From: kadingo@ssd.intel.com (Jim W. Kadingo)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Record-breaking CRW
Date: 15 Oct 92 17:47:03 GMT
Organization: Supercomputer Systems Divison, Intel Corp.

The following article appeared in the Sports page of The Oregonian on
Wednesday, October 14.  More great press for the sport!  I apologize for
the length of the posting, but am doing so for the benefit of those readers 
who may not otherwise read or hear about this (e.g., in "Parachutist" or 
"Skydiving").  I always think it's great when the sport gets favorable
coverage and exposure to others outside the sport - especially in non-sky-
diving related publications.  (Reprinted without permission.)

		TIMING, COURAGE MAKE FOR PARACHUTING MARK
			     by Terry Richard

	   Sports records, it is said, are made to be broken.  But
	just try breaking this one.
	   A total of 38 skydivers joined forces during the weekend 
	in the desert sky over central Washington, where they briefly
	hooked up to create the world's largest parachuting diamond.
	   The formation they created was one skydiver larger than 
	the recognized world record set two months ago by French
	parachutists.
	   Before it can make the "Guinness Book of Records," the mark
	must be certified by the International Aeronautics Federation.
	   Even though the record-sanctioning body is based in France,
	John Hardin of Salem doesn't foresee any problem with certifi-
	cation.
	   "It was picture perfect.  There's no doubt it will hold,"
	said Hardin, an avid skydiver who was a witness to the event.
	   "There were judges on the ground and video people filming
	it.  There was a photograph on the front page of Sunday's
	Tri-City Herald that showed it perfectly."
	   Formation parachute flights are serious undertakings.  Sky-
	divers have been known to bristle when the formations they
	create are called stunts.  Formation skydiving takes an enormous
	amount of preparation and coordination, not to mention skill,
	courage and strength.
	   "We call it canopy relative work - crew for short," Hardin
	said.  "It's relative because movements in the air are made in
	relation to other skydivers."
	   Building the formation required two airplanes to transport
	the skydivers above the airport at Richland, Wash.  A Pilatus
	Porter, a turbine-powered airplane from Kapowin, Wash., soared
	to 16,000 feet over the airport while a slower but larger DC-3
	from Lodi, Calif., climbed above 10,000 feet.
	   Ten skydivers, led by B.J. Alexander of Kennewick, Wash., 
	jumped from the faster aiplane and began making the formation.
	When the 10 were joined together, the remainder of the team
	jumped from the DC-3.  One by one the skydivers connected with
	the ever-growing diamond.
	   Alexander was at the top of the formation, his feet on two
	billowed parachutes below.  He used his parachute steering lines
	to maneuver the formation.
	   The diamond's completed form had the lead skydiver at the top.
	The width of the rows beneath the top person were two, three, 
	four, five, six, five, four, three, and two skydivers wide.  In
	order to set the record, the lowest row was three wide instead
	of one.
	   "That made it look like the tail of a kite," Hardin said.
	"It was a very spectacular sight.  They flew almost directly
	over my head at 3,500 feet.  When the last person joined in, the
	people on the ground started roaring."
	   After holding the formation for the required 5 seconds, the
	skydivers disengaged at 3,000 feet and floated in for their
	landings.
	   "The formation is built from the top down," Hardin said.  "It
	requires very precise flying.  When you fly into your slot to
	dock, you need to put your canopy on someone's foot.  Sometimes
	it takes several attempts to get it just right.  And it all has
	to be done very quickly."
	   Dropping at a rate of 1,000 feet per second [minute] with
	parachutes deployed, the skydivers had about 12 minutes to com-
	plete their formation.

Unfortunately, there was no accompanying picture with the article, so you
can withold the chants for GIF, GIF, GIF.  Does anyone have any other details
about this record-breaking jump they would like to contribute?

 - Jim Kadingo