gary@utastro.UUCP (Gary Hansen) (05/03/84)
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I went to Deland Florida for the Easter Boogie and found the experience
spectacular. The program evolved around multi-level scrambles with free-fall
video on every jump. About 200 people entered. The first day started with 9-way
sequential. At the end of the day the team captains reviewed the video and
recommended the appropriate people for the 12-way teams for the following day.
All those whose performance or experience level was not good enough for 12-way
continued with 9-way the following day. This allowed everyone from the humblest
zoomie to the most renown sky-god to team up with a group of people with
similar skydiving skills. The scrambles continued with 16, 24, and 36-way
sequential on the following days, with each individual finding his appropriate
nitch.
The 24-way hexa-diamond base for the 90-way was selected and the two
36-way sequential teams each swooped it for 60-way attempts. The first 60-way
attempt only built to about 45-50, but the second one built cleanly to 60.
The 90-way was attempted 4 times over two days. The first attempt yielded 84.
The second was poor, we spent to much time at altitude before the jump, with
the assorted problems that that produces, it only built to 75 or so. The
following day spirits ran high. The third attempt yielded a clean 87, one person
went low, and someone else over-amped, Z'd out and took out someone else who was
in the process of docking. It's very freaky to be out of a formation that large
and feel that you may not have time to dock before break-off. I can see how
someone could over-amp under the circumstances, thinking of the infamy of being
out with 89 people in and all the video and still photograpers on the load. Then
finally on the fourth attempt the 90-way was completed. It lasted 2.8 seconds.
We missed the 3 second FAI official world record by a measly .2 seconds. The
first grip to break was in the interior of the formation, a grip ripped off of
one of the jump suits about the third row out.
I see this skydive as a world record although un-official. Some of the
other participants were bitterly disappointed because of the lack of official
status. I was disappointed to, but the creation of "THE 90-WAY" was what I was
primarily interested in, the "official" world record status was secondary.
There were six free-fall photographers on the load, so there should be
some outstanding photographs published in the next month or two. I guess that
depends upon how important the "officialness" of the record is to the assorted
publishers. Mike Truffer of Skydive Magazine was on the load so I would expect
good coverage by his publication.
During the fun dives on a windy day, 25-35mph, a video man had his AOD
fire @7000. He was under a round reserve and landed in a swamp more than 5 miles
away. When he got to about 1500' he turned his VCR back on and got a spectacular
landing sequence in a swampy forrest. The first view showed 30-40 foot pine
trees with swampy boggs below them as for as you could see. Then as the ground
approached you could see no clear landing area, the best shot was between a
couple of large trees with interwoven branches. The branches came into the
foreground and brushed by followed by a splash. Too bad no audio. The guy was
not injured but he was very inconvenienced.
Another interesting incident was a collision between a guy in free-fall
and a deploying canopy. He fell right through the canopy, tearing it in two at
the center cell, and then deployed his main. The guy under the destroyed canopy
cut the shreds away (they came down in two pieces) and deployed his reserve. I
spoke with the guy who hit the canopy about 30 minutes later and found that he
was not injured at all. I was surprised, he didn't even have any line burns.
Gary Hansen
D7703ralph@inuxc.UUCP (Ralph Keyser) (05/07/84)
Gadzooks! I have trouble picturing a 90 formation. I've seen pictures of 60's before, but we're talking 30 more people here. How many of what kind of planes did you guys use? And just as an aside, what's the largest formation on record? Sure is crowded up here... Ralph Keyser
alcmist@ssc-vax.UUCP (05/09/84)
wow. that must have been unbelievable to watch.
gary, thanks for your article. it's great to hear about things
like that without having to wait for a magazine.
by the way, everybody, if you want to keep this newsgroup say
something in net.news.group, quick. someone wants to delete us.
-fred wamsley
d8844thielges@uiuccsb.UUCP (05/09/84)
#R:utastro:-23300:uiuccsb:11700002:000:150 uiuccsb!thielges May 8 21:55:00 1984 Just for curiosity, how much does a boogie like the one described in the base note cost an individual ? American dollars please. Bart Thielges