Skydivers are Superheroes
WINGSUIT SKYDIVERS SET NATIONAL RECORD FOR CHARITY
Team Donates Over $5000 to City Year Los Angeles to Combat High School Dropout Crisis
CONTACT: Eli Bolotin, eli@raisethesky.org and Taya Weiss, taya@raisethesky.org
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LOS ANGELES, November 13, 2009 – A team of 68 specially-qualified wingsuit skydivers have set the official US record for Wingsuit Formation Skydiving, more than doubling the prior record of 25. This unique event was organized by Raise the Sky and will donate over $5000 to City Year Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization that is battling the dropout crisis in Los Angeles.
US National Wingsuit Record 68-way
A wingsuit consists of fabric stretched between a skydiver’s arms and legs and allows dramatically increased horizontal travel while simultaneously slowing the skydiver’s descent toward the ground. A minimum of 200 skydives is required before attempting wingsuit flight.
According to America’s Promise Alliance, every 26 seconds, a student drops out of school. By doing something that seems impossible to most humans, Raise the Sky wants to inspire at-risk youth in Los Angeles to stay in school. Our message to Los Angeles’ youth is “If We Can Fly, You Can Graduate!”
The record jump was completed November 11, 2009 at Skydive Elsinore (www.skydiveelsinore.com), located at 20701 Cereal Street in Lake Elsinore, CA, between Los Angeles and San Diego. Judges from the United States Parachute Association (www.uspa.org), the governing body for skydiving in the United States, certified the jump November 12, 2009.
The team flew in a huge, evenly spaced, predetermined formation like a flock of birds, exiting four separate aircrafts from 13,000 feet above the ground and flying for more than two miles at speeds that can exceed 100 mph before deploying parachutes and landing. The formation was clearly visible from the ground. Aerial HD video and still photos are available upon request.
About Raise the Sky:
Raise the Sky is a non-profit organization that connects members of the worldwide sport skydiving community to humanitarian and charitable causes, and promotes a transformative public image of skydivers as sportspeople who love life and give back to society’s most vulnerable.
About City Year:
City Year is a nonprofit organization that unites diverse young people for a demanding year of full-time service, giving them the skills and opportunities to change the world. As tutors, mentors, and role models, these idealistic leaders make a difference in the lives of children and transform schools and neighborhoods.
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This year, City Year Los Angeles’ 150 young leaders will complete more than 255,000 hours of service:
• Mentoring, tutoring, and educating school children in public schools to get kids on track to graduate;
• Organizing after-school programs and school vacation programs;
• Engaging middle and high school students in community service and leadership development activities; and
• Planning and leading physical transformative service projects to revitalize schools and public spaces.
Real Superheroes in 2009
Wingsuit pilots aren’t just superheroes because they fly through the sky: they also want to make the world a better place.
First Official State Wingsuit Record Set in Illinois
- Illinois State Wingsuit Record
OTTAWA, IL, July 28, 2009 – Raise the Sky and Wingsuit Bigway set the first ever United States Parachute Association (USPA)-recognized wingsuit state record on July 28th, 2009 at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois. The USPA Board of Directors voted unanimously several weeks ago at their Summer Meeting in Dallas, Texas, to adopt a new judging standard using a grid overlaid on a photograph of the wingsuit formation. This is the first state record set using the new criteria. Judges were Scott Smith and Sarah Thompson. More about the new judging criteria is coming soon! For more on the presentation made by Taya Weiss to the USPA Board in Dallas, click here.
The parachutists over forty years old in this formation went off right afterwards to go and set a POPS (Parachutists Over Phorty Society) record of their own! They flew with all the talent accumulated over the years, and now await a POPS decision on whether to certify this new record. Stay tuned…
- POPS Wingsuit in Illinois
For more information or to interview any of the Wingsuit Bigway organizers, email taya(at)raisethesky.org.
