posted Nov 7th, 2023 - The NSL News coverage of Blue Magic's 40-year anniversary was not complete, even though the leaderboard of the FAI World Championship of Formation Skydiving 1983 and also a freefall video of Blue Magic in action were a part of the update from long ago.

In fact, the video footage was not provided by the FAI/ISC authority. The judging and scoring was done in a very different way at that time, and some of the teams had their own unofficial team videographer whose footage could be used only for training purposes.

Formation Skydiving competition was in the middle of the transition from live judging with the help of binoculars to video-recording of the same observations from the ground to the teams in freefall. The video capturing was not ready as a usable technology, and the change came at the time when FAI/ISC also introduced the new competition format for the first time at the FAI World Championship 1985 in Mali Losinj, Yugoslavia. Blue Magic had a team videographer in their delegation. Martin Genge was filming the Swiss team on their way to the world championship title, and his footage is featured in the video that was posted with the earlier story.

8-way lineup of Blue Magic at the FAI World Championship 1983

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Any earlier updates mentioned only Blue Magic member Marcel Aeby, who continued for several years with 4-way and 8-way training and competition, all the way through the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2016, which is the last event where his name appears in NSL News updates, 33 years after winning his 4-way gold medal in South Africa.

His three Blue Magic 4-way team mates were Raymond Gimmi, Jurg Ottiker and Toni Danioth, with alternate Peter Honegger, and all their names are engraved on the William H. Ottley Sword for the 4-way world champions, also known as the 4-way Excalibur. Only four plates were on the 4-way sword by then, which is currently in the possession of Arizona Airspeed.

Blue Magic won additional FAI silver medals in 8-way for the Swiss delegation at the same event, which was headed by Felix Meier. Peter Furst, Martin Sigel, Max Sippel and Roland Kunz completed the 8-way lineup. All 4-way members were present at the 40-year anniversary celebration, together with some significant others, except for alternate and 8-way member Peter Honegger. Peter Furst, and Martin Sigel represented the 8-way team. Felix Meier, Head of the Swiss Delegation in 1983, and jump pilot Roland Gass joined the celebration, as well. Only Max Sippel and deceased Roland Kunz missed it.

Celebration of the 40-year anniversary by Blue Magic and friends

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