The Jump That Almost Didn't Happen

(It was the record that almost wasn't broken. Below is a diary of the World Team's record skydiving formation attempt on Friday, February 6, 2004. We'll let team members tell their own story --ed.)

The day did not start off too well: we had to stay in the hotel untill 8:30, instead of the planned departure time of 6:45. Because of the weather and because there was no power at all at the air base. The 110 volt power went out a couple of days ago and still is not up again but now the 220 was gone as well.

When we finally got to the air base it was clouded over. No jumping here!!! A DC3 was sent to yet another airport, Wing 4, 50 minutes away by DC3, to check that one out and see what the weather was like over there. A phone call confirmed it was jumpable, but it might not last. So all World Team got into five Hercs and flew over Takli, which is close to the eastern border of Thailand, close to Mayanmar. This would be our only chance to get a new record, as the C130's were needed the next day for an exercise

Rumors were the plan was at first to take off from Korat, jump in, land there, pack, then fly back. This sounded like a relatively bad idea. Take 350ish desperate skydivers, marginal weather, a DZ they'd never seen before, and the world's largest free fall formation - maybe difficult to pull it off safely.
Then we heard we'd be landing there in the aircraft first so we could see the DZ, check the winds and get a briefing. That sounded a little better. The plan was to land, leave the engines running (storms were supposed to hit by noon, so time was critical) dirt dive, get back on the planes, and go and do it. We loaded the planes with us, our gear, the minimum stuff we needed at the DZ itself (packing mats, water, pull up cords etc) and took off.

We were about 45 minutes en route. When we landed, there was a lot of confusion, and it was probably another 45 minutes before we got back in the air ready to jump. At the 2 minute call the winds were gusting and the sky was scattered to broken clouds at 10,000 feet. Then we got the one minute, then the off-oxygen call. Hmm, maybe we really were going to try this.

From the ground the non-jumpers watched the exit from the four majestic Hercules fly in formation 20.000 foot above us. Slowly the red, white and blue spots were flying together, uniting the formation.

There's a certain feeling to a formation that's built, a feeling of solidity and smoothness that somehow gets transmitted from the outer wackers through the base through the lines. The waves stop and the tension goes away. The picture gets boring, because all you can see are the people in front of you - the rest of the formation is on-level and invisible behind the people you can see around you. And that was happening. Did we get it? Was the white guy in? Someone in the base was kicking happily. Note that this is a potential disaster, since kicking is sometimes used as a breakoff signal. But no one was fooled. We broke off a bit low (7000 instead of 7500) and tracked away.

People on ground started to cheer and the same thought crossed everyone's mind - "I think they've got it".

Under canopy you could hear the cheering while jumpers took their first look at Air Wing 4 from the air. As the jumpers walked (and got a bus) back to the main area, everyone had the same question - did we get it? Did the French guy in the white sector get back in? Was anyone missing? Cameraman Craig O'Brien thought we had it, but wanted to check something before he was sure.
 
At 13:45 FAI Judge Sherry Shrimsher and her panel of judges approached the tarmac and the contingent of waiting skydivers. Three little words changed the day and the record books - WE DID IT!!

The world record - 357-way - was completed on the 7th attempt of jumping and flew for 6 seconds.

FMI: www.theworldteam.com