FS vs RW

I've been jumping since 2006, and always have been calling belly formation skydiving RW, the namesake of this forum. It seems this is out of date, and that the current term is FS. When did this become official? Am I wrong for saying RW? Should I be teaching students by using the term FS instead of RW?

The name change to FS was a very lame attempt to make the sport more understandable to non-jumpers in the hope of it one day becoming a big spectator sport. It never caught on much with jumpers and it certainly didn't attract the desired attention. Just ignore it, it's annoying.

Eh, both are still in common usage. The official term for the competitive discipline is now FS, but there's no terminology police out there who will tell you that you can't say RW any more. I feel like both have their place in helping people understand what "it" is.

Whenever I see "FS" I think of "Free Style". That used to be a "discipline" for jumpers who couldn't fall stable (or who didn't have many friends to jump with.) I think it derived from the plain old "Style" and then "Freak Flying" disciplines.

If you really wanna be hard core, tell em you kicked out of a barber pole into a Mae West.

Both RW and CRW sound "dorky". Yes join the future and call it Formation Skydiving.

What other fun hobby has the word "work" in it?

What other fun hobby has the word "work" in it?


Sudwerk ................. Also, you can be relative and still not be in a formation.

RMK

Both RW and CRW sound "dorky". Yes join the future and call it Formation Skydiving.

What other fun hobby has the word "work" in it?

Do you even work out, bro?

I thought it was called "belly flying"

In the UK it is pretty much exclusively called FS, or informally flat or belly flying.

We also introduced FS Coaching manuals a few years ago and stopped using the term WARP.

RMK

Both RW and CRW sound "dorky". Yes join the future and call it Formation Skydiving.

What other fun hobby has the word "work" in it?

Woodwork
Needlework

stayhigh

I thought it was called "belly flying"

I like to call it "navel aviating"

dude get with it it's called rdub by the cool kids

I find it reasonable to have both an official name for something, and a commonly used term. Both FS and RW are still in common usage so someone new to the sport will want to learn both.


Just musing:

Both official and unofficial names have their down sides.

Historical names sometimes stay in common usage even if they are quirky and don't fully reflect modern methods or emphasis.

Official terms can both clarify and update our understanding of something, or confuse by becoming too official and all encompassing.

One might talk about the ambulance service whether or not locally they come up with some name like the Integrated Emergency Services Health Unit.

The FS official name has the big problem in that there are all sorts of body positions that qualify as skydiving in formation with others.

The term "belly flying" has become more accepted generally too, and isn't just an insult from head-downers.

Nobody likes to be forced to use a certain term if it isn't what they learned and thought was reasonable and appropriate. (My dad in his 80s will always say "Negros" for example.) But if the use of "RW" slowly fades away and is some day only used by old timers that's ok too.

I've had a newer jumper ask what the "Delay" in the logbook meant. That makes it sound like freefall is still a weird and unnatural thing to to!

And if someone shouts at you, "DIAL 911!" you don't run off and look for hours for a rotary dial phone.

Quote

The term "belly flying" has become more accepted generally too, and isn't just an insult from head-downers.

If head-down really flyers want to insult you, they'll call it "the student position"

Both names are silly since we all try to be relative or be in formation.

How about we try

Flat Formation = Belly or Back
Vertical Formation = Head or Sit
Mixed Formation = All of the above.

I second that suggestion. One more and it's a done deal.

jumpsalot-2

I second that suggestion. One more and it's a done deal.

I like it and am killing time today. Thirded