1980-1984 in English

1980

General

"Them Toad Suckers" team from the US made 4-stacks using round canopies. Two of the tops were PCs and two other mains were Starlites. Jump was made in Homenstead, FL in fall.

The first CRW jump in my home skydiving club (HLU) was made in Räyskälä. Juha Lampela and Timo Saarinen made it in May.

Records

The first 11-plane was done in Zephyrhills, FL in April. They used a DC-3 plane and used only one jump to make it. The day before that jump jumpers made one 10-plane attempt. After the record they attempted a 12-plane. The base was slow and it built to 9.

There was a 13-stack attempt in Issaquah, WA. The result was 7-stacks and it was done in May.

Jumpers in DeLand, FL, made the first 12-plane (12th was in about 30 sec). That happened in May. Also in late winter jumpers from South Africa made the first 8-stack in Africa. They succeeded in their fifth attempt in Pietermaritzburg. Phil Pass was the eight in formation.

European jumpers also made stacks. In Norway they made the first 8-stacks in Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark). That jump was made in May. They also made 9-stacks in July. They kept it 1 min and 30 sec. Also the 10th jumper was in about nine second. Some Norwegian newspapers said that it was a European Record, but it wasn't.

Jumpers from France made the first 8-stack in Chalon sur Saone. Yves Fuger was organizing. Jump was done in May.

 

In July, jumpers from Issaquah, WA made the second 13-stack attempt. The result was again 7-stacks.

“Perris CReW” made the first 10-stacks of the night. They jumped in August. This was also the first 8-stack at night.

Just before the World Cup, in October, Englishmen did 13-plane in their first attempts. They hold it for 1 min and 18 sec. That was the first time when a "world record" was outside the USA.

After World Cup competition US jumpers made three 16-plane attempts. The first one was a nice 14-plane, in the second jump they made an official 14-plane where jumper no 15 was hanging 26 seconds. The last jump was also 15-plane, now only 20 seconds.

Few days before the year was changed the first 8-stacks were made in Australia. In that formation the last jumper was Ian Ladyman, jumper from New Zealand.

Competitions

The first World Cup of the CRW was held in Zephyrhills, FL from October 26 to November 2. It wasn't an official world cup because CRW wasn't an official event by FAI. There were rotation teams from the USA, England, France and Belgium. In the 8-speed event, there were teams from the USA and England. US 8-speed team "Plane Magic" jump record time 1.17. In rotation the best score was 20 points in 4 minutes working time. Those two teams scored 20 points - English "Mounting Men Red" and US "Plane Old Bud Folks”.

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1981

General

“Perris CReW” group made the first 8-way SoftFlight Kite in November. There was a plane, single wings, plane again in tail and two single canopy below it.

In June US jumpers made stack formation in Mr. Bill jump. So there were four jumpers above two mains.

The first night diamond was done in June. "Perris CReW" team was holding the formation for 1 min and 55 sec. It was done in CA, USA. It was a “Rocket Diamond” - a plane with single wings and single tail.

The first 6-way offset formation was done in Perris Valley, CA. SoftFlight Kite was made in September. SoftFlight Kite have a plane, single wings and plane in tail. Soon after that they made a 7-way SoftFlight Kite, there was one single canopy below the tail plane.

In June "Dead Reckoning" team made the first biplane diamond. Jump was done in Lakewood, NJ, USA.

Records and events

The 9-plane night European record was set in Netheravon, England in March. It was made by the Mountain Men.

Jumpers from Finland made the first 8-way on May 23. That stack/plane was done in Helsinki and the last one in the formation was Jarmo "Jarkki" Vuorio.

Jumpers in the docking order were:

Hannu Havia

Jari Holopainen

Mika Enksröm

Esa Mikkonen

Kari Niemi

Markku Puro

Hannu Leskinen

Jarmo Vuorio

The next day, they made a 9-stack/plane. That was a 10-way attempt.

Jumpers in the Northwest, USA made a series of the record attempts in June-July 1981. They tied three times the current record 14-plane (July 12. 15. and 17.). All jumps were made in Issaquah.

After the West Coast Championships of CRW competition, jumpers made two record attempts. The better one was 14-plane in Toledo, WA. That happened in summer (August).

In September jumpers from Issaquah made a new record. The 15-plane was completed by using old Curtiss and three Cessna airplanes.

On September 13, jumpers from Issaquah, WA made one record attempt and it was successful. New record, 17-plane, was complete. Jumpers hold it for just over one minute. Again they need to use many airplanes. Now they use five Cessna’s.

On October 4, jumpers from Issaquah, WA made two 20-plane attempts. The best was 15-plane.

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1982

General

In USPA Boogie, jumpers made 10-10 jumps. Ten jumpers exited and made a 10-way star (2 500 m) in freefall, opened high and made 10-plane (1 200 m) in the same jump.

