‘Pushing the limits of human flight’: Over 450 skydivers to attempt 2 record-breaking formation jumps in LaSalle County

OTTAWA, Ill. (WGN) — Over 450 of the nation’s most experienced skydivers will soon meet in LaSalle County as they attempt to break two records.

Next week, SkyDive Chicago, a Skydiving facility located in Ottawa, Illinois, will host two groups of highly skilled skydivers in an effort to break two records: the largest vertical formation in the world and the largest formation skydive in Illinois.

The new attempt comes after vertical record attempts by SkyDive Chicago in 2022 and 2018 were foiled by unfavorable weather conditions.

Now, SkyDive Chicago owner and lead organizer Rook Nelson says he has completely refreshed his approach and is ready to make history. 

Many of the skydivers involved in the previous failed attempts are returning for next week’s jumps and organizers say they are “back for redemption and determined to finish what they started.”

“After the vertical record attempts in 2022, it became clear we needed to rethink everything, from the formation design to how we train and build the team,” Nelson said. “This isn’t just about redemption – it’s about evolution. Many of us are coming back with unfinished business, and we’re more prepared than ever. Records should be hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it. The vertical elite is a small group of people pushing the limits of human flight, and this record will belong to those willing to never give up.”

According to officials from SkyDive Chicago, the jumps will take place over four days, from Aug. 19 through Aug. 22.

During the attempt to break the Vertical World Record, 200 skydivers from around the globe will leap from nine planes flying at 19,000 feet as they attempt to form a 200-way head-down vertical formation.

After leaping from the aircraft, the skydivers have only 60 seconds to link hands in a predetermined snowflake formation before breaking apart to deploy their parachutes in unison.

Officials say vertical skydiving is regarded as the most challenging discipline in the sport due to the intense speeds and physical intensity.

Because of the altitude, the team will have to use supplemental oxygen during the attempts.

If the teams succeed in building the formation, it will break a record set in 2015 by a 164-person team that performed a head-down formation.

But the world record is not the only one the elite skydivers are looking to break; simultaneously, another group of 250 skydivers will take the leap as they attempt to break the Illinois State Record for largest formation skydive.

Jumpers will fall in a traditional belly-to-earth fashion, moving at speeds of around 120 MPH as they make their way back to the ground.

If the team is successful in completing the jump, they will break the current Illinois state record of 246 skydivers, which was set by Nelson in 1998. It would also become the largest formation skydive attempted globally since 2006, when the 400-way world record was set in Thailand.

The record-breaking jump attempts will be overseen by the United States Parachute Association (USPA). 

“Skydivers at Skydive Chicago aren’t just going after one record – they’re going after two, back-to-back,” Albert Berchtold, Executive Director of the USPA said. “It’s incredible to see both disciplines pushing limits at the same time, at the same dropzone. This week is about more than records – it’s about what’s possible when skydivers unite with a shared purpose.”

Organizers say spectators are welcome and encouraged. Viewers hoping to see the record-breaking attempts will have the best opportunities from Tuesday through Friday.

Organizers said practices will take place on the first few days, with the official attempts taking place from sunrise to sundown on the final days.

Visit the SkyDive Chicago website for more information, or follow their Instagram and Facebook pages to stay up to date on the jumps.