Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Largest women's head-down freefly formation: 41 female skydivers set world record
ELOY, AZ, USA--Diving from 16,500ft, the 41 fearless high speed record breakers linked arms for only 50 seconds as they joined together to hold formation and break the limit - setting the enw world record for the Largest women's head-down freefly formation.

Photo: The 41-woman crew hurtle triumphantly to the ground at a speed of 200mph, setting the new world record for the World's Largest women's head-down freefly formation.   (enlarge photo)

Skydive Arizona, an expansive skydiving resort located mid-way between Phoenix and Tucson, hosted this exhilarating showcase of parachuting proficiency.

Organizers Arizona Arsenal, the vertical formation skydiving team from Skydive Arizona, are very excited about the spectacular feat and are proud of their friends and fellow skydivers. And what a resounding accomplishment they are claiming, more than doubling the previous Guinness world record of a 20-way set in Arizona two years ago.

The team is all experienced skydivers who volunteered to take part in the challenge during the past few months. The breathtaking stunt was captured on film by American aerial photographer Norman Kent.

And according to organiser Amy Chmelecki, the experience has been "exhilarating". "We have been planning and training for this record for the past two years and have gathered together our crew using ads on Facebook, MySpace and sky diving magazines," Amy said.

"Because the record is so dangerous and skilled we have been holding regular training camps at Sky Dive Arizona.

"Nothing though is quite like the feeling of the whole event coming together to know that we have smashed the record by a factor of times two," the 37-year-old added. Opening their parachutes at 6,500 ft, the ladies of Sky Dive Arizona hit speeds close to 200 mph during their dive.

The breathtaking stunt was captured on film by American aerial photographer Norman Kent. The 52-year-old - a veteran of taking incredible images while plummeting at several feet every second - was armed with his trusty 'head cam' rig, which allows him to take shots mid-fall. 'This was a very dangerous jump because of the speed and the exactness of the skydivers to get into position,' said Kent.

'There is the misconception of terminal velocity out there. You can increase your speed as you fall and you don't necessarily fall at a constant speed. 'That is the struggle for the ladies of this record. To all match up and fall at the same rate at the same time during their 50 second to 1 minute fall.'

Guinness World Records also recognized the fastest time to complete a skydive on six continents, which is 8 days 7 hr 30 min and was achieved by Martin Downs (UK).

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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Related world records:
Most tamdem loops in one jump - Pal Takats and Gabor Kezi
Most vertical metres skied - Oliver Kern
Highest Launch of a Jewelry Collection – H’Art Design Ltd.
Highest Skydive Landing - Jai Kishan, Wendy Smith and Tom Noonan
Highest parachute landing-world record set near Mount Everest
Most tandem skydives in 24 hours - Chip Bowlin and Kristin Gould