posted Aug 11th, 2026 - The German national 4-way Open team, Airbus 4-way Illertissen, is one of the contenders for the unofficial amateur championship title at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026. The team is currently training on its home turf in Illertissen, host of the annual Paranodon Cup.

Airbus and Germany’s 4-way Women team, Meltemi, still have to compete at the national outdoor championship in September before traveling to Arizona for the most important event in formation skydiving competition. However, the focus is already on their performance in Eloy, and coach Gary Smith is currently by their side in Illertissen for the final preparations ahead of the world championship.

Swedish team Echochamber Oceanside became the unofficial reigning amateur world champions after placing 5th at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2024. Arizona Airspeed (US), Aethers (FR), Tigers (QA), and NMP PCH HayaBusa (BE) finished ahead of Echochamber and the other recreational teams in the unofficial professional top section of the 4-way Open Class leaderboard. Teams from Qatar have not competed at FAI indoor or outdoor events since April 2025, and 4th place could therefore be available to the best unofficial amateur team if the Qatar delegation does not register a 4-way team for this year’s competition in Eloy.

---

---

NSL Live Talk with Airbus 4-way Illertissen

---

Airbus members Felix Pfeiffer (Inside Center), Thomas Mack (Outside Center), and Tim Mack (Point) were available for NSL Live Talk today after completing a training day in Illertissen. They are very much aware of the ongoing positioning of their direct opponents in the run-up to the outdoor world championship. Seven of the expected contenders have already posted scores this year, including Italy’s Amnesya FLY X, whose competition videos from the national outdoor championship have not yet been available.

The Airbus 3-way provided an overview of the team’s current situation at the training camp, where they have already completed more than 40 training jumps, with one more training day still to come. Coach Gary Smith, who works together with Airbus’ other coach, Silvanus "Solly The Schleifer" Williams, plans to follow up with NSL Live Talk tomorrow and discuss the NSL Power Rankings preview leaderboards, where adjustments will soon become necessary as new scores from the contenders arrive.

The teams usually know more about their own situation, as they have the opportunity to replicate competition draws that their expected opponents have used at their respective events. This allows for a more accurate direct comparison than the speculative predictions of the NSL Power Rankings. However, the results of simulated competition jumps during training remain unpublished and are usually confidential information for each team. Different jump planes, judging, and other logistical factors can also compromise the accuracy of a direct comparison. Round 1 at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026 will ultimately tell the truth, followed by nine more scheduled competition rounds.

---

---

Echochamber Oceanside - Savolo - Airbus Illertissen

---

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Power Rankings		TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Total	Avg
1	Aethers	FR	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2	Golden Knights	US	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	Skywalkers Most	CZ	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	Airbus 4-way Illertissen	DE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	Echochamber	SE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	Agera Oceanside	NO	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	SOAR	UK	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	Out Of The Blue	NL	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	Amnesya	IT	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	Papea	ES	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
12	Savolo	ZA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
12	Netunos	BR	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
12	Flyspot Sky4Four	PL	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
15	Havoc	AU	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
16	Indonesia	ID	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

---

Skywalkers Most - Netunos - Agera Oceanside

---