Being a champion many times over is amazing. Having a reputation for riding the cutting edge of the sport you love is spectacular. Thinking outside the box and embracing new and bold and daring in a sport full of daring people is wonderful. But let's face it, being the parents your nine year old daughter looks up to and admires makes all that pale by comparison. Dunia Alhegelan, daughter of Omar Alhegelan and Cheri Johnson will be the first to tell you that traveling the world and jumping out of...
Aug 30, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 87
At 17 he knew. Well, he knew after he talked his mother into signing the release anyway. Marat Leiras showed his dedication to the sport of skydiving almost right away with a 400 kilometer drive one way to the dropzone just to get through AFF. With some serious skill, some wonderful luck and a whole lot of great timing, Marat managed to travel the world, train and jump with some of the best the sport had to offer and even marry the Iowa girl of his dreams; all without ever overstaying his visa! ...
Aug 24, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 86
When you start out your life as a packing weight, you're either going to hate everything about our sport, or you're going to be in it for life. Luckily for Laurie Lubbe the latter is what happened. The daughter of a French National and World champion in Style and Accuracy, she fell in love with the sport the first time she found herself under her own canopy, and never looked back. Now herself a sponsored athlete by the French Federation, Laurie takes the time to tell us about what it was like gr...
Aug 10, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 84
Anas Bekkali. Like a lot of us, he got his start in "Air Sports" almost completely by accident, and like most of us, it totally took over his life, and damn has he made the most of it! Starting off as a pure "tunnel rat" and transitioning to the sky, he's managed to do a whole lot with his ten or so years in the sport. From skydiving over Everest with the Moroccan Flag and jumping his countries flag back home (where he was invited to meet the king), to plans for jumping the great pyramids of Giz...
Aug 03, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 83
I've always wondered what non skydiving mom's and dads think about the sport we all love, how they deal with the stress and fear, and how they handle dealing with their kids involvement in the Lunatic Fringe, so to find out, we sat down with Bonnie and Nancy, the mothers of Junior and I respectively to find out how they coped, and still do... Slightly embarassing and fun, join us for a little family time
Jul 27, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 82
Rafael Schwaiger. He likes to fly in tunnels and sometimes he skydives. Perhaps the most ridiculously understated introduction any guest has ever given themselves on Lunatic Fringe. Unless you pay no attention to what's been happening in the tunnel for quite some time, then you're well aware of just how talented and charismatic Rafa is. World Freestyle Champion and holder of so many other titles and accolades that I won't even begin to attempt to list them, I'll still be the one to tell you that...
Jul 20, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 81
Back again to talk about weird shit during weird times, its Puss Foot's own Brian Casserly taking time out of his crazy busy schedule to just shoot the shit! In true bonfire style we cover everything from Covid to kids, and religion to dildo's in true lunatic style. Join us for a good laugh in true Lunatic Fringe style.
Jul 13, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 80
A Kiwi born and raised, Antz Hansen had been around aviation from a very young age, so when the daydream of making a skydive finally presented itself, the outcome wasn't quite as he'd expected. As it turned out, round parachutes weren't his thing... But then, after he'd already established himself as a professional photographer, the chance to try the new "Square" design presented itself, and boom! Working behind the lens his entire adult life, specifically as an "extreme" photographer, Antz has ...
Jul 06, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 79
From round parachutes to squares. Riding atop busses fueled with beer and coke and dodging power lines. Lodi O.G. jumper. World record big ways. Subterranean BASE in Mexico. Burning Man. Waterfall wingsuiting... There isn't a whole lot in air sports that Splash Robinson hasn't experienced firsthand! One of the original crew out of Lodi and on to Skydance in Davis, Splash has been going big ever since he wrapped his fathers car around a telephone pole (not how you would imagine). He's been there,...
Jun 29, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 78
Raised in a family of Aviation enthusiasts, pilots and veterans, Jan Kruger had thought the career of a pilot might be the right path for him, but his family aimed him in a slightly different direction. Taking on the challenge of becoming and A&P, or Mechanic, or Engineer, or as Jan puts it, somebody that fixes airplanes he found his niche, and ended up working with one of the premier companies that helps keep Twin Otters in the air and doing their thing. With skydiving a dream that had alwa...
Jun 22, 2020•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 77
Living mirrored lives on different sides of the planet, Louise Kristensen and Shannon Seyb had a passion and drive for most all the same things. From Horseback riding and yoga, to tunnel flying and a love of the sky and our community, forming a team to spread the love and a positive vibes was the only natural thing to do. Biding their time until they can train for dynamic two way tunnel comps and get back in the air, Louise and Shannon take the time to tell me how they got their starts in the sp...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 75
Just about as all around positive as they come. Professional Skydiver, writer, life coach, "Ball of Light"... I had to ask, just how does Melanie Curtis manage to stay so positive and upbeat all the time? The answers may not surprise, but they will most certainly inform. As a member of a new skydiving demo team designed to raise awareness and highlight women in our sport, she's all about making positive change! We go pretty deep on this one to be sure, so... For those that are looking for just l...
Jun 08, 2020•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 76
So yeah... A charmed if not short career in skydiving is exactly what Mandy Curry had. Stumbling into amazing situations and lucking her way into rubbing elbows with skydiving royalty, she can't help but look back at her time in the sport with rose colored glasses! A mother of two on a vastly different trajectory, Mandy takes the time to sit and reminisce with me about trips to Eloy, landing on glaciers, guns and death threats in Mexico and dollar bills at the strip club cause she met me while I...
