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Saturday, May 4, 2002 'Downhill racers of sky diving' drop to Earth at nearly 300 mphBy CLAUDIA MOSCOSO | News-Journal Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH — In his form-fitting, one-piece suit, French sky diver Mike Brooke stands out from the other jumpers at Skydive DeLand.
It's not because of his attire, but rather what he does. Brooke is one of the speeders. He was the fastest of all speed jumpers Thursday at the first event of the International Speed Skydiving Tribe 2000 World Cup competition. Brooke posted a speed of 459 kilometers per hour — nearly 300 mph. Mike Johnston, general manager of Skydive DeLand, describes the speeders as the "downhill racers of sky diving," but says there are not too many of them in the world. They dress differently and engage in an unconventional type of competition. The competitors in DeLand jump out of airplanes at an altitude of 13,000 feet, then head straight down, competing to be fastest, Brooke said. "You are just using gravity as a motor," he said. "It's fun." The speeders decelerate and deploy their parachute only after their speed has been measured, Brooke said. Their speed is determined using data from two devices on the jumper. The devices measure air pressure during the fall and record the information, which is used to calculate the jumper's speed over 1,000 meters. The speed sky diving group, established in 2000, is an informal group that organizes speed events. The speed jumpers in DeLand all come from European countries, including Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, France and Liechtenstein. The group's local event ends today, but the World Cup com petition ends this September in France. Robert Chromy , a coach and instructor at Skydive DeLand, said speed jumping is a new discipline, but that sky divers over the years have had different goals. At first, he said, jumpers focused on accuracy jumping — landing close to a target. Then, others began to concentrate on formation sky diving — making as many groupings of divers as possible in 35 seconds. Johnston said sky divers don't view speeders any differently, but rather as people who choose to practice something they like to do. As for the speeders, they say they find the experience exhilarating. "It's the biggest place of freedom there is," said Marco Wiederkehr, of Liechtenstein. The speeders also shared one secret: One way to tell when they are competing is to listen for the sound of jets because that's the sound they make. Brooke said the movement of the air against the speeder's body generates a lot of noise "as you are going at great speeds." HICI Special Report — Skydiving: Parachuting Pleasures and Perils |
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