posted Dec 10th, 2025 - Former 4-way world champion (2004, 2006) and professional coach Gary Smith has shared his insights and experiences with the NSL News audience many times over the years. His recent seasons were among the most eventful and intriguing of his long career. His NSL Profile highlights much of his history in formation skydiving competition, though his full story would easily fill several books.

His most important milestones include his early years in South Africa, where his 4-way team DeLand Equanimity — featuring his close friend and teammate Silvanus (Solly) Williams — rose from obscurity to win FAI bronze at the 1997 World Championship in Turkey. This was followed by his move to DeLand and two world championship titles: Rijeka 2004 with DeLand Majik and Gera 2006 with DeLand Fire. Later came his highly successful coaching era with NMP PCH HayaBusa. Most recently, his work with the Qatar delegation helped elevate the nation into a global formation skydiving powerhouse.

With his time in Qatar now concluded, Gary has returned to Texel in the Netherlands, where he and his family resided throughout his years with the Qatar teams. Although based in the Netherlands, he spent an equal amount of time in Qatar as he guided both the 4-way and 8-way teams — work that gradually grew into nearly a full-time commitment between 2013 and 2025.

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NSL Live Talk with Gary Smith on 9 December 2025

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Gary began coaching the Qatar 4-way teams, who would later evolve into the Falcons 8-way team. Under his guidance, the Falcons won the country’s first FAI bronze medals at the 2018 World Championship in Australia. This phase overlapped with his work for NMP PCH HayaBusa, whom he led to four world titles (2014, 2016, 2018, 2021). In 2019, he shifted from coaching the Falcons to leading the Qatar Tigers 4-way team.

A growing conflict of interest emerged once the Qatar Tigers became medal contenders, winning their first FAI bronze in Tanay 2021 and another in Eloy 2022. To resolve this, the Qatar delegation brought in former HayaBusa world champion Andy Grauwels to coach the Tigers, while Gary Smith continued developing a new generation of 4-way talent in Qatar alongside former HayaBusa member Luc Verstrepen.

The Lions and Cheetahs soon became world-class 4-way teams. Meanwhile, Andy Grauwels led the Tigers to a third set of FAI bronze medals at Crystal Coast 2024, before the team shifted its full focus toward winning the CISM World Championship on home turf this year.

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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Conflict of Interest: NMP PCH HayaBusa vs. Qatar Tigers in Eloy 2022

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Gary Smith’s role in Qatar changed after the tragic accident involving a Qatar Lions member earlier this year. At the same time, the Tigers struggled to maintain a stable lineup and train effectively for the CISM World Championship. Ultimately, Gary Smith was released from his duties, and Qatar was unable to field a team for the CISM 4-way Male event.

NMP PCH HayaBusa went on to claim their 17th consecutive CISM gold medal in Doha, Qatar’s capital, in the absence of the U.S. Golden Knights, whose participation was affected by the U.S. government shutdown. Gary Smith attended the event only as an observer, while also keeping an eye on the USPA Nationals.

Now back in the Netherlands, Gary is planning the next phase of his coaching career. His strong track record makes him an attractive choice for top teams worldwide, and he remains closely connected with NMP PCH HayaBusa. He will rejoin the current lineup shortly and visit them in the coming weeks. He is confident that the Belgian team will return to the highest level of 4-way competition by 2028 — and he hopes to contribute to their return to the podium even within the remaining ten months leading up to the next outdoor world championship in October 2026.

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
4	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	19		21	-2	25		25		25	-1	20		19		17		21	-1	20		212	21.2

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Qatar Tigers vs. NMP PCH HayaBusa at Crystal Coast 2024

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