posted Jun 9th, 2015 - The German national 4-way team Airbus Illertissen had launched their 2015 competition season at the April meet of the Florida Skydiving League. The six meet rounds in DeLand were embedded in the spring training camp, as the Sun Path Products NSL News reported on April 14th.

Airbus now followed up with a 10-round meet, the Paranodon Cup 2015, which was also the last part of a 4-day training camp with a total of 40 jumps. It was the first 10-round meet for the team since the German Nationals in September 2013, which featured the historic 1-point battle with Paratec-Saar for the German 4-way title.

The 2013 event was also the qualification for the World Meet 2014, where Paratec-Saar missed the cut for the finals with a different lineup. Airbus continued and won the national championships last year after only five rounds without serious opposition. The same lineup is now preparing for this year's nationals, which is the qualifyer for the World Meet 2016.

German Nationals 2013		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	B,7,11	P,C,4,5	J,D,O,21	6,18,15	1,L,2	M,9,K,13	19,N,Q,12	G,22,14	E,H,A,8	F,20,3	Total	Avg
1	Paratec-Saar	21	20(-1)	25	17	17	22(-1)	19	16	26	19	202	20.2
2	EADS	22	21	25	16(-1)	16	23	18	15	26	19	201	20.1
3	Gamma Ray Kassel	16	15	19	13	14	17	16	12	19	11	152	15.2

The 17.3 average at the April meet in Florida this year was no more than a test at the end of the training camp. Airbus was much closer to the team's potential last weekend, even though the meet conditions were once again challenging with all ten rounds on one day, as the team chose to do.

It was the first meet with the second Airbus coach Roy Janssen, who works with the team in Europe. Solly Williams has been coaching Airbus for several years and contributes his share during the team's visits in DeLand.

Team captain Olaf Biedermann said that his team was still not satisfied, despite the much better meet average compared to the short April meet. The team goal is set much closer to a 21-average level and is on the list for the national championships in September.

April 11th, 2015				Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class			12,M,22	H,E,13,D	1,5,3	4,9,14	21,10,16	G,K,A,19	Total	Avg
1	Airbus	DE	FSL	16	16	16	19	17	20	104	17.3
2	Remscheid	DE	FSL	12	18	14	14	13	15	86	14.3
3	DeLand Momentum	US	FSL	8	12	5	11	8	9	53	8.8

Olaf Biedermann said that this year's team training was mostly focused on technical aspects, not so much on energetic competition jumps. Airbus also has to get used to exits from a Cessna Caravan after training from the more comfortable Twin Otter. The Cessna Caravan is the jump plane for this year's nationals.

Airbus plans for 80 - 90 more training jumps before this year's main event, and the next step is meet specific competition training only from the same jump plane. Olaf Biedermann is very confident that Airbus will be able to perform significantly better in September and improve all previous meet averages.

Airbus videographer Andi Troegele, whose father Robert competed once again with the Paranodon Seniors, provided all the meet videos, which can be reviewed by clicking on the scores on the leaderboard.
Click on the score for a round with a link to see the team's video

Paranodon Cup 2015			Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		K,O,B,5	22,9,E	13,8,14	20,J,12	4,Q,11	19,D,10	H,A,16,N	C,F,P,21	M,1,18	15,L,3	Total	Avg
1	Airbus Illertissen	DE	28	20	14	16	15	16	24	25	19	18	195	19.5
2	Pink Saulgau	DE	18	15	11	11	12	13	17	19	14	13	143	14.3
3	Wanna	CH	16	10	9	10	12	8	15	14	12	11	117	11.7
4	Paranodon Senior	DE	10	10	8	8	8	10	10	13	9	8	94	9.4
Rank	AA Class		K,O,B,E	22,9	13,8	20,J,14	4,Q,11	19,D,6	H,A,N,G	C,F,P,21	M,1,18	15,L,2	Total	Avg
1	Titten & Beer Oberhausen	DE	15	9	8	11	10	10	17	11	9	10	110	11.0
2	WMNT Illertissen	DE	12	6	5	8	9	9	11	11	7	7	85	8.5
Rank	A Class		K,O,B	9,E	8,6	J,G,21	4,Q	19,D	H,A,N	C,F,P	M,G,7	L,2	Total	Avg
1	Team Air-W	CH	11	12	13	13	11	11	11	19	18	18	137	13.7
2	Paranodon Junior	DE	10	7	11	11	8	6	8	13	13	15	102	10.2

Andi Troegele also reported that Pink Saulgau showed up with an impressive AAA Class performance and once again increased the team's meet average (12.0 - 13.5 - 14.3) by another point.

He said that Roy Janssen was also coaching one of the two guest teams from Switzerland, Wanna, who competed in the AAA Class. His father Robert Troegele competed with the fourth team in this category. Andi Troegele gave his dad and the Paranodon Senior team members credit for working themselves through the challenging ten AAA Class rounds.

Titten & Bier came back with the same lineup as in 2014 and dominated the AA Class competition. Andi Troegele said that AA Class opponent WMNT is a young and talented Illertissen home team with only 18 training jumps, who connected a week before the competition.

Swiss coach Beat Kaltenrieder had his hands full with two teams in the A Class. He has been working with both of them and was also a player coach in both lineups.

Paranodon Junior needed him in the lineup after Bernd Kleinbach's shoulder injury on Friday before the meet. The Paranodon Juniors were ready for their first AA Class competition and stepped back when they did not have their complete and trained lineup available.

The second team from Switzerland with Beat Kaltenrieder was Air-W Triengen. Andi Troegele said that the Swiss team had their own special way how to get ready for the meet - with a team round of Swiss snuff early in the morning...