Above: A formation builds over Skydive City Zephyrhills in Florida. Photo by Charlie McGee.
Heroes Skydiving hosted its signature invitational 40-ways at Skydive City Zephyrhills in Florida, from November 20 to 23. The annual big-way sequentials, organized by Louis French, traditionally takes place in June at Skydive Paraclete XP in Raeford, North Carolina. This year’s edition marked a change in location and season and carried the fitting name Heroes in the Hills.
Organizers brought on Larry Henderson as a coach, and jumpers from across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom gathered to challenge and advance their big-way skills. The event kicked off with a warm welcome from drop zone operator Kyle Salvato, who emphasized safety as the top priority throughout the week.
For French, the founder of Heroes Skydiving, success starts with assembling the right group. “Heroes are people who are great skydivers that you can trust in the sky and who are also heroes on the ground by being good teammates with positive attitudes,” he said.
Weather conditions cooperated for the entire event. Blue skies, moderate temperatures and low winds allowed for 20 jumps over four days, exceeding French’s original plan. Dives, slots and group configurations changed daily, giving participants the opportunity to receive coaching from both French and Henderson.
Jumpers participated in challenging 18- to 20-ways from two aircraft, providing a multi-plane experience on every skydive. The two groups joined forces for the last jump of the day to make a 38 or 40-way skydive from 18,000 feet using supplemental oxygen.
Sunday’s grand finale featured a full day of 40-ways, with four jumps completed before it was time to break off and head home. French and Henderson both expressed satisfaction with the participants’ progress during the event.
Participants pose in front of the Twin Otter. Photo by Charlie McGee.
Beyond the skydives, French organized evening dinners in Zephyrhills and a pre-Thanksgiving social at Skydive City on Saturday night. These gatherings helped strengthen bonds among participants, including those jumping together for the first time and others who had shared the sky many times before. The camaraderie and trust built on and off the drop zone played a key role in the event’s success.
Founded in 2008, Heroes Skydiving aims to bring together accomplished skydivers for high-level sequential jumps while fostering a strong sense of community. The organization hosts several invitational events each year, along with tunnel big-way training. Jumpers can find more information about Heroes in the Hills and upcoming events at heroskydive.com.
Lana Starchuck CSPA C-4045
Etobicoke, Canada