US comppany Para-Flite introduced the first CRW main canopy - Pursuit 230 in June.

Finnish jumpers made the first diamond formation in Helsinki. They made it in the first jump on July 11.

The first 9-way diamond was done in Menomonee Falls, WI. Exit altitude was about 4 000 meter and formation was complete about 1 000 meters. They split it into 600 meters. Jumpers used three Cessna C-182 and formation succeeded in the second jump. Jump was done in August.

The first all female 8-plane was made in Ridgely, MD. The first jump was successful in November.

Records and events

Jumpers from Issaquah, WA, tried a few times to set a new record. The best one was a 16-plane which was made in May.

After the US Nationals, US jumpers made 20-plane in their first attempt. They hold complete formation 46 seconds. The rules now need 30 seconds holding time. Exit altitude was 4 300 meters and the plane was DC-3. Jump was made July 1. This is the first official world record.

Competitions

US Nationals had CRW for the first time. In competition there were all three events. The 8-speed made a new record made by the silver team. The 8-plane was completed in 1.01.

Lapallisse, in France was the place which held the second World Cup competition. There were all three events, rotation, sequential and 8-speed. Competition time was July 27 to August 5. There were teams from eight different nations. Also there were observers from Italy, Norway and Finland.

New competition records were made in the World Cup. "Plane Scared" sequential team from New Zealand made six points in five minutes of working time. They use Comet 228 mains. Rotation records were also done, "Plane Scared" from New Zealand and "Crooz" from Australia made 21 points in four minutes working time.

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1983

General

Terry Parson published the CRW book "Canopy Relative Work for Skydivers".

The first four by side was done in Perris Valley, CA. Jump was done in February. Date and names are missing, can you help?

The first BASE CRW jump was done on Bridge Day in October. Place was New River George Bridge in WV.

Records and events

In April British marines or ex-marines made a new European record 15-plane. They made it in the first jump and held it for 50 seconds.

In Muskogee, OH, there were 30-plane record attempts. The best of the eight attempts was 12-plane. Jumps were made in June.

In October Frenchmen did 17-plane, a new European record. Jump was done in Orleans. National record before that was 14-plane made in July. In both events, jumpers used Transall C160 military cargo airplanes.

There were few 30-plane record attempts in the USA. The best result was 14-plane.

Competitions

The last rotation record in four minutes working time was made in China. The Chinese team made 22 points in Chanjic.

In the US Nationals 8-speed team named "Wrapture” made plane formation in 56.83 seconds. Also one other team made formations below the old record.

The first Cumulus Convention, CRW meeting where there were scrambled teams, was in Meissendorf (Meido) near Hannover, West-Germany.

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1984

General

Some sources in Finland said that Chinese jumpers had done 22-planes in March. That was a translation mistake.

The first Tandem Examiners course did some tandem CRW jumps in December 1984. Four tandems built a quadraplane. They used Vector tandems. The place was DeLand, Fl.

Records and events

US jumpers try to beat the formation record again in January. The best of the 21-plane attempts was only 13-plane. Jumps was made in Spaceland, TX

Bush Pilots Airlines was sponsoring record attempts made in opening ceremonies of the Cairns airport, Australia. Jumpers made a new world record, 21-plane in March. Jumper n:o 22 was also in but too short a time. In total, there were 25 jumpers in the air.

Englishmen tied the European record in April. That 17-plane was done in Netherravon. In May they tried to break the world record. The best one was an 18-plane (I hope to get more info for that one).

Two world record attempts (24-plane) were done in Texel, Holland in June. The best one was a 21-plane.

"Positively Jump Street" and a group from Texas tried to break world records on Labor Day weekend. Both of them fail. The same Texas group tried a 30-plane in October. The best of the six jumps was 16-plane.

The first official female CRW formation record was done in the Soviet Union. They made an 8-plane on October 3.

Brazilian jumpers made the first 9-plane in Boituva, Brazil. That was the first 9-plane in South-America. Pedro Hilu and Ricardo Pettena were 8th and 9th.

Competitions

The third world cup competition was held in Toogoolawah, Australia. Dates were October 13. -24. There were teams from 11 countries. In rotation there were 19 teams. After the official competition there was an unofficial speed stack and landing competition.

"Eclipse" team in the US Nationals made an 8-speed record but in the same round, team "Free Bud" made it faster, but that is not all, team "Free Bud" made a better time in sixth round. Time was 51.67. Those records were broken in Australia. Team France made 50.77 for the official record using Contact mains.

New rotation record was done in the US Nationals where the "Budweiser" team made 17 points in three minutes of working time. They use Pursuit mains. The Sequential record was 11 points which was made in the world cup. Team was "Silver Dayz" from New Zealand.

The first CRW Nationals was held in Brazil.