posted Sep 22nd, 2025 - The family 4-way teams have been one of the favorite topics for the NSL News in the past years. It creates a very special situation when family members share the same passion in any activity, including jumping from an air plane to build certain formations by connecting with each other. The various maneuvers also bring piece partners even closer together, while all team members depend on each other's performance for 35 seconds like in no other sport.

The NSL News attention to family connections began with brothers decades ago in France. Matrial and Marin Ferre were team mates in 4-way and in 8-way and won world championship gold medals together. The Bernier brothers Mathieu and Guillaume did the same in 2006, 2008 and 2010.

Brothers Jörn and Max Thiele are still training and competing together in Germany, recently with Operation Adler, after decades together in 4-way and 8-way. They will compete together for Germany again at the next outdoor world championship in Eloy 2026, after winning the 1-round qualification a few weeks ago.

FAI Outdoor World Meet 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
4	France 4-way Open	FR	19		23	-1	22		23		27		20	-1	18		15	-1	20	-5	27	-1	214	21.4
5	Chimera	UK	16		21	-2	19		19	-1	18	-5	18	-1	16		14	-1	23	-1	24		188	18.8
6	Papea Masculino	ES	17	-1	20	-1	18	-1	21		21	-2	18		15		15		21	-1	20	-3	186	18.6
7	Echochamber Oceanside	SE	14	-1	21		19		19		20	-1	17		16		15		24	-1	20	-1	185	18.5
8	Airbus Oceanside Illertissen	DE	16		18	-2	19		16	-1	20	-1	13	-3	15		14		19	-2	22	-1	172	17.2
9	Agera FS 2022	NO	16		16	-2	17	-1	17		18	-1	15		15		13	-1	18	-3	21		166	16.6
9	4Astrophe	CA	15	-1	20		19		15	-2	21		15		15	-2	14		16	-3	16	-2	166	16.6
11	Out of the Blue	NL	16		16	-3	17		17		14	-2	17		12	-1	13	-1	21	-1	18		161	16.1
12	Ripper	AU	14	-1	16	-1	18		16	-1	21		15		12		10	-3	19	-1	19	-1	160	16.0
13	Sky4Four	PL	13	-1	14	-3	14		16		16	-2	12	-1	12		13		21		18	-1	149	14.9
14	HF Flying Circus	CZ	13		10	-7	16		15	-1	18	-2	12	-1	13		11	-3	16	-5	17	-1	141	14.1
15	Sequenz	DK	10	-2	16		15		14	-1	17	-1	12	-1	12		11	-1	17	-1	11	-3	135	13.5
16	INIT-Y	BR	12	-2	14	-1	14	-1	13	-4	16		11	-2	10	-3	12		17	-1	15	-3	134	13.4
17	HSV Red Bull Aerodynamix	AT	10	-2	16		14		15		15	-1	8	-3	9	-2	10	-1	15	-1	13	-1	125	12.5
18	Adventure Flyers	PY	9	-1	13		12	-1	11		16		11		10		9		14		14	-1	119	11.9
19	Equinox	LT	10	-1	12	-2	12		12	-1	13	-1	10		10		9	-1	12	-4	14	-1	114	11.4
20	Tina & The Dinosaurs	NZ	5		8	-1	4		9		9	-1	8		5		4	-2	10		8		70	7.0
21	La Playa	GT	2	-1	7	-2	5	-1	3	-3	7		5		3	-1	5		-		-		37	4.6

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Airbus - Agera - 4Astrophe at the FAI Outdoor World Meet 2022 - Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/ISC and OmniSkore!HD

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The family 4-way and 8-way teams reached a new dimension when father Michel Lemay engaged his three sons Martin, Vincent and Benoit in the Canadian 4-way team Evolution. They competed together at three world championships (2008, 20210, 2012), and youngest son Benoit missed the first one in 2006 only due to his young age. He was packing parachutes in Gera.

The complete Lemay family placed 4th in Dubai 2012, and the three brothers then won FAI 4-way Open Class bronze medals in Prostejov 2014 with Katie Woods in the lineup. Martin, Vincent and Benoit Lemay also won VFS bronze medals at the same event, with team mate Jean-Christophe Ouimet.

Canadian 4-way and 8-way competitor Richard Bisson was already preparing his own son Yannick and daughter Valerie for a similar career when the LeMay family was still active in formation skydiving competition. Yannick Bisson was 11 years of age when the Canadian team 4Astrophe attended their first competition at the World Challenge 2013. Finland's family Pro Team (mother Outi, father Kimmo Pohjola) had their 12-year old son Kalle at the same event.

Canada Outdoor Nationals 2025		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	21,B,12	J,3,22	K,7,17	11,15,18	19,9,N	Q,P,2,G	13,F,4	4,H,C,16	L,20,1	E,D,O,8	Total	Avg
1	4Astrophe	11	14	17	11	14	15	17	13	14	19	145	14.5
2	Altitude	10	6	7	8	10	14	13	10	10	11	99	9.9
3	Aces	9	8	7	7	9	12	10	5	9	12	88	8.8
Rank	AA Class	6,4	H,9,7	2,8	20,K,D	L,P,Q,G	J,14,B	A,19,21	E,F,11	22,15	N,C,1	Total	Avg
1	G4CE	5	9	5	9	7	6	4	10	4	6	65	6.5
2	Leftovers	3	7	2	5	5	3	4	7	2	4	42	4.2

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Airbus Illertissen at Germany's Outdoor Nationals 2025- 4Astrophe at Canada's Outdoor Nationals 2025

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Canada's Richard Bisson is still competing with his daughter Valerie and son Yannick for 4Astrophe 12 years later. In fact, 4Astrophe have won several national outdoor championship titles in the past years, and they defended it successfully again a few weeks ago.

It happened on the same weekend when the German teams were supposed to conclude their national championship after ten rounds. 4Astrophe and two more Canadian 4-way teams completed all of their ten rounds in Canada, while Germany's national outdoor championship was terminated after Round 4 on Thursday.

Airbus Illertissen and 4Astrophe have in common that a father trains and competes together with his offspring, Thomas Mack with sons Tim and Moritz in Germany, Richard Bisson with daughter Valerie and son Yannick in Canada. Both families actually know each other. The Bisson family team 4Astrophe competed with the same lineup at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022, while Thomas Mack did not have his two sons in the Airbus lineup yet. 4Astrophe and Airbus battled for a position in the Top 10 and finally both made it, separated by six points (172 - 166). The two 4-way families could meet again next year at the outdoor world championship, this time with the complete Mack family. Both teams are qualified as the respective national teams in 4-way Open for Canada and Germany.