Formation Includes 46 Skydivers Over Mesquite

While watching skydivers falling from their airplanes over the weekend, something else was falling:

State skydiving records.

Parachute enthusiasts from all over the world converged on the Mesquite Municipal Airport on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for a weekend of skydiving and record setting.

On Sunday, the hours of hard work and preparation paid off, as the jumpers set a new state record for a "Big Way" formation jump.

The previous record of 42 was set more than five years ago in Laughlin.

On Sunday, the group accomplished the feat on their 13th attempt of a weekend that began on Friday the 13th.

The group set a new Nevada state skydiving record of 46 people in formation.

One of the reasons the record has stood so long is the difficulty in coordinating such a large number of skydivers.

"Pretend you have 50 people, 25 on each side of an 80 foot river, swimming together into exact formation," explained Brad Jessy, one of the skydivers and the owner of Skydive Mesquite which hosted the weekend event.

"Now pretend that the river is running 100 miles per hour."
Joe Kaufman, one of the organizers of the jump, explained that the large number of skydivers means a large number of opportunities for mistakes.

"40 people means 40 variables," Kaufman said before the group's 11th attempt. "If any one of us is unsuccessful, it's incomplete."

While setting a skydiving record sounds as easy as falling out of an airplane, it's actually a complicated and time consuming endeavor.

First comes the layout of the formation, contacting skydivers, arranging for the three airplanes, getting everyone together, assessing the various skill and experience levels, and figuring out where to place each jumper.

Then comes a series of "dirt dives," which are practices held on the ground where the skydivers split into separate groups to approximate who will be jumping out of which airplane, and in which order.

During the dirt dives, each person then moves to their assigned spot and touches the person next to them in the formation.

Then the group practices peeling off of the formation in order to assure that everyone separates without collisions and finds sufficient airspace to open their chutes.

Of course, on the ground this is all accomplished at about 95 miles per hour slower than in the air.

Once the dirt dive appears successful, the group boards the three planes for an attempt.

After the first few people jump from the prop-driven planes at around 13,000 feet, the group has just 60 seconds to create the formation.

Once the attempt has succeeded or failed, the outer rings turn around and the skydivers propel themselves for open spaces away from the formation in order to pull their cords and deploy their chutes, scattering all over various drop zones set up around the airport.

Back on the ground, the jumpers gather their chutes, head for the hangars, and begin re-packing for the next attempt.

Then comes a 15 minute video session where the skydivers sit down in another hangar and review the videotape of the previous dive, assessing breakdowns and developing corrections to be applied during the next attempt.

"The first couple of attempts are for setting up the fall rate, and making sure people are comfortable in their slots," explained David Bowen, one of the skydivers making the attempt on Sunday.

To help adjust fall rates, some of the skydivers must don lead weight belts, while others add or remove clothing under their jumpsuits.

Bowen was also one of the people who traveled a long way to take part in the Mesquite attempt, coming from his home in Houston, Texas for the three-day event.

However, he wasn't the only visitor from out of town.

"A lot of the people are from Southern California," Kaufman said, confirming that a number of the participants were also involved in the 2004 Laughlin jump.

The weekend also drew skydivers from other continents.

Jens Gronemeyer came to Mesquite from his home in Hoexter, Germany.

"It's my first time in Nevada," Gronemeyer said between attempts on Sunday.

"Then we have Felipe from Peru," Bowen added.

Following an unsuccessful jump on Sunday, Jessy explained that one of the problems in executing the formation is the timing, and the fact that the formation is created from a number of different angles.

"It could be that someone jumped just one-tenth of a second off," Jessy said. "Also, it's a three-dimensional space."
However, before the sun set on the weekend, the organizers made a few more adjustments, and on the final attempt, the group managed to create the airborne rings, setting the new Nevada record with 46 skydivers.

It wasn't the only record set over the weekend.

A new Nevada "Free Fly" record was set on Friday, with a nine-way head-first dive.

Unlike the "Big Way," which has skydivers falling in a prone "belly first" position at around 100 to 120 miles per hour, head-first skydivers rocket toward earth at up to 180 miles per hour.

The weekend also saw a new women's record set for Nevada with a nine-way dive.

While the three days of skydiving were exciting for the participants, it was also a treat for spectators and local residents who were treated to the explosion of color when the large groups deployed their canopies in the skies over the city following each attempt.

The record-setting weekend also marked the final skydiving event of the year for Skydive Mesquite.

While the company regularly offers weekend skydiving for individuals as well as providing skydiving lessons, it's the "boogies" or skydiving gatherings that bring the most excitement to Mesquite.

The next big event is the Blue Skies Boogie and Skyphoria Film Festival the weekend of Jan. 15-17, which will draw skydivers from all over the country.

The highlight is the film festival, which features videos of breathtaking skydives filmed over the last year.

The festival combines two of Jessy's passions: skydiving and moviemaking.

In addition to his ownership of Skydive Mesquite, Jessy is also a Hollywood stuntman and stunt coordinator,

He has appeared in more than 20 films, including “The Way Of The Gun” starring Benicio Del Toro and Juliette Lewis, “Getting There” with Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, “The Crow: Salvation” featuring Kirsten Dunst and Eric Mabius, and his first experience, "Aspen Extreme."

Jessy also worked on "The Flyboys," a feature film shot in Mesquite and St. George which hit the silver screen last year.

While his work as a stuntman and stunt coordinator actually pays the bills, it's this weekend's efforts over the skies of Mesquite which will land him in the record books.

Along with 45 of his "closest" airborne friends.

The videotapes and documentation of this week's 46-way skydive will be reviewed by the United States Parachute Association over the coming week, and the record should be confirmed and added to the USPA record books by December, making Mesquite the home of the Nevada Big Way record.