Canopy Formations are only done by suicidal, kamikaze, ravin' mad nutters. They spend the skydive trying to collapse, damage and trash their canopies. At any excuse, out come their knives and they hack away at other people's kit before gaining the much needed extra freefall time by cutting away and flying their reserves. These guys are just thrill-seekers deliberately courting danger... ... Right?

Wrong. 

Canopy formation jumpers are some of the safest and most responsible skydivers out there. They are excellent canopy pilots, super aware of what is going on around them. If you want to know how to fly a canopy, ask a CF jumper.

Serious CF jumpers have dedicated equipment which they only use for subterminal deployment because of the way it is packed. For instance the slider is only made out of mesh, rather than the standard sail slider used by other skydivers, and they don't pack the canopy into a bag or stow the lines in bungees. All this adds to the speed of opening and thus the more time they have under canopy. The rigs are packed almost identically to how a BASE jumper packs, ensuring fast and on heading openings every time. In competition this is very important as every second counts trying to build that first point. If one team member has an off-heading opening, this can result in a canopy collision or cost the team a medal place.

Photo by Willy Boeykens

CF jumpers have a very high standard of piloting skills. They can put their canopy anywhere in the sky that they choose. They understand how to control it. How to use the front risers, brakes and back risers. Or just twist the canopy by using a combination of risers. They can even make the canopy move left a little by jabbing on the right toggle! If you want to learn any kind of canopy control skills then ask a CF jumper. Competing in CF is split down in to three disciplines in this country; 4-way rotations, 4-way sequential and 8-way speed. Rotations The rotations event is timed over one and a half minutes, starting when the first competitor exits the aircraft. The jumpers then stack their canopies and take it in turns come off the top of the stack and then rejoin on the bottom. The world record is 20 rotations in time! The current British record is 15 set by Cross Keys Crew last year. The sequential event is similar to formation skydiving but with the obvious exception that this is done under canopy. Random and block formations are drawn from the pool and teams then have to make these different shapes taking feet grips on other member's canopies or lines. Currently Team X holds the British record of 5 points in working time (two and a half minutes).

Speed
The 8-way speed event is timed with jumpers exiting the aircraft, aiming to build a formation in the quickest time. The formation changes each round with some being easier to build than others.
What a great feeling CF is. For those of you about to give it your first go, you'll get butterflies in your stomach churning in anticipation of doing something that is conceived by other skydivers as being dangerous. But don't whuffo's think all skydiving is dangerous? Its all a matter of perspective. CF is actually quite safe, it will teach you so much about flying your canopy and you will certainly get a buzz!

It is important to work out the canopy wing loading for you and the coach. Ideally the two wing loadings should be the same if jumping the same type of canopies. Wear weight if necessary to help this out. A large, docile canopy is probably better to start with than a faster 'swoop machine'. Ensure you your knife is suitably positioned and you can get at it quickly.

Exit the aircraft at about 8,000ft, do a stable exit and about a three second delay; any shorter and your canopy will be deploying in the turbulence created by the aircraft. Now check your canopy, take control of it and, with a little bit of brake on, find your coach and follow the rest of the skydive as they have briefed you.

Learn the different inputs that front and back risers make and how your brake toggles really work. Practice docking and climbing down the lines of some else's canopy. Kick out and jab your brakes. You are now rotating over the top. Grasp your front risers and drop down. Now ease some back riser input and let your coach get their legs in your lines. A bit of brake to help them come down.
 
Remain altitude aware. Still a bit of time left? Depending on your brief, you can always try a downplane, land the stack that you are in or fly in side by side.