posted Nov 21st, 2013 - The Kaleidoscope Dives of SkyQuest 2013 began with a reception at the Clarion Hotel DeLand last night, followed by a lot of dirtdiving on Thursday. The reception was a part of the plan and the schedule, while the very intensive jump preparations on Thursday were not really voluntary.

Rainy weather kept the Kaleidoscope Divers on the ground all day long. BJ Worth had planned to do 66ways on the first day of the event to familiarize the bigway fans with the design of the signature formation and practice some of the maneuvers with the smaller formations.

He also wanted to get more testing of a new wireless technology that is showing the exit preparations of the base in the lead plane to all other planes on a small screen. Purpose of the new technology is a perfectly synchronized exit of all jump planes in the formation. The first tests had been successful for the POPS 60way world record jumps.

Kaleidoscope Dives Reception	5-Point 106 way Sequence

The 66ways on Thursday were also supposed to apply and get familiar with new keying strategies. The new world record category of sequential bigways opens up a new and challenging territory for the explorers in the sport. The large formations require accurate and well synchronized keys for the following maneuvers if recognition as a world record is the goal.

BJ Worth elaborated on this topic during the reception at the Clarion Hotel DeLand on Wednesday evening. The European 106way in Empuriabrava had used the traditional freefall communication to key the breaks for the maneuvers to the next formation and supported it with streamers that were released at the same time.

The streamers will also be used for the Kaleidoscope Dives, which are aiming at 110way world records. Videographer Andrey Veselov presented his footage of the 106ways in Empuriabrava, and the Kaleidoscope Divers had the opportunity to study the dives and the keying system.

There were several bigway experts at the reception who had set the new 106way sequential world records in Spain and now bring their current experiences and skills to the new attempts in DeLand. They were honored on stage by the Kaleidoscope Divers for their success.

Several participants of the recent POPS 60way record jumps are also in the Kaleidoscope Dives group this week. They have done their warmup jumps and are ready to go to the bigger formations as soon as possible.

Two Skyvans and three Twinotters will lift the 110 Kaleidoscope Divers and the videographers to 18,000 feet as soon as the weather allows it. BJ Worth will decide tomorrow whether his group will still begin with the 66ways or go straight to 110way jumps. The Kaleidoscope Divers are well prepared for both options...