Parachutists Over Phorty Tackle State Bragging Rights 

A group of 25 members of Jumpers Over Seventy, a subset of the Parachutists Over Phorty Society, took on a JOS Florida State Record, taking on "Largest Formation Skydive" at Skydive DeLand.

The organizers of the event, Roger Ponce de Leon and Larry Thomas, sought skydivers from across America, Canada and Italy to fly in a 32-way formation as they aimed for a world record. Unfortunately, Hurricane Ian stood in the way of such ambitions, interrupting schedules all around as the October jump date approached. Problems didn't stop there, with mechanical woes affecting their once-trusty Skyvan requiring Ponce de Leon to redesign the formation. Jumping from a Twin Otter and Caravan, the jumpers assumed a single-point, 25-way formation. The final jump had pods and wackers off of a 4-person base, a formation that was "easily completed" according to the group. It was so easy, in fact, the formation was completed thrice on the first day. Bolstered in his confidence, Ponce de Leon added a second point, hoping to set a sequential world record, but it stood just a tad out of reach.

The group was sad to announce the passing of Jumpers Over Seventy member Richard Luczak, who died on the second day of the event. The avid skydiver had been an active fixture of the community since he joined the fold at 16. Throughout his career, he'd completed more than 4,700 jumps. He was an experienced, well-respected skydiver who had been to numerous POPS events, traveling all over the world to participate.

The group isn't deterred through, despite the loss of one of their own. The group has already decided to tackle their goal again in 2023, aiming for another, grander record.

FMI: www.uspa.org