Chicago Skydiving Team Sets New World Record With a 164-Person Vertical Free Fly Formation

Members of Skydive Chicago successfully took to the skies in order to set a new vertical free fly world record by performing a 164-person formation pattern. Organizers Jon DeVore and Mike Swanson spoke with Red Bull about how it feels to connect with other people that high up in the air.

There’s no true signal. We’ve had communication devices in the past, but what works so well and is also so organic and magical about the whole thing, is that when you’re in it and the record hits, there’s just this click and this hum and this vibration that goes on where everything’s pretty effortless and people aren’t struggling. When you start feeling that, you look around at people across from you and they’re smiling and nodding, you know they’re not seeing anybody having trouble and they’re getting the same thing off you. On this record, when everybody landed they were high-fiving without even having to see video.