Cadets to jump for national title Published Dec. 27, 2013 U.S. Air Force Academy U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Cadets from the Academy's Wings of Blue parachute team will give up their holiday break to perform at the 2013 National Collegiate Parachuting Championships in Lake Wales, Fla., Dec. 27 - Jan. 2. The airborne action starts with two-way and four-way formation skydiving where groups of parachutists will perform as many acrobatic formations as possible during the 35-40 second freefall. The next major event is individual and team landing accuracy. Landing accuracy is judged by the first part of a parachutist' s body to touch the target on the ground. During this competition, the distance to the target is measured in centimeters or even millimeters. The Wings of Blue cadets have won the national collegiate title 32 times in the past 45 years. During this contest 2012, Wings of Blue won 46 medals and set five national collegiate records. The 98th Flying Training Squadron operates Wings of Blue, comprised of 75 cadets and about 35 staff members; the team performs more than 40 nationwide demonstrations annually for an estimated combined audience of 12 million. The 98th FTS also operates the Air Force's most prolific parachute program, executing 20,000 jumps and 3,500 UV-18B flight hours each year. The program allows more than 800 cadets to earn their basic parachutist badge annually.