posted Dec 4th, 2019 - Trying to find the perfect combination between indoor and outdoor training is not an easy task for teams and competitors. Indoor training is much easier to organize and more affordable, which are good reasons for allowing the balance of both parts of 4-way training and competition to become heavier on the indoor part.

It becomes even more challenging when a reigning indoor and outdoor world champion team wants to defend both titles successfully. In fact, NMP PCH HayaBusa are also CISM world champions, while the military rules don't require a lot of extra training.

It is still not very difficult for the Belgian 4-way world champions to commit to enough outdoor training, as they still like to jump from planes and fly parachutes much better than the flying chamber of a wind tunnel. HayaBusa point Dennis Praet said that flying in the wind tunnel is "much too easy".

Exits and sub-terminal pages are by far the most challenging and decisive factors in 4-way competition, and lack of training has a direct impact on the performance throughout the first page of a 4-way sequence. There is still no wind tunnel that can simulate the situation of exits and sub-terminal pages. The top competitors in the world are fully aware of this situation. They try to complete as many training jumps from planes as possible and use the wind tunnel as an additional training tool.

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NMP PCH HayaBusa training at Skydive City this week

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NMP PCH HayaBusa is starting early this year with outdoor training. They are at Skydive City in Florida at the moment, host of the Shamrock Showdown 2020 in March and then the USPA Nationals at the end of the year.

The NSL News used the opportunity to visit the Belgian world champions and record some of the ground activities, followed by a new NSL Live Talk conversation with all team members, except for team videographer Luc van Britsom.

HayaBusa do not only like exits and sub-terminal pages and give them special attention. They also enjoy the parachute flights and landings, and a few of them are a part of the new video clips. The performance in working time with terminal speed is not exactly the same as in the wind tunnel air, where the Belgians are known for their breath-taking pace. However, the freefall action is still unprecedented, at least at this point in time.

The Belgian team gave exit and sub-terminal pages special attention when the NSL News was visiting. They had exits for some of the random formations and blocks on their list of experiments and extension of the continuity and engineering plan. They exited at 7,000 feet for the purpose of the special tasks.

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NSL Live Talk with NMP PCH HayaBusa

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It was a coincidence that the temperatures in Florida had dropped at the same time on the specific training day, and it fit perfectly to the training plan. HayaBusa had to spend less time in the cold jump plane and the cold freefall air. However, it was only the plan for the day, and they would be back up at usual jump altitude on the next and warmer day. Coach Gary Smith was not present at this camp, even though he arrives later this week to work with the Qatar Tigers at the same place. HayaBusa and Gary Smith work on the to-do list together, and the team executes the plan alone.

HayaBusa is studying the opponents carefully, while they focus on their own tasks on hand. They were up-to-date on the developments at the Arizona Airspeed headquarters and how the Airspeed XP8 lineup has changed. They fully understand why SDC Rhythm XP members Steve Lefkowitz and Andrew Happick do not continue with double duties. HayaBusa played with the idea of doing more competitive 8-way with the Fly-In Machine 44 for a little while and finally abandoned any potential plans.

However, they will join forces with ISR FireFlash again for a few indoor hours. They say that they are very close friends with the team, especially with their former team mate and current alternate, Sven Ibens, and they enjoy sharing some tunnel time in 8-way.

In the meantime, and throughout the HayaBusa camp at Skydive City, new team member Michele Silvi is finishing up his boot camp at the Belgian military forces. David Grauwels said that Michele Silvi is counting the days, and that he himself has mixed feelings about his own move to the camera slot in nine months. However, he is switching with the good feeling that his team is in a good position to make the move...