HOEDSPRUIT – Beverly Cosslett, South Africa’s first female chief skydiving instructor and a Hoedspruit resident, has added another remarkable achievement to her career after helping set a new national skydiving record.

Cosslett was among 26 skydivers who made history on Sunday, October 25, when they completed a record-breaking formation above Skydive The Ranch in Delmas.

The team established a new South African two-point 26-way record in the full break large formation sequential general category, surpassing the previous 24-way record.

The Parachute Association of South Africa (Pasa) has officially ratified the achievement, securing the team’s place in the national record books.

Cosslett, who provided details of the achievement, described the record as a remarkable display of teamwork, trust and precision.

“Each person brings their own experience and ability, but success belongs to the whole team.

“Every completed grip represents someone doing their job and trusting the people beside them to do theirs,” she said.

Precision in freefall

According to Cosslett, the challenge began long before the skydivers boarded their aircraft, with extensive planning and coordination required to ensure the attempt’s success.

A two-point formation requires skydivers to complete two planned formations during a single freefall.

In the full break category, every skydiver must release their grips completely after building the first formation before repositioning and reconnecting to complete the second. With 26 people sharing the sky, each participant’s timing, positioning and awareness are crucial to completing the formations.

Team effort behind the record

The ambitious attempt required coordination across three aircraft, with Matthew Miles piloting the PAC Lead, Warren Eva flying the Angel Left Trail and Alru Scheepers operating the Angel Right Trail.

Their contribution was essential in positioning the skydivers correctly for the record attempt.

Videographer Roberto Pucci also played an important role, capturing the entire formation during freefall. His footage provided the visual evidence required for officials to assess and ratify the record.

The other record holders are Mark Trethewey, Andrew de Jonge, Le-Ann Prinsloo, Matt Futcher, Johan Greyling, Franso Steyn, Warren Dent, Ian van den Berge, Carrie-Ann Webb, Dino Paulo, Jana Niemoller, Zander Smit, Debby Vliegenthart, Amy Ashford, Caroline Boskovic, Marcel Vliegenthart, Andrew Yorke, Bradley Curnow, Colin Rothman, Mohan Chudalayandy, Jonathan Trethewey, Vincent Brown, Jacqueline Venter, Zanele Tshipa and Gemma Horne.