April 23, 2010: Project XRW

Phil Peggs is a pretty modest guy. I’m bumping this photo up on our blog because it is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. Jonathan Tagle surfing Jeff Nebelkopf, and Phil Peggs taking pictures, in the air over Skydive Moab, all for a good cause and in support of Raise the Sky’s partner in this event, Operation Freefall. This Raise the Sky team is taking inspiration to a whole new level. Looking forward to Miss Nevada’s tandem jump and another beautiful day in Moab!

JT and Jeff arrived ready and excited to begin the project.  They had a nice dirt dive, where exits, approaches, and camera angles were discussed and finalized.  After a short briefing with Pilot Dave, the jumps were ready to begin!

I want to say this right now…THANK YOU SKYDIVE MOAB!  Thank you Eli!  They have been the best hosts, and we really appreciate them opening up the Dropzone so very early for us!

I will not lie or hide behind my typical bravado…I was very nervous.  A lot of preparation and thought has gone into this project, and I do not want to be the weak link!  I have been quite restless the past few nights, hoping that I can deliver “the shot”!

7:00AM – Wheels Up!  Moab UT, what beautiful country.  If you are not familiar with the area, let me give you a quote from Eli, “it’s like flying over mars!”  Moab’s deserts and mountains which are mostly sandstone, combine beautiful reds, oranges, greens, and tans.  It is a totally surreal experience which I have never had before!  Tourists come from all over to charter flights over the country we see on each climb to altitude.  Pilot Dave made sure to give us a scenic flight to help familiarize us with the area.

7:25AM – Exit!  Jonathan takes a short delay while we take a lazy circle before exiting ourselves.  As we catch up to Jonathan, we both notice that something has gone awry with his RDS.  We both kept a safe distance as he deals with a bucking canopy and his unruly slider.  Shortly before breakoff (remember only 10K), he has it sorted, and we maintain our proximity – learning our sight lines.   On to jump 2!

8:00AM – Takeoff Jump 2!  We decided to refine our jump run/exit order.  We now run away from the drop zone, Tagle exits first and does a 180, and then we continue flying away to increase the distance, and let Jonathan sort his RDS, Trim Tabs, and heading.  We then make a quick 180, exit, and then chase him down.  This gave us a much better approach, where we could approach safely, slowly, and on level.  Jeff wasted no time in going for the dock.  I guess Jeff felt that a simple dock was too easy, so he decided to play pat-a-cake with Jonathan instead (video to come!)

9:00AM – Jump 3 – More docking!  Jeff, Jonathan, and myself are all feeling the approach and fall rates.  Jeff and Jonathan are maintaining docking distance, and work on holding their docks.  I still cannot get over the most amazing visual I have EVER SEEN in skydiving…Jeff in free fall…Jonathan under canopy…flying together DOCKED!!

11:00AM – Jump 4 – Well…I screwed up and went low… but I still got this..

Project Extreme RW (XRW), hosted by Raise the Sky, Operation Freefall, and Skydive Moab, will explore the possibilities of how skydiving’s two fastest growing disciplines can interact in the air. A wingsuit flyer in freefall and a high-performance canopy pilot will come together for every type of interaction made possible by gravity and the skill of the athletes. Performance Designs Canopy Pilot Jonathan Tagle and Tonysuit Wingsuit Pilot Jeff Nebelkopf will work on body surfing, upside-down links, and other never-before-seen configurations.

The XRW launch will take place on the weekend of April 24^th at Skydive Moab and will raise awareness of the incredible work of Operation Freefall. Practice jumps at the dropzone will be followed by exclusive footage shot against the backdrop of a red rock canyon. Miss Nevada will do a tandem jump the same day as part of the Operation Freefall event.

The Athletes

The Cause

www.raisethesky.org

www.operationfreefall.com

Raise the Sky is a registered non-profit organization that connects members of the sport skydiving community to humanitarian and charitable causes. Raise the Sky is committed to growing the sport in new ways and telling its best stories to a wider public audience. We have chosen Operation Freefall to benefit from the launch of Project XRW and, with our Operation Freefall partners, arranged for Miss Nevada to do her first tandem at Skydive Moab on the same day, April 24^th.

April 24^th marks the 10^th anniversary of Operation Freefall, an annual event where survivors of sexual assault and their supporters go skydiving to live out loud, reclaim their personal histories, and fundraise for victim/survivor support services. Both the tandem and expert jumps will draw attention to this great cause. Video footage and still photographs will highlight the Raise the Sky/Operation Freefall partnership, the athletes, Miss Nevada, and the wonderful sponsors of this event.

Event Schedule

Thursday, 22 April: Athletes (Tagle and Nebelkopf) arrive

Friday, 23 April: Athletes and videographer practice jumps at Skydive Moab. Miss Nevada arrives.

Saturday, 24 April: Project XRW Launch and Operation Freefall 10^th Anniversary. Athletes jump into the dropzone and/or a second location for final footage. Miss Nevada does tandem for Operation Freefall. Media welcome.

Sunday, 25 April: Weather Date for Athletes. Miss Nevada departs.

Monday, 26 April: Athletes Depart.