When you set your alarm clock for 4.00 a.m. to get up and dirt dive, it had better be worth it. The 40-minute drive to Lake Wales Airport is dark and cold. The coffee & breakfast at the IHOP café is supposed to make you feel better, well the food was good but the coffee is bloody awful. I have to get some caffeine some how. I don't want to fall asleep, and miss my call for the jump, fat chance I'm so excited this morning. I have been picked today to go for the 100-way, brilliant.

We set up the formation inside the National Guard’s Armoury, a large hanger type building, which is our home for the week. We then found out that Joe had just died, at 0400. Not a good feeling now, very low. We had a minute’s silence for Joe, a quick pep talk form Chris Gay; then we walked out to the taxiway, we did final dirt dive, and then a ‘TEAM hug’ & a big cheer to do it for Joe, and then sat by our aircraft waiting for the sun to rise.

What a sunrise it was, with our sprits lifted we boarded our aircraft around 7.00 for another crack at the 100-way diamond.

We taxied in a line to the runway; I looked out the window and saw all of the support team for the 100-way, lined up and waving us off. What a back-up Team. We lined up, engines roared, and we all took of close together. Eat your hearts out Heathrow controllers.

The 45-minuet flight was a time to reflect on how we all got here. Everyone has his/her own story to tell. The first three aircraft have oxygen on board, the lead plane all jumped with it. The last two OTTERS had to stay calm, to conserve their air. We heard the base had exited; about 9 miles & 6 minuets before we have to go.

RELAX! ‘You must be mad!’ feeling a bit of tingling in my feet. Right; slowly breathe in through the nose, fast out of the mouth. (Absorb O2 exchange CO2), I am feeling fine now. I look to see if the rest are ok, thumbs up, nervous smiles, all looking fine good.

Spirits were definitely up. The lead OTTER flew in at 20,000 feet & the base 9 exited 3 miles before the DZ. The chase CASA went over the base at 18,000 feet, and then in came the last CASA at 16,000 feet. We looked out of the cockpit window and saw the formation building above and 5 miles ahead, wow that's big, 3 minutes to go. By 12,500 feet the thirty-six way base was hammering through the sky. AT 12,000 feet the last two planes flew in down each side of the formation. We looked out the other OTTER on our right side, good its there, just right this time, we watched the formation building to a 49, as we flew by it just under us prefect, lets do it.

We stood up, I had 10 pounds of extra lead on, low fived all on board and took a deep breath, Let’s GO! I exited the last Otter as number 80. I opened my parachute, and turned toward the formation, there was my left wing leader Annie. Right; lose some height, three front riser A-line left turns, and now line up and wait for your turn to dock on it. I heard the reassuring voice of Mike Lewis calling row sevens in, good we are not late, just right this time, The formation built to 64 quickly and relatively smoothly by around 8,500 feet, then I heard the call to arch, right this formation is going to lock out and fly fast now. Mike then called our row 9 wings in on the radio. Now concentrate; GO.

I followed my wing in, good old Reager, very smooth; it was an easy formation to catch. I docked in my slot, on to Reager & Jim next to Cliff; he said “pleased to see you here buddy”. We both grabbed hold of Ralf, put our feet in his lines and we then knew we had an 81-way at least. The row 10 wings came in shortly afterwards, and the formation built into 90+'s by the time it reached the 5,000 feet hard deck. Mike gave a "hold on" call in anticipation of the last four people docking and to the sound of arch calls we waited; and waited…and waited…. and…well, you get the picture. (On the ground every body was shouting ‘build baby build’).

And, in short, the picture was wrong. According to whomever you speak to, the starburst call came at heights between 3,500 - 2,700 feet. To split the difference, we can all safely (or unsafely) say that we were in a solid 96-way canopy formation at 3,000 feet. It was, however, healthy, and it broke down cleanly as we had practiced it, and it needed to be, a wrap now will be very bad indeed, and we were out of it at 2,500 feet. We all landed in the boonies. Us foreigners kept an eye out for alligators, and a little black caterpillar that shed’s its hairs if you touched it,and it feels like your skin is on fire. Every one got a lift back to the DZ 107 of us in total, aboard a convoy of cars, pickups & Percy’s camper van. (You should get some more friends Percy just to fill your van.) Certainly something to tell the grandkids about. (and all the big kids on the DZ).

