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Formation skydiving is a skydiving event where multiple skydivers attach themselves to one another by grabbing each other's limbs or by the use of "grippers" on their jumpsuit while free falling through the sky. The goal of this skydiving program is to build a formation of multiple divers arranged in a geometric pattern.

Sub-categories

Formation skydiving can be further divided into several sub-categories, so named for the number of members in a team:

• 4-way sequential
• 4-way vertical sequential (VFS, Vertical Formation Skydiving)
• 8-way sequential
• 16-way sequential
• 10-way speed
• Large formations (Big-ways)

Competitive format

A competition in 4-way formation skydiving (FS-4) takes place like this:

There are two kinds of formations, called randoms and blocks. The randoms are singular formations with full separation of all grips both before and after building the formation. The blocks are double formations with a special designated movement pattern in between, called an inter. The start formation may, or may not be similar to the ending formation. The inters are differently performed. Here are some examples:

Inter 1: The grips are released between some of the flyers, so they become two pieces of two team members. they both do a 270 degree turn, and reconnect to a different formation

Inter 2: Three people stay connected, and do a 360 turn, while the last person, flies alone.

Inter 15: All grips are released and everyone does a 360 turn back to the original formation.

Blocks are designated by numbers, while randoms got letters. Blocks are worth one point for each correct formation, that makes 2 points, and randoms count as 1 point. There are 22 blocks and 16 randoms.

competition consists of up to 10 rounds, and each round consists of 5 or 6 points, which the teams are to repeat as many times as they can within the working time of 35 seconds. The score judging are based on the videographers material.

A competition draw may look like this:

• 1: C-E-B-13
• 2: 14-20-8
• 3: 15-16-H
• 4: J-O-1-D
• 5: 6-18-19
• 6: 5-F-21
• 7: 10-K-G-M
• 8: 22-3-P
• 9: 12-9-4
• 10:11-17-Q

The winning team will be the team that has collected most points, by completing the most correct formations within time after the final round is ended. In case of weather or technical problems, or other causes, a competition will be valid as long as all teams has completed at least one round.

A recent sub-category of formation skydiving is vertical formation skydiving (VFS). Skydivers build formations using higher-speed body positions normally associated with freeflying, such as head down and sitflying.

World Record

• BIG-WAY:

The current FAI world record for largest free-fall formation is a 400-way, ^[1] set on February 8, 2006, in Udon Thani, Thailand by the World Team. ^[2] It was held for 4.3 seconds. With the support of the Thai government, they used five C-130 Hercules airplanes and exited from an altitude of 25,400 feet. ^[3] In April 2013 the World Team tried to break the record for the largest 2-point formation dive in skydiving history. All 222 members came together and made a formation, broke apart, and then reformed to make a completely different formation. The team attempted the jump many times and came very close to breaking the record, but were unsuccessful each time. The World Team has not made anymore official statements about attempting the record again. ^[4]

Longest sequence in one round:

• 4-Way

Set by the Belgian team(NMP-PCH Hayabusa), at the World Meet 2018 in round 6, where they posted 62 points in working time (35 seconds)

• 8-Way

Set by the U.S. (Golden Knights) national team, at the "5th Dubai International Parachute Championship" in 2015, in round 2, where they posted 33 points in working time (50 seconds)

