posted Jan 23rd, 2023 - The NSL News covered the first FAI medals for Germany at world meets of formation skydiving competition since 1985 during the aftermath of the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022. The story on 9 November 2022 featured the competition for the 3rd place in Eloy and Germany's 8-way history.

The success of an accomplishment like that has two sides. On one hand, it motivates competitors to continue and do even better in the future. On the other hand, it is a great opportunity to step back and finish an intensive career at a peak point.

The German Airbus 8-way team came to that point of crossroads on the podium of the 8-way awards ceremony, and the members of the bronze-medal 8-way team went in both directions once the world meet dust had settled, and plans for the future were discussed.

Team captain Thomas Spielvogel informed the NSL News recently that the Airbus 8-way team will continue, and that the lineup for the next two years has been completed. He will continue his career as an active competitor, together with his bronze-medal team mates Carl Enders and Steffen Schiedek. Erik Lorenz will be back on camera for the new Airbus lineup.

FAI Outdoor World Meet 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open		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	Paraclete XP8	US	25	-1	20		20	-1	18	-1	18		19	-1	23		26	-1	16	-2	20	-2	205	20.5
2	Qatar Falcons	QA	21	-1	14	-2	16	-1	17		16		15	-1	19	-1	20	-1	14	-1	12	-4	164	16.4
3	Airbus	DE	18		14		14		13		4	-1	12	-2	16		16		12		14		133	13.3
4	MicroClim8	UK	16		9	-2	12		10		11	-1	7	-3	15		16		11		12	-1	119	11.9
5	Mojo Annecy-Clermont	FR	15		10		11		10		11		10	-1	8	-5	13		9		10		107	10.7

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Airbus 8 at the FAI Outdoor World Meet 2022 - Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/ISC and OmniSkore!HD

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These very experienced four 8-way competitors will guide five new Airbus team members to the same level and higher as soon as possible. Two of the active 8-way bronze medalists of 2022, Olaf Biedermann and Göran Meyer, will be available as alternates, together with former 8-way member Alexander Prendinger, who is now only training and competing with the Airbus 4-way team.

The only female 8-way member of the previous Airbus 8-way lineups, Linda Köb, who also competed with Meltemi in 4-way Women at the world meet in Eloy, will not train and compete in both events any longer. Three new female competitors will still represent the mixed-gender Airbus lineup.

Carola Fietz and Shaline Dincher trained and competed with Germany's former national team in 4-way Women, Skynamite, in the past. Carola Fietz spent two years with Skynamite (2017 - 2018), including the FAI Outdoor World Championship in Australia.

Shaline Dincher joined Skynamite in 2021, when Carola Fietz was not in the lineup any longer. Skynamite did not qualify any longer as Germany's national indoor or outdoor team in 4-way Women and have not attended any 4-way competitions after the FAI Indoor World Cup 2022. Shaline Dincher now has her 8-way slot with Airbus, next to Carola Fietz. Karin Bauch is completing the female 3-way part of the 8-way team. She trained and competed with the German Phoenix team in 2021 and 2022.

Germany Outdoor Nationals 2022		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	B,3,5		Q,E,22,L		17,10,K		6,P,J,A		11,13,15		18,N,20		D,H,7,M		4,21,F		9,1,8		O,19,C,G		Total	Avg
1	Airbus Oceanside Illertissen	19		18		15	-2	25		16		14		29		13		17		21		187	18.7
2	Meltemi Oceanside	19		17		15		21		13		14		23	-1	15		15		15	-1	167	16.7
3	Paranodon 4way Illertissen	15		15		13		20		12		11		22		14		14		16		152	15.2
4	(G)Old Boys	13		14		13		16		11		11		22		13		13		15		141	14.1
5	NeVa FSZ Saar	16		12	-1	12	-1	15	-1	12		11		20	-1	15		13		13		139	13.9
6	Südwest FSZ Saar	14		13		8		16		10		11		22		12	-1	11		13		130	13.0
7	GIGA Berlin	12		12		9		14		7		7	-1	18		11		9		12		111	11.1
8	Phoenix FSZ Saar	12		12	-1	8		16		3	-3	10	-1	14		11		10		11	-2	107	10.7

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Andreas Höhne with Paranodon Illertissen - Karin Bauch with Phoenix at the German Outdoor Nationals 2022

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New Airbus 8-way member Holger Sass is bringing a high level of skills and 4-way competition experiences into the new lineup. He was a member of AtomiX, the German 4-way champions of 2019. He was in the original AtomiX lineup of 2013 and did not continue with the team when the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020 was canceled and rescheduled for 2021. AtomiX added another year with a new lineup and did not come back after the German Outdoor Nationals 2021.

Andreas Höhne has been a member of Paranodon Illertissen's AAA Class lineup, who have been climbing up the 4-way rankings in Germany year by year. He was selected for the team in 2020 and won his German outdoor bronze medal behind the two nationals teams, Airbus (4-way Open) and Meltemi (4-way Women), at the national outdoor championships last year.

Thomas Spielvogel said that the new lineup has completed three hours of indoor training by now, and that there is a great combination of motivation and skills. The training plan for 2023 has been completed, which includes at least 250 outdoor training jumps.

The combination of experience and talent, combined with the intensive outdoor training schedule, will most likely secure the 8-way top spot in Germany for Airbus. Main team goal is the qualification for the next outdoor world championship in Israel. The Airbus 8-way team is only missing a coach so far, who will soon be added to the lineup.