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darkvapor

New CReW record! (70 way)

By darkvapor, in The Bonfire

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darkvapor    0

darkvapor
According to the press, a 70 way diamond was built during the CReW record attempts this past Saturday. Hopefully we will get some first hand accounts once all these crw dogs return home, but until then, here is the news article. Congrats to all involved!

Hopefully pictures will be available soon on the official website, but until then, here are the updates and pictures from the previous attempts. http://www.cfworldrecord.com/Updates.htm


http://www.polkonline.com/stories/120103/loc_skydivers.shtml

Quote

LAKE WALES -- Lake Wales Municipal Airport received a particularly grueling workout this past month, hosting two international skydiving events as well as serving its regular private and corporate clientele.

Skydivers Saturday linked up for a world record 70-person formation on their third attempt over Lakeland, breaking their own 64-person world record certified twice Tuesday by an international panel of judges.

Luck held for the skydivers at their ninth annual jamboree, which broke Sunday. No injuries were reported this year, said formation organizerChris Gay of Atlanta. Two died in a practice accident this time last year. The FAA found no issues with the skydive center.

The world record 70-way formation reached about 11:45 a.m. at an altitude of 4,700 feet is not only the largest official grouping of skydivers. The diamond had nine-skydivers at its base, Gay said.

Perhaps even more important, the 70-way formation shattered old skydiving doctrine that safely holding such a huge diamond was impossible. The link-up was held at 4,700-feet, just below the 5,000-foot "hard-deck" originally set for parachutists to break. Bending the safety margin was discussed and approved ahead of time, he said.

Falling at 1,300 feet per minute, skydivers had 7 1/2 minutes to arrange themselves according to international standards.

"The very bottom skydiver had a radio, and he was the one who called whether we had the formation or not," Gay said.

A similar technique may be used when skydivers try for an enormous 81-way, maybe next Thanksgiving, Gay said. Once that mark is met, the group could attempt the Holy Grail of skydiving, the fabled 100-say 10-across formation, he said.

Such a feat will require that lead skydivers forming the diamond's base to jump with oxygen from 18,000 feet with remaining jumpers deploying at 15,000 feet, Gay said. At least four aircraft will be needed to carry all the skydivers along with a film crew.

Betty Kabeller, Sky Dive Lake Wales owner, sees a direct link between the popularity of the sport locally and growth of the two 4,000 square foot runways. Skydivers themselves chartered three aircraft for the record attempts over the 450-acre drop zone.

Kabeller also serves as the airport's fixed base operator, fueling and repairing planes and managing Jump n' Jacks restaurant.

Kabeller received the East Polk Committee of 100's small business Gold Award and is Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce president-elect. After similar ventures in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Zephyrhills in Pasco County, Kabeller plans to stay put.

"I'm very proud that we've been chosen in Lake Wales to be the drop zone for these events," Kabeller said. "Each event that comes in, we fill the hotels, and these are generally five to 10 days each."

The week-long attempt to break and re-shatter the formation skydiving record brought about $250,000 to city businesses. The world skydiving championships early last month brought in nearly $4 million.

Kabeller is interested in building a small campground to at least provide her staff with campsite during skydiving events. Otherwise, there isn't much more the place needs, she said.

"People like it the way it is - that rural country feel," she said. "We can expand. We're always looking at the (airport) master plan. But we'll never be as large as Lakeland with a (control) tower and all."

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