I have landed a few diamond formations in my time, and had to break a few up low when it got a bit bumpy on a Demo, but this formation was the most rock solid one I have ever been in. But even crazy old me had to think twice about landing this one. (Tempting though; I was thinking; are their 95 other lunatics around me?) We repacked our parachutes, made a few changes at the bottom of the formation, put baggier clothing on some of the outside wing jumpers, riggers taking a inch off a line here and there, re-charged the O2 bottles, re-briefed the pilots & wing leaders, a bit of extra lead in a weight belt, dirt dived it, and tried it again.

The next formation broke off a little higher with more people on it. Four more to be exact. Ninety-six plus four equals……………..’A WORLD RECORD’.

Spirits were definitely up. The lead OTTER flew in at 20,000 feet & the base 9 exited 3 miles before the DZ. The chase CASA went over the base at 18,000 feet, and then in came the last CASA at 16,000 feet. We looked out of the cockpit window and saw the formation building above and 5 miles ahead, wow that's big, 3 minutes to go. By 12,500 feet the thirty-six way base was hammering through the sky. AT 12,000 feet the last two planes flew in down each side of the formation. We looked out the other OTTER on our right side, good its there, just right this time, we watched the formation building to a 49, as we flew by it just under us prefect, lets do it.

We stood up, I had 10 pounds of extra lead on, low fived all on board and took a deep breath, Let’s GO! I exited the last Otter as number 80. I opened my parachute, and turned toward the formation, there was my left wing leader Annie. Right; lose some height, three front riser A-line left turns, and now line up and wait for your turn to dock on it. I heard the reassuring voice of Mike Lewis calling row sevens in, good we are not late, just right this time, The formation built to 64 quickly and relatively smoothly by around 8,500 feet, then I heard the call to arch, right this formation is going to lock out and fly fast now. Mike then called our row 9 wings in on the radio. Now concentrate; GO.

I followed my wing in, good old Reager, very smooth; it was an easy formation to catch. I docked in my slot, on to Reager & Jim next to Cliff; he said “pleased to see you here buddy”. We both grabbed hold of Ralf, put our feet in his lines and we then knew we had an 81-way at least. The row 10 wings came in shortly afterwards, and the formation built into 90+'s by the time it reached the 5,000 feet hard deck. Mike gave a "hold on" call in anticipation of the last four people docking and to the sound of arch calls we waited; and waited…and waited…. and…well, you get the picture. (On the ground every body was shouting ‘build baby build’).

And, in short, the picture was wrong. According to whomever you speak to, the starburst call came at heights between 3,500 - 2,700 feet. To split the difference, we can all safely (or unsafely) say that we were in a solid 96-way canopy formation at 3,000 feet. It was, however, healthy, and it broke down cleanly as we had practiced it, and it needed to be, a wrap now will be very bad indeed, and we were out of it at 2,500 feet. We all landed in the boonies. Us foreigners kept an eye out for alligators, and a little black caterpillar that shed’s its hairs if you touched it,and it feels like your skin is on fire. Every one got a lift back to the DZ 107 of us in total, aboard a convoy of cars, pickups & Percy’s camper van. (You should get some more friends Percy just to fill your van.) Certainly something to tell the grandkids about. (and all the big kids on the DZ).

I have landed a few diamond formations in my time, and had to break a few up low when it got a bit bumpy on a Demo, but this formation was the most rock solid one I have ever been in. But even crazy old me had to think twice about landing this one. (Tempting though; I was thinking; are their 95 other lunatics around me?) We repacked our parachutes, made a few changes at the bottom of the formation, put baggier clothing on some of the outside wing jumpers, riggers taking a inch off a line here and there, re-charged the O2 bottles, re-briefed the pilots & wing leaders, a bit of extra lead in a weight belt, dirt dived it, and tried it again.

The next formation broke off a little higher with more people on it. Four more to be exact. Ninety-six plus four equals……………..’A WORLD RECORD’.