posted Jul 23rd, 2025 - The first part of another closer look at formation skydiving competition and the history of the sport since 1985 exposed another interesting aspect in the 4-way Open Class category.

The recent reviews were initiated by the tragic loss of Skydive DeLand founder and owner Bob Hallet that was brought to the public attention by the NSL News on June 12th. The partnership between Bob Hallet and Tom Piras at Skydive DeLand became the topic of the update on July 6th, which included information of 4-way competition in the earliest years.

Eventually, the unexpected and sad storyline found its highlight at the first world championship title that the DeLand Air Bears won in Mali Losinj 1985. Skydiving legend Norman Kent documented the event and featured the DeLand Air Bears at the world championship competition. Skydive DeLand's home team became the first world champion in 4-way Open Class competition after the introduction of the new and still running format for any formations skydiving competition event. The review of the 4-way history included the fact that Bob Hallet's Skydive DeLand also generated two more world championship 4-way titles for the U.S. delegations, with DeLand Majik in 2004 and DeLand Fire in 2006.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		20,16,B		P,D,21,13		17,K,11		E,A,19,22		2,9,M		C,14,F,12		3,6,18		4,10,1		8,Q,O,H		5,7,J		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	21	-1	28		27		27		31		23		21		20		32		31		261	26.1
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	20	-1	25	-2	21		23		28		20	-2	19		17		29		26		228	22.8
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	19	-2	23	-1	22	-1	21	-1	26		18		17	-1	17		28		28		219	21.9
FAI Outdoor World Championship 2024			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		14,G,13		J,C,17,12		D,A,21,P		18,B,H,F		E,L,O,8		22,2,K		6,7,16		9,20,15		3,M,N,4		5,1,10		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	24		27	-1	33		36		31		23		26		26		25		22	-1	273	27.3
2	Aethers	FR	22		23	-4	33		32	-1	29		23		22		21		25		22		252	25.2
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	21		20	-3	26	-2	32		29	-1	20		21		20		19	-2	20		228	22.8

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Arizona Airspeed in Eloy 2022 and Crystal Coast 2024

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4-way Open Class winners between 1985 and 2024

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4-way teams from the United States of America won ten sets of FAI/ISC gold medals at outdoor world championships between 1985 and 2024, and they were shared exclusively between teams from Skydive Arizona and from Skydive DeLand.

Arizona Airspeed won their seven 4-way world championship titles with five different lineups. The original team (Jack Jefferies, Kirk Verner, Dan BC, Mark Kirkby, John Lemming on camera) won twice in 1995 and 1997. Niklas Hemlin, Mikhail Markine, Joey Marshall and Christopher Kuhlmann copied the two consecutive victories in 2022 and 2024, first with Brendan Haddon on camera, then with Alex Swindle.

Airspeed Vertical (John Eagle, Craig Girard, Neal Houston, Mark Kirkby, Marc Steinbaugh on camera) added Airspeed 4-way gold medals in 2001, Airspeed Odyssey (Eliana Rodriguez, Craig Girard, Andy Delk, Mark Kirkby, Steve Nowak on camera) in 2008. Mark Kirkby won his 5th gold medal with the 2012 lineup (Josh Hall, Thomas Hughes, Niklas Hemlin, Bill Schmitz on camera). Skydive DeLand teams won the other three sets of gold medals for the U.S. delegations. DeLand Air Bears started it with Tom Piras, Guy Manos, John Robbins and Joe Nepute in 1985, and they did not need a team videographer for judging purposes. Norman Kent was filming the Air Bears for artistic purposes and producing skydiving movies.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2006			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		N,20,16	K,J,C,G,3	D,19,B,6	L,14,10	F,17,M,2	-	-	-	Total	Avg
1	DeLand Fire	US	20	27	25	17	28	-	-	-	117	23.4
2	Gap Nice Icarius Autrement	FR	17	25	23	21	25	-	-	-	111	22.2
3	Sinapsi PD	IT	19	26	22	19	24	-	-	-	110	22.0
FAI Outdoor World Championship 2008			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		B,17,7	H,N,13,A	10,J,C,6	18,12,2	E,3,9	19,O,4	D,M,5,16	14,20,21	Total	Avg
1	Airspeed Odyssey	US	30	32	24	16	29	21	28	15	195	24.4
2	Maubeuge	FR	28	30	23	17	27	23	28	18	194	24.3
3	HayaBusa Defence	BE	27	33	23	17	27	22	25	17	191	23.9

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DeLand Fire in Gera 2006 - Airspeed Odyssey in Maubeuge 2008

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4-way Open Class winners from the United States between 1985 and 2024, Arizona red, Florida blue

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The other two world champion teams from DeLand, Majik in 2004 and Fire in 2006, needed team videographers, as the air-to-air video judging had become standard and requirement by then. Graham Harding was filming DeLand Majik to the FAI gold medals in 2004 (Solly Williams, Gary Smith, Doug Park, Joey Jones). Jonathan Tagle was on camera for DeLand Fire in 2006 (Natasha Montgomery, Gary Smith, Shannon Pilcher, Ian Bobo).

Gary Smith was the only Skydive DeLand 4-way world champion who was in both lineups, Majik and Fire in 2004 and 2006. The ten U.S. 4-way world champion teams could count on consistent support and logistics at their headquarters. Larry Hill has been running Skydive Arizona and created the Arizona Airspeed project. Bob Hallet supported the teams in Florida at Skydive DeLand.

The 4-way world champion teams in Eloy, Arizona, and DeLand, Florida, also created the first female 4-way Open Class world champions, with DeLand Fire's Natasha Montgomery in Gera 2006, followed two years later by Eliana Rodriguez with Airspeed Odyssey in Maubeuge 2008. Eliana Rodriguez was already a reigning 8-way world champion of 2004 when she won her 4-way Open Class gold medal in 2008. No other country has yet generated female 4-way Open Class world champions. There are plenty of female world-class competitors in national 4-way Open Class teams around the world, while only Natasha Montgomery and Eliana Rodriguez have their names