BATHURST skydiver Glenn Farrell has more than 1500 parachute jumps to his credit – but he’s not ready to retire his parachute any time soon.
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The 38-year-old still has many challenges to meet and from June 11-13 will be part of a contingent of 120 Australian enthusiasts vying for a place in a team to attempt a 100-way free fall formation in a drop zone over Perris, California.
This week Mr Farrell and his wife Rosemary, who follows the sport by encouraging and supporting her husband, were preparing for the record they believe is inevitable.
The contingent of skydivers is hoping to break the Australian free fall formation record of 81, set in 1999.
“There will be about 120 going from all parts of Australia to attempt the record,” an excited Mr Farrell said. “We will all be in the one location for a week preparing for the jump.”
In the 100-way formation the parachutists will have only about one minute to hook-up and 4-5 seconds to hold the combination together intact, depending on the skill levels the jumpers attain.
The Australian jumpers will be training to have 20-30 in their first formation and then build on that to complete the 100-way record. It is possible they will have 5-6 attempts to get it right.
“The formation jump has been well planned with at least 120 going to the United States. There will also be 4-5 people jumping with cameras to record the feat,” Mr Farrell said.
Mr Farrell keeps up his fitness level and trains extensively over drop zones for major events like the 100-way formation. In some instances, smaller members of the team have to carry weights to ensure they free fall in unison.
Mr Farrell, who grew up in Canberra, started jumping from planes in 1992 at the age of 19.
Since then he has completed an Accelerated Free Fall Course to ensure everything he does is planned and extensive training skills can be put to the test, and completed around 1500 successful jumps.
Because Bathurst does not have a skydiving jump zone, Mr Farrell jumps as a member of a Picton group.
He contests state and national titles and has been part of a record breaking formation in a 36-way diamond.
Mr Farrell said nothing is left to chance when it comes to safety. He togs up, wears a full face helmet and his kit contains a mandatory main and reserve parachute.
Parachutes that are made to last more than 3000 jumps cost up to $3000. While a normal parachute is around 120 square feet in diameter, Mr Farrell uses an 84 square feet chute.
