Biggest Official Wingsuit Record Set for Charity in USA
By Taya Weiss, USPA D27874

“If we can fly, you can graduate!”

Riaan Bergh of Pretoria Skydiving Club travelled to Southern California in November to participate in the US National Wingsuit Record, a 68-way that is now the largest officially recognized wingsuit record in the world.

Left to right: Riaan Bergh, Taya Weiss, Rob Gray (participant from the UK), Eli Bolotin (Raise the Sky ground crew manager)

Last year a 71-way unofficial flock came together over Skydive Elsinore, but since there was no judging system in place, it could not be ratified as a record. This year, the largest attempt was a 73-way. However, the final record, which was held to a much higher aesthetic and technical standard by judges and organisers, came down to the 68-way, a tight, consistently flown diamond formation with two stingers on either side.

Apparently not content being an 8-way PASA record holder, Riaan came to California for a second year of Wingsuit Bigway and impressed his team with excellent flying skills. He joked when the record was declared complete that he’d finally be able to get his D-licence in Wingsuit flying – a four-plane record formation should certainly do the trick.

Raise the Sky organised and hosted the record to raise money and awareness for City Year, which mentors and tutors kids to help them stay in school through matric. City Year has programs in South Africa as well as all over the US. Our motto to City Year students: “If we can fly, you can graduate!”

The record was featured on all the local television news as well as covered by newspapers and picked up by several national programs as well. We were all proud, as a team, to be flying not just for a record, but for a good cause.

A City Year 3rd grader trying out his videography skills on our Raise the Sky school visit in South Los Angeles. Building the next generation...