World Championship

Year	Venue	Airplane	4-Way Champion	Points (avg)	8-Way Champion	Points (avg)	4-Way Female Champion	Points (avg)	4-Way Vertical Formation	Points (avg)
1975	West Germany Warendorf		United States	40/49.92*	United States	100/163.85*	Not Held		Not Held
1977	Australia Gatton, Queensland		Canada	73 (7.3)	United States West Germany France	42 (4.2)	Not Held		Not Held
1979	France Châteauroux		Canada	82 (8.2)	United States	66 (6.6)	Not Held		Not Held
1981	United States Zephyrhills, Florida		United States	116 (11.6)	United States	83 (8.3)	Not Held		Not Held
1983	South Africa Sun City, North West		Switzerland	115 (11.5)	United States	102 (10.2)	Not Held		Not Held
1985	Yugoslavia Mali Lošinj		USA Canada France	118 (11.8)	USA France Canada	120 (12.0)	Not Held		Not Held
1987	Brazil Foz do Iguacu		France USA Austria	134 (13.4)	USA France USSR	119 (13.2) (9 rd)	Not Held		Not Held
1989	Spain Gerona		France USSR USA	152 (15.2)	USA USSR France	138 (13.8)	Not Held		Not Held
1991	Czechoslovakia Lučenec	Mil Mi-8	France USA Italy	171 (17.1)	USA France USSR	181 (18.1)	Not Held		Not Held
1993	United States Eloy, Arizona	DHC-6 Twin Otter	France USA Denmark	195 (19.5)	USA France Russia	169 (16.9)	Not Held		Not Held
1995	France Gap, Hautes-Alpes	Pilatus PC-6 Porter	USA France Denmark	207 (20.7)	USA France Russia	195 (19.5)	Not Held		Not Held
1997	Turkey Efes	CASA C-212 Aviocar	USA France South Africa	210 (21.0)	USA Russia France	224 (22.4)	Not Held		Not Held
1999	Australia Corowa	DHC-6 Twin Otter	France USA Norway	208 (20.8)	USA Russia France	211 (21.1)	Not Held		Not Held
2001	Spain Granada	CASA C-212 Aviocar	USA France Norway	214 (21.4)	Russia USA France	193 (19.3)	USA Norway Sweden	147 (14.7)	Not Held
2003	France Gap, Hautes-Alpes	Pilatus PC-6 Porter	France USA Norway	229 (22.9)	Russia USA France	221 (20.9) (11 rd)	Great Britain Norway USA	165 (16.5)	Not Held
2004	Croatia Rijeka	Mil Mi-8	USA France Russia	227 (22.7)	USA France Russia	172 (19.1) (9 rd)	USA France Russia	169 (16.9)	Not Held
2006	Germany Gera	DHC-6 Twin Otter	USA France Italy	117 (23.4) (5 rd)	France USA Russia	123 (20.5) (6 rd)	Great Britain France Russia	95 (19.0) (5 rd)	Not Held
2008	France Maubeuge	Pilatus PC-6 Porter	USA France Belgium	195 (24.4) (8 rd)	France USA Italy	151 (21.6) (7 rd)	Great Britain USA France	120 (20.0) (6 rd)	Not Held
2010	Russia Menzelinsk	L-410 Turbolet	France USA Russia	277 (27.7)	France USA Russia	203 (20.3)	France Great Britain USA	236 (23.6)	Not Held
2012	UAE Dubai	DHC-6 Twin Otter	USA Belgium France	279 (27.9)	USA France Russia	229 (22.9)	USA France Norway	207 (20.7)	France UAE USA	185 (23,1) (8 rd)
2014	Czech Republic Prostějov	L-410 Turbolet	Belgium USA Canada	264 (26.4)	USA Russia France	216 (21.6)	France USA Great Britain	214 (21.4)	France USA Canada	179 (22,4) (8 rd)
2016	United States Chicago	DHC-6 Twin Otter	Belgium USA France	262 (26.2)	USA France Russia	239 (23.9)	USA France Great Britain	224 (22.4)	France Canada USA	168 (22.4) (8 rd)
2018	Australia Gold Coast, Queensland	Cessna 208 Caravan	Belgium USA France	279 (27.9)	USA Russia Qatar	224 (22,4)	France Great Britain Sweden	257 (25,7)	USA Canada Australia	217 (21,7)
2020 (2021)	Russia Kemerovo region	L-410 Turbolet	Belgium USA Qatar	193 (32,2) (6 rd)	USA France RPF	166 (23,7) (7 rd)	RPF France Polen	150 (25,0) (6 rd)	USA RPF Italy	143 (20,4) (7 rd)
2022	United States Eloy, Arizona	DHC-6 Twin Otter	USA Belgium Qata	261 228 219	USA Qatar Germany	205 164 131	Great Britain France USA	200 189 184	USA Australia Norway	212 190 140

See also

• Canopy formation

References

External links

• Article about formation skydiving on Dropzone.com