posted Apr 14th, 2024 - Germany's national team in 4-way Open, Airbus Illertissen Oceanside, are going into their 5th year with the current lineup, Sarah Mertes (Point), Thomas Mack (Outside Center), Alexander Prendinger (Inside Center), Felix Pfeiffer (Tail). Andreas Trögele was on camera for the team in the first three years, Dani Weiß was filming the team in 2023.

No team from Germany competed at the FAI Tanay Mondial in August 2021, and Airbus defeated the still reigning 4-way champions of AtomiX at the German Outdoor Nationals in September 2021. The same Airbus lineup has been the national team in 4-way Open ever since.

Airbus has been a consistent contender for the world's unofficial amateur top spot for many years, and the current lineup continues to pursue the same goal. However, the 5th place at world championships behind the full-time competitors is not the only goal for the German team. The 20-average benchmark is on the same list, and Sarah Mertes, the only female 4-way member in the Airbus 4-way history, has an additional goal on her own list.

Two other German female 4-way competitors have posted higher meet averages in the past, Petra van Overveld (20.2) with Paratec-Saar in 2014, current Meltemi Oceanside member Andrea Kleinschmidt (19.5) with AtomiX in 2019. The primary Airbus goal of breaking through the 20+ average level would most likely accomplish both goals together. The original Paratec-Saar lineup (Markus Bastuck, Dieter Schwarz, Joern Thiele, Max Thiele, Alexander Hau on camera) still owns the German 20.8 record average of August 2009, which could be in jeopardy this year, as well.

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NSL Live Talk with Airbus Oceanside Illertissen - Training Camp at Skydive DeLand

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The main Airbus goal is naturally the 26th FAI World Formation Skydiving Championships in October at Coastal Carolina. That's the time when the team plans to eventually show the results of the efforts in especially the last three years.

The outdoor training camp at Skydive DeLand, once again with coach Solly Williams, was very successful with a total of 120 jumps in less than two weeks. The complete lineup took the time for a summary of the training camp and a conversation about the current situation a day before their last training jumps and the departure on Saturday.

Dani Weiß, Airbus videographer in 2023, had to leave earlier, and Tim Mack took the camera slot for the second half of the training camp. He was filming his father Thomas Mack in the Airbus outside center slot. Tim Mack has been spending time in DeLand to study and train for his pilot's license, and he is very active in the sport at the same time.

The NSL News update on March 16th introduced him briefly as a new Teiwaz member, together with Solly Williams and Carl-Erik Tuv. Tim Mack performed in the same outside center slot as his father Thomas Mack for Airbus. He quickly switched to the camera slot when Dani Weiß was not available any longer. He mastered the transition to the unknown filming of a 4-way team just as well as the previous one from the A Class dive pool to the outside center position in the AAA Class.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Top 10		20,16,B		P,D,21,13		17,K,11		E,A,19,22		2,9,M		C,14,F,12		3,6,18		4,10,1		8,Q,O,H		5,7,J		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	21	-1	28		27		27		31		23		21		20		32		31		261	26.1
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	20	-1	25	-2	21		23		28		20	-2	19		17		29		26		228	22.8
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	19	-2	23	-1	22	-1	21	-1	26		18		17	-1	17		28		28		219	21.9
4	France 4-way Open	FR	19		23	-1	22		23		27		20	-1	18		15	-1	20	-5	27	-1	214	21.4
5	Chimera	UK	16		21	-2	19		19	-1	18	-5	18	-1	16		14	-1	23	-1	24		188	18.8
6	Papea Masculino	ES	17	-1	20	-1	18	-1	21		21	-2	18		15		15		21	-1	20	-3	186	18.6
7	Echochamber Oceanside	SE	14	-1	21		19		19		20	-1	17		16		15		24	-1	20	-1	185	18.5
8	Airbus Oceanside Illertissen	DE	16		18	-2	19		16	-1	20	-1	13	-3	15		14		19	-2	22	-1	172	17.2
9	Agera FS 2022	NO	16		16	-2	17	-1	17		18	-1	15		15		13	-1	18	-3	21		166	16.6
9	4Astrophe	CA	15	-1	20		19		15	-2	21		15		15	-2	14		16	-3	16	-2	166	16.6

