The Drop
News and Resources from AXIS Flight School
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Hey Speeders! Just wanted to share some updated information and important links.
The United States Parachute Association has recently added a Speed Skydiving Section into the Skydiver’s Information Manual (SIM) 6-13. In its contents it offers recommendations guiding skydivers who are intentionally attempting to reach their highest terminal velocity in freefall.
In other news, the International Speed Skydiving Association (ISSA) has a new website! There you can check out upcoming events and of course the Eternal Rankings page, which now has a great search feature.
Important Links:
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Some of of the most important people at a Drop Zone are the Load Organizers. The episode explores how best to use load organizers as well as learning what it takes to become a load organizer. Thank you very much to Axis Flight School’s Brianne Thompson for the insights -
The 8-way dive pools have been updated with new outdoor and indoor formations. Blocks 14, 15, and 21 have been replaced in the outdoor pool. Blocks 17 and 20 will remain the same for outdoor, but have been replaced in the indoor pool.
All videos below courtesy of XP8.
Starting Formation for all Indoor Rounds. -
The International Speed Skydiving Association (ISSA) has updated its World Wide Eternal Ranking page, which now includes the results of the 2022 World Championships. The scores on this list only highlight a competitor’s personal best (P.B.) in competition.
The Top 15 Fastest Skydivers in the World (2022) – all over 500 kmh (310 mph) To stay up to date on the discipline, check out the Speed Skydiving Facebook page.
Outside of Competitive Speed Skydiving
While there have been jumpers who have recorded much greater speeds than the forementioned list, these were special projects and stunts performed for the purpose of research and entertainment. These required helium balloons to carry the jumpers into the stratosphere – as high as 135,890 feet (41.42 km). Doing so allowed them to take advantage of an incredible thin atmosphere, becoming the first humans to break the sound barrier outside of a vehicle.
(2012) Felix Baumgartner – 1,357.64 km/h (843.6 mph)
(2014) Alan Eustace – 1,323 km/h (822 mph)
(1960) Joseph Kittinger – 988 km/h (614 mph)
