posted Oct 22nd, 2026 - The NSL Live Talk conversation with the Mack family of Airbus 4-way Illertissen took place on Tuesday, following the completion of Round 6. At that point, Airbus held a two-point lead over Sweden’s Echochamber, illustrating just how tight the race between the two teams was. The pair had also opened up a gap of several points over their other direct rivals.

Two rounds and a full day later, the same two teams had extended their advantage over the next team in line by another point, while the teams behind them remained just as closely matched as before. However, significant changes had taken place within this group of competitors. Most notably, neither of the teams expected to battle for fourth place—Skywalkers Most and S.O.A.R.—was part of the contest. Instead, Airbus Illertissen and Echochamber had been locked in a head-to-head battle for fourth place until Round 6, and the duel continued through Round 8.

Gary Smith had expected Airbus Illertissen and Echochamber to be fighting a separate battle behind Skywalkers Most and S.O.A.R. That prediction had prompted an adjustment to the NSL Power Rankings following the NSL Live Talk on August 19th. Gary Smith’s coaching of Airbus Illertissen has clearly been highly productive, and the team’s performance has proved his own predictions wrong. The duel between Airbus and Echochamber has replaced the anticipated Skywalkers Most–S.O.A.R. battle on the current 4-way Open Class leaderboard. Things could get even better for Airbus and their coach, as the German team is now on course to finish in fourth place in the 4-way Open Class competition.

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NSL Live Talk on 21 October 2026

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Airbus were already in fourth place after Round 6. However, not only is the battle for that position unfolding between different teams than expected, but Airbus and Echochamber have also extended their lead over the other teams in this group. Airbus have additionally increased the gap over their direct rival, Echochamber. Just as Aethers Lille’s six-point advantage may have secured the gold medal position, Airbus’s five-point lead over Echochamber after Round 8 could prove to be a sufficient cushion to finish as the unofficial amateur world champions. Such a result would represent the highest ranking ever achieved by a German team in Formation Skydiving competition history since 1985.

However, the competition is not over yet, and the fat lady will not sing until Round 10 is complete. Echochamber and S.O.A.R. will continue trying to catch the Germans over the remaining two rounds, although they will also need Airbus to deliver weaker performances in both rounds to have a realistic chance.

The latest NSL Live Talk features the British 4-way Open Class team, including skydiving legend Pete Allum. The conversation was originally planned for the Coaches Corner, as Mark Kirkby had agreed to take part. Pete Allum’s teammates Sarah Ashworth, Julia Swallow, and James Woods eventually joined the conversation, along with team videographer Pete Harries and Laura Hampton, a former Chimera member and current member of Ranch TNT SDAZ. All 4-way teams have been released from competition until Friday morning.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		11,16,10		9,17,4		J,D,E,19		1,14,H		K,M,2,O		B,18,6		A,N,7,8		P,L,C,12		F,3,13		20,G,22		Q,15,5		Total	Avg
1	Aethers Lille	FR	18	-1	27		38	-1	23		33		25		26	-1	26	-3	-		-		-		216	27.0
2	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	21		26		32	-3	21	-2	31	-2	23	-1	27	-2	29	-1	-		-		-		210	26.3
2	Golden Knights	US	18	-1	25		33	-3	21		33		24		25	-2	31		-		-		-		210	26.3
4	Airbus 4-way Illertissen	DE	17		19	-1	25	-2	18		22	-2	18	-1	21		23	-1	-		-		-		163	20.4
5	Echochamber	SE	13	-2	19		25	-1	18		24	-1	18		22		19	-5	-		-		-		158	19.8
6	S.O.A.R.	UK	15	-1	16	-3	22	-3	18		22	-1	18		22		19	-1	-		-		-		152	19.0
7	Qatar Vortex	QA	13	-3	17	-2	27		16		23		16	-1	20	-1	19	-4	-		-		-		151	18.9
8	Skywalkers Most	CZ	13	-4	15	-3	26	-2	14	-3	22		19		23		18	-5	-		-		-		150	18.8
9	Out Of The Blue	NL	14		17		23	-1	13		25		18		19		17	-2	-		-		-		146	18.3
10	Flyspot Sky4Four	PL	9	-2	11	-2	12	-4	13		16		12		15		14		-		-		-		102	12.8
11	Random Fixation	AU	8	-3	14		14	-2	8	-3	15		14		13	-2	13		-		-		-		99	12.4
12	Amnesya Fly X	IT	12	-1	16		22	-2	15	-1	20		13	-1	-		-		-		-		-		98	16.3
13	MeXtreme	MX	7		9		9		8		11		5	-1	7	-2	7	-2	-		-		-		63	7.9

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