Jumpers rehearse for world c'ships
JAKARTA (JP): Diamonds mushrooming in the sky above the Lido resort in Bogor, West Java, since Monday have hailed the advent of the sixth World Parachuting Championships in Canopy Formation, scheduled for June 14 to 24.
"German and Australian parachutists have been rehearsing since Monday," the championships' program coordinator Akhmed Solihin told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
He said he received a call from Lido informing him that the aerialists had to be patient waiting for their turns because there was only one aircraft available.
"Tomorrow we will have two," he added quickly. The aircraft in question is a turbo-propelled Pilatus Porter which can carry up to 10 passengers.
By yesterday, 18 foreign parachutists had arrived in Jakarta. Nine are Germans who arrived on Sunday, the others are Australians, who touched down on Monday.
A total of 180 foreign participants consisting of 13 judges, parachutists and escorts have confirmed their participation, organizers said.
Parachutists from the world's aerial sporting giants, the United States and France, are scheduled to arrive today, Solihin said. The other nations expected to be represented include Russia, Italy, the Netherlands, England, Finland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Canada, South Africa and Malaysia.
The world championships in canopy formation, held every other year, features three events: four-way rotation (four jumpers rotating in vertical formation as frequently as possible within 120 seconds), four-way sequential (four jumpers making as many formations as possible within 180 seconds) and eight-way speed formation (eight jumpers making a formation as quickly as possible within 120 seconds).
Indonesia, hosting this world championships for the first time, will take part in all the three events even though its parachutists are only very familiar with the four-way rotation.
It finished seventh out of 15 teams participating in the four- way rotation event at the 1990 world championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand. In the 1994 championships in Brisbane, Australia, Indonesia came 15th, three places off from the bottom.
"This time, however, we aim to finish in the middle," Solihin said.
Indonesia was chosen to host the championships at an annual meeting of the world aerosport body, FAI, and the International Parachuting Commission in Agra, India, in February 1994. (arf)