Preparations

Points to bear in mind in preparing for big ways

  1. FAI Sporting License
  2. How to dock
  3. Grips in the formation
  4. Trim & So

1) FAI Sporting Licence

You need to have a valid FAI sporting license from the corresponding fiscal year! No license means no jumping on the record! I understand that some countries do not give a physical FAI card. If you have one, bring it along, but make sure with your federation that you have paid for your FAI license. No license means no jumping on the record for you.

2) How to dock

Of course we have been through all this before, but still, check and enjoy this video from the Qatar National Team. No canopy comes below or behind the formation. The turns just before docking are really cool, not for us… yet.

Video above shows us the very disciplined and clean approaches of the national team of Qatar.

3) Grips in the formation

As you can see in the pictures attached (CF-World-Team in China and Dubai) the following standard is used in the World Record jumps and the demos after; Once in the formation we arch and look up, we spread our legs to allow a good air flow between the canopies, we use our hands to hold the end cells open if we do not need to use the controls (this only concerns people on the outside of the formation).

Photo by Laurent-Stephane Montfort (France)
Leg-grips, spread the legs to allow a good air flow between the canopies. Photo by Laurent-Stephane Montfort (France) in Dubai
Photo by Bruno Brokken (Belgium)
Hand & leg grips in a big formation in China. Photo by Bruno Brokken (Belgium)

4) Trim & other stuff

If we are jumping after the summer… How many beers did you have? How was your physical training program in the summer? Do not take weight & wingloading lightly!  We are still flying World record trim with a wing loading of 1.37. Make sure you match the formation. Here is a table to help you check.

Lightning exit weight for a wingloading of 1.37
Canopy 2feetmin. weight max. weight
L. 11351 kgto67 kg
L. 12674 kgto79 kg
L. 14384 kgto89 kg
L. 16094 kgto100 kg
L. 176104 kgto110 kg
L. 193114 kgto120 kg

Compiled by Henk Lunshof

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