Female skydivers have set a new British record for the largest number of women to participate in a successful head-down formation jump.
The skydive required the women to jump out of an aircraft at 14,000 feet and then fly together in a ‘head down’ position – meaning their heads were the lowest part of their body, in an ‘upside down’ manner – to build a shape by holding onto one another’s arms.
Travelling at speeds exceeding 130mph, 12 female skydivers completed the formation – making it the largest all-female head-down formation ever completed in the UK.
They followed it up with a second new record for the biggest female total break sequential head-down skydive, with 10 females building on shape, letting go and building a second shape.
In both cases, they dispersed at around 5,000 feet to deploy their parachutes and fly back down to earth.
@westbridgfordwirenews Female skydivers have set a new British record for the largest number of women to participate in a successful head-down formation jump. The skydive required the women to jump out of an aircraft at 14,000 feet and then fly together in a ‘head down’ position – meaning their heads were the lowest part of their body, in an ‘upside down’ manner – to build a shape by holding onto one another’s arms. Travelling at speeds exceeding 130mph, 12 female skydivers completed the formation – making it the largest all-female head-down formation ever completed in the UK. They followed it up with a second new record for the biggest female total break sequential head-down skydive, with 10 females building on shape, letting go and building a second shape. . @Skydive Langar . #nottingham #nottinghamshire #notts #westbridgford #rushcliffe #skydive #skydivers #skydiver #skydiversoftiktok #skydivevideo ♬ original sound – West Bridgford Wire News
The record was organised by world record holders Hannah Parker and Elise Sharp and was conducted at Skydive Langar in Nottinghamshire. It took a total of 5 jumps to achieve the records, with some small group practice over 3 days spread across the 2023 summer skydiving season.
Speaking of their achievement, Parker said:
“It’s been an incredible experience and we’re very proud to have achieved a new British record.
“Ours is a sport where female participation is on the rise, but we’ve still got a way to go. It’s our pleasure to host female events like this one and our hope that our efforts will inspire other women in skydiving to get involved, and for more females generally to come and have a go.
“The jumps went well and we were thrilled with the calibre of the skydivers who attended, making it easy and good fun for us all.”
Gareth Thomas is the managing director at Skydive Langar. He said:
“We’re very proud to have hosted this new record and thank Hannah, Elise and their team for giving us the opportunity to do so.
“Skydiving is such a huge passion for all of us and it’s fantastic to see boundaries being pushed and new achievements being made right here at our drop zone. Congratulations to everyone involved.”
The event was overseen by British Skydiving, the governing body for skydiving in the UK which confirmed the new record. It was judged and verified by an all female judging team, led by Lucy Westgarth.
She said: “Not only were the records a demonstration of flying skill, but also the commitment to coaching and helping each other as women in the sport. The organisers worked with the judges from the beginning to ensure a successful event. It was a pleasure to confirm they succeeded in both record attempts.”