Vertical formation skydiving (VFS) is a subcategory of
formation skydiving
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 prog ...
using high-speed body positions normally associated with
freeflying
Freeflying is a skydiving discipline which began in the late 1980s, involving freefalling in various vertical orientations, as opposed to the traditional "belly-to-earth" orientation. The discipline is known to have originated when Olav Zipser bega ...
. Competitors build pre-selected formations in
free-fall
In Newtonian physics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. In the context of general relativity, where gravitation is reduced to a space-time curvature, a body in free fall has no force acting on i ...
with multiple people gripping each other's limbs or specially built "grippers" on their jumpsuits.
The
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) world record for the largest VFS
free-fall
In Newtonian physics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. In the context of general relativity, where gravitation is reduced to a space-time curvature, a body in free fall has no force acting on i ...
formation is a 164-way, set on July 31, 2015 over
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, United States.
Project Horizon, the Lodi Sequentials, VFS Arizona and several other yearly invitational
skydiving
Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachut ...
events are centered on pushing the boundaries of VFS.
Competition
There is only one category of official VFS competition, that being VFS 4-way, which is part of the
United States Parachute Association
The United States Parachute Association (USPA) is a private sports governing body for the sport of skydiving in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The USPA's roots go back to the National Parachute Riggers ...
Skydiving Nationals. The first official VFS 4-Way US Nationals Competition was held on October 27, 2006, in Eloy, Arizona. Nine teams (45 skydivers) competed.
VFS 4-way has been adopted as an addition to future FAI world competitions (as VFS 4-way), the first being the FAI World Cup in Eloy, AZ, in October 2008.
External links
{{commons, Parachuting
USPAThe United States Parachute Association – The governing body for sport skydiving in the U.S.
Competition HistoryUSPA History of Skydiving Competition
FAIThe Federation Aeronautique Internationale – The international governing body for all airborne sports, including skydiving.
Parachuting