TRAVELING at speeds of up to 240 mph, 164 skydivers flying head-down built the largest-ever vertical skydiving formation July 23 over central Illinois, smashing the previous record.

    It took the international team 13 attempts to beat the 2012 mark set by 138 skydivers. The formation, resembling a giant flower, floated above Skydive Chicago in Ottawa for a matter of seconds before the flyers broke away, deployed their parachutes, and whooped and hollered their way to the ground to the jubilation of spectators.

    The team was selected from training camps across the U.S., Spain and Australia, with dozens of talented skydivers disappointed not to make the cut.

    Seven aircraft flew in precise formation to ensure that the jumpers deplaned at the right place, time and altitude. The record-breaking jumpers exited at 19,700 feet (6,004 meters).

    No record could have been achieved without four videographers — also accomplished skydivers — who flew above, below and beside the formation so the judges on the ground had evidence that the record was achieved.

    “The record doesn’t count without proof ... It’s almost like we live in a sport that doesn’t exist without a photographic device,” said Norman Kent, who has been shooting skydiving photographs and video for four decades.

    He has made about 25,000 skydives and has credits on movies including “Get Smart,” “Grudge Match” and “Kingsman.”

    Three judges certified by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale — the World Air Sports Federation — studied the video and stills to check that each flyer was in a pre-determined slot in the formation and has his or her hand in the correct position at the same time.

    “They need to do exactly what they tell me they are going to be doing,” FAI judge Marylou Laughlin said before the event. “All the grips have to be in exactly the right place.”

    The record was not without risks. The skydivers flew at a minimum speed of 160 mph, and some reached speeds as high as 240 mph. Collision at such speeds can be fatal.

    Jumping from such a high altitude brings a very real risk of hypoxia — a condition that arises from a lack of oxygen that can cause a variety of symptoms from euphoria akin to drunkenness, to unconsciousness — and even death.

    (SD-Agencies)