Skydivers to Descend on Milwaukee
Skydivers aim to set new Wisconsin State Skydiving Records for Largest Formations.
The skies over Skydive Midwest in Sturtevant, WI will be filled with hundreds of colorful canopies from August 14 through August 18. Experienced skydivers from across the country will be gathering in an attempt to make skydiving history, participating in two different state record attempts.
A group of more than 120 jumpers will be attempting to build the largest skydiving formation in a belly-to-earth orientation. The jumpers will need to surpass the current large formation record for Wisconsin, which was set in 2015 at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh with 108 people.
A second group of 60 jumpers will be attempting to build the largest vertical skydiving formation- meaning the jumpers will be plummeting at speeds over 200mph, flying upside-down, with their heads pointed toward the earth. They will be attempting to surpass the current Wisconsin vertical record of 42 skydivers set at Skydive Midwest in 2021
On records of this size, multiple aircraft will be necessary- flying in tight formation as jumpers exit so they can quickly connect in freefall. The jumpers will also need to use supplemental oxygen as they will be skydiving from more than 17,500ft. Traditional skydives are conducted from 10,000 to 14,000ft. The additional altitude will give the skydivers more time in freefall to build the pre-planned formations.
Skydive Midwest owner, Keith George, commented on what it takes to put on an event of this size. “It’s a complex undertaking. It’s not just the skills of the jumpers, but the logistics involved in the entire operation. We’re extremely grateful to have the support of the Airport Owner at Sylvania Airport and the Airport Manager at Racine Airport as well as the cooperation of Milwaukee Air Traffic Control. There are a lot of moving parts and lots of people working behind the scenes at Skydive Midwest to try to make this a safe and successful event.”
Practice jumps will begin on Wednesday, August 14. They will begin with building smaller formations and work toward the actual record attempts on Friday, August 16th. The attempts will continue through the weekend hopefully achieving 2 new state records by Sunday, August 18. Spectators are welcome to watch the skydivers from the observation deck at Skydive Midwest. The record formations will be so large, the jumpers will be easily visible in freefall, from the ground.