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Airbus Oceanside Illertissen at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022 and at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023

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FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Top 10 Nations		3,G,N,19		11,17,L		13,7,C		2,D,O,8		14,K,J,12		9,M,P,H		5,4,18		15,1,10		16,21,E		F,20,6		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	26		27		26		25		22		48	-1	22		21		25		25		267	26.7
2	France 4-way Open	FR	23		25	-1	26		24		19		45	-1	19		19		23		23		246	24.6
3	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	20	-4	20	-2	25		23	-1	18	-2	45		20		19		24		24		238	23.8
4	Qatar Tigers	QA	20	-1	22	-1	23		20		19		40		13	-4	17	-1	22		19	-4	215	21.5
5	Airbus Illertissen Oceanside	DE	17	-1	18		20	-1	17		14		31	-1	15		15		18		18		183	18.3
6	Amnesya	IT	16	-1	17		19		17	-1	16		31	-1	15		14		18		18	-1	181	18.1
7	Papea	ES	14	-3	17	-1	18	-1	17		14	-1	32		14	-1	15		18		18		177	17.7
8	Out Of The Blue	NL	17		15	-1	18		16	-1	15		31	-4	14		13		16		18	-1	173	17.3
9	Agera	NO	15	-2	13	-2	16		18		12	-1	32	-1	13	-1	15		18		13	-4	165	16.5
10	Aurora	SE	14		14		15	-1	13	-1	12		26		11	-1	13		13	-1	17		148	14.8

Tim Mack may continue on camera for Airbus in the world championship year if Dani Weiß, or any other 4-way videographer, might not be available. Enough additional training is scheduled for the Airbus 4-way team, and even the ones in the second half of the training camp would probably be sufficient for the world championship judges.

The world's unofficial amateur title is most likely once again in reach this year, even if Airbus finish short of a new German record average. The current lineup climbed up the world rankings after the 8th place at the 25th FAI World Formation Skydiving Championships 2022 and finished 5th in the nations ranking at the 23rd FAI World Cup of Formation Skydiving 2023.

Chimera took the 5th place for the British delegation in Eloy 2022 and have not continued with outdoor training and/or competition yet. However, there will be other and the same opponents who Airbus met at the outdoor world cup in Norway last August. The unofficial amateur title behind Arizona Airspeed, French Aethers, NMP PCH HayaBusa and Qatar Tigers will be the goal for several other teams. The 4-way and 8-way double duties for three of the Airbus members (Thomas Mack, Felix Pfeiffer, Alexander Prendinger) was a topic of the NSL Live Talk, as well. Thomas Mack and Alexander Prendinger are familiar with the double duties in previous years. Felix Pfeiffer experienced it twice successfully, first at the German Outdoor Nationals 2023, then again at the German Indoor Nationals last month.

Shamrock Showdown 2024			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		G,5,19		7,12,15		18,21,Q		17,16,A		E,L,22,11		2,10,M		F,6,N,9		J,13,O,8		C,K,H,P,B		D,20,4		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	27		22		23		27	-2	25		23		34		25		53	-5	23		282	28.2
2	France Aethers	FR	21	-1	18		22		24	-1	21		20	-1	29		22		42	-1	20		239	23.9
3	Golden Knights	US	23	-1	17	-2	18	-3	24	-1	21		21		27	-4	19	-2	40	-2	19		229	22.9
4	SDC Rhythm XP	US	19		16		18		22		19		17	-1	27	-1	22		39	-1	17	-1	216	21.6
5	Nephtys	FR	14		16		17		18		17		17		20	-3	20		31	-2	17		187	18.7
6	Chicken Bolts	US	17		14		12	-2	15	-3	13	-1	16		21	-1	16		29	-4	16		169	16.9
7	Thyra	NO	10	-2	9	-1	10	-1	12	-2	14		15		19	-1	16		23		10		138	13.8
8	Teiwaz	US	8	-1	11		11		13		11		11		15		8		14	-1	10		112	11.2

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Teiwaz at the Shamrock Showdown 2024, Video footage Courtesy of InTime

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