posted Nov 9th, 2016 - The Sun Path Products NSL News reported on October 30th that the German team AtomiX YUU will have a new Inside Center next year. The same story mentioned that Germany's national 4-way Open Class team at the FAI Mondial 2016, Airbus, is facing personnel changes for the new competition season, as well.

Airbus has finalized the plans for next year and confirmed the new lineup. The two new team members are Markus Bastuck and Jorn Thiele of the former German national 4-way team Paratec-Saar.

The Airbus lineup at the Mondial 2016 was formed at the end of the 2012 season when Thomas Mack and Christian Schafer joined forces with EADS members Olaf Biedermann and Goran Meyer. Andreas Troegele has been filming the team ever since. The Mondial 2016 was the first World Championship of Formation Skydiving for Thomas Mack and Christian Schafer, as Paratec-Saar's last lineup competed for Germany in Prostejov 2014.

FAI Mondial 2016			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		12,A,16	18,15,O	1,F,E,C	17,B,14	10,2,20	21,11,G	J,5,19	L,M,K,7	D,8,4	3,13,Q	Total	Avg
7	Satori XL	UK	18(-2)	19	27	24	16	18	22	30	18	18	210	21.0
8	Airbus	DE	16(-2)	18	29	19	15	18	22	29(-1)	14(-1)	19	199	19.9

The Airbus performance at the Mondial was below expectations after a promising run-up to the event, as the Sun Path Products NSL News reported on September 1st. It seemed like the German team would be able to challenge Satori XL, which was eventually not the case at Skydive Chicago.

Olaf Biedermann had announced before the Mondial that this would be his last competition, and Airbus knew that they would have to recruit a new team member. It was surprising when Christian Schafer decided not to continue, as well.

The Airbus Mondial lineup had missed the previous world meet in Prostejov 2014 only by a single point at the German Nationals 2013, where Paratec-Saar won and qualified as the national team. Airbus was then without much domestic competition two years later and won the tickets to Skydive Chicago in 2015.

German Nationals 2013		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	B,7,11	P,C,4,5	J,D,O,21	6,18,15	1,L,2	M,9,K,13	19,N,Q,12	G,22,14	E,H,A,8	F,20,3	Total	Avg
1	Paratec-Saar	21	20	25	17	17	22	19	16	26	19	202	20.2
2	Airbus	22	21	25	16	16	23	18	15	26	19	201	20.1

Paratec-Saar did not continue after a disappointing performance in Prostejov 2014. However, Markus Bastuck and Jorn Thiele were not done and now both agreed to come back with Airbus.

Their former team, with Max Thiele, Dieter Schwarz and videographer Alexander Hau in the lineup, dominated the German 4-way competition for several years before personnel changes allowed other German teams to get closer. The original Paratec-Saar lineup still owns the German record average (22.4 - Menzelisnk 2010) and the 53-pointer for a single round at the same event.

Markus Bastuck and Jorn Thiele also won bronze medals with Paratec-Saar for Germany at the FAI World Cup 2011. It seems like the new Airbus lineup should not suffer too much after the personnel change...

FAI World Meet 2014			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		E,3,C,5	F,6,D,21	19,H,2	M,4,1	O,14,A,P	8,J,16	7,11,12	22,20,15	17,G,18	13,B,9	Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	32	29	25	25	33	25	22	18	26	29	264	26.4
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	31	27	25	24	31	23	22	17	24	29	253	25.3
3	Evolution	CA	31	28	24	22	28	23	20	21	25	27	249	24.9
4	VoltR	FR	24	26	18	23	26	20	20	13	24	21	215	21.5
5	Barkli	RU	24	23	20	22	25	21	19	16	18	26	214	21.4
6	Dubai Asaar Black	AE	18	20	17	17	20	14	15	13	17	20	171	17.1
7	Vision 99	UK	18	20	16	16	19	15	15	13	16	-	148	16.4
8	Paratec-Saar	DE	19	23	18	14	22	16	15	13	7	-	147	16.3
9	Rotor Out	AU	17	19	17	17	21	14	13	12	15	-	145	16.1
10	eX3MO 4	IT	18	17	16	15	17	15	14	11	14	-	137	15.2

There have to be a few adjustments of the slots in the new lineup though. Jorn Thiele fits in perfectly, as he was the Inside Center for Paratec-Saar and replaces Olaf Biedermann in the same slot.

However, the new Airbus lineup has two Tail flyers. Goran Meyer was in the Tail slot for Airbus and Markus Bastuck for Paratec-Saar. The team decided that Markus Bastuck will switch to the Point position, which separates the former Paratec-Saar rear piece partners for the first time. Both pieces will have to re-learn the specific dynamics.

The new Airbus lineup will begin with indoor training this month. The World Challenge 2017 is on the meet schedule, as well as the FAI World Cup 2017 on Paratec home turf in Saarlouis. Airbus will still be eligible to represent Germany, as three team members continue with the new lineup.