting with interesting results, but no fficial records. In November 2002, U.S.-led skydivers accomplished an unprecedented feat: five jumps, in one day, completing five successful 50-way formations. On the following day, the U.S.- based group set a national record of 56 members in a joined formation. (A world record is not official unless a world judge is present at the event.)

According to the U.S. Event Committee, the goal this year is a 64-way diamond formation, but the number will increase, if the world record is beaten. To put this in perspective, this year's world record formation will be larger than a Boeing 747, standing on its tail.

The U.S. Event Committee includes Chris Gay, Mark Gregory, Mike Lewis and Dave Richardson. All four are among the premier CF skydivers, organizers and instructors in the world, and have dozens of World Championship and U.S. Championship medals among them.

FMI: www.cfworldrecord.com