Jun 01, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 74
Proper scared. Kaz Sheekey started out like I imagine a fair amount of us do in skydiving, but for her, just like most of us who decide to make a life out of it, that fear she felt on jump one became a positive driving force, not a deterrent. Immediately attracted to the lifestyle as well as her love of jumping, all it took was a "vacation" to the US to drive her into a 25 plus year love affair not just with skydiving, but with canopy piloting. A kick ass competitor, Flight One instructor and de...
May 25, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 73
Meat Hauler. Not what most people dream of when they think of a career in skydiving. It's not glamorous and it ain't sexy... As a matter of fact, unless you're a first time tandem student, the tandem instructors tend to be the most overlooked of us, but the truth of the matter is, it's an incredible way to spend your time in the air. Rich LaBarr will be the first to tell you that tandem instructors are seriously un-sung heroes in our sport and deserve their time in the spotlight, and I am 100% i...
May 18, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 70
Started jumping while in college, Check. Coach rating, Check. Tandem Instructor, Check. US Navy F-18 Hornet Pilot... Big Fuckin' Check! Joey Marco started both his career in aviation and his career in skydiving around the same time, and has somehow managed to keep his passion for both! As a new F-18 pilot, Joey gets inundated with "Fan Boy" pilot questions all over the place that I've wanted to ask for years, and we even manage to talk about skydiving! Join in on another "quarantine" edition of ...
May 11, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 71
Hard work and perseverance paid off. Signed to run and compete for not just one of the best track teams around but precisely who she wanted, Rachel Belmont was headed to college on exactly the trajectory she had planned; then, as seems to happen too damn much, her future was changed by a random injury that left her wondering what came next. Too strong to back down, she was able to push past not only the physical, but the mental as well to become not just an accomplished runner, but an ultra-mara...
May 04, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 72
You want to know what it takes to become world champions? Curious about how to develop the kind of moves that not only haven't been seen before, but not even imagined? Wonder how in the hell anyone could survive 10 years of hardcore training, competition, travel and pressure AND do it all as a couple? And of course, find out who in the hell is behind those awesome jumpsuits? Well look no further! On this episode of Lunatic Fringe, Team Airwax members Greg Crozier and Karine Joly take the time to...
Apr 27, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 69
Like a large number of people, Beverly Cosslett's first experience with skydiving came about with a "Sure, why not"; unlike most that more "agree" than "Decide" to skydive, she managed to get herself quickly hooked! Working her way into South Africa's skydiving scene and beyond, she started at a time when the rule breakers and bad boys (and girls) ruled the sport, and stuck with it through its transition into a more, shall we say, adult sport. In a mix between agreeing and being dragging, she ha...
Apr 20, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 66
Intimidated by the sport. In his own words "lacking natural talent"... Words that only Ernesto Gainza would use to describe himself because nobody I know would use anything other than "Calculated" or "Driven". Maybe "Forward Thinking" or even "Fucking Crazy" (that was me...). Currently holding the record for the smallest canopy every landed, the man has taken on challenges that very few ever would, and he's done them with success and professionalism to say the least. Join me as I get the wonderf...
Apr 13, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 67
Hannah Parker PHD. Fuck skydivers are amazing at themes (life changing course corrections), and this is one of my favorite ones by far! Well on her way to becoming a full blown Doctor and researcher (did I mention the fuckin’ PHD?), Hannah and her friend decided to make a skydive to jazz things up a bit, at jazz it up it certainly did! Managing to finish off that PHD while fucking around at the dropzone, she gave her family the impression that she just needed some "down time" after all the hard ...
Apr 06, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 62
Wow is all I have to say! First off, Julio Ruiz, the owner and operator of Liquid Sky is doing his part. Having thought not just about his families well being in these crazy times, but of his employees and those around him, he decided to put his design skills to work to put out masks to help stem the forward push of the Coronavirus. Secondly, he tells me about his beginnings in our sport, life in Puerto Rico, what it was like to have his arm shoulder deep in a cow's ass, and if its easier to sho...
Mar 30, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 68
On this "Special Report" edition of Lunatic Fringe, I have a whole bunch of recent guests back to take on the YouTube Channel sensation "Hot Ones" challenge as we eat crazy hot wings while discussing great ways to deal with the "social distancing" we need to be observing while the world tries to get over Coronavirus. Join us, and if you've got the balls, try the challenge yourself, get those video cameras rolling, grab the insane HOT SAUCES pictured and try the #thefuckinpilotchallenge right alo...
Mar 23, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 65
Back in the can to talk about her summer competition season, Olga Namova takes her time to fill us in on pushing canopy limits, traveling for her passion and life outside of skydiving. Take the time to enjoy a great bonfire chat with Olga, and make sure to check out the amazing photos we talk about on her Instagram at sky_umka today!
Mar 16, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 64
As one of the very first people I met in the sport, one of my first co-workers and especially as my first and only competition team member, Mary Tortomasi and I shared many of the same memories, experiences and losses and we started our way down the skydiving path; and even though we ended up going in very different directions, we've both managed long and "blessed" careers. From her first job as an instructor at Flyaway Indoor Skydiving in Las Vegas, to skysurfer, AFF and Tunnel instructor, Perr...
Mar 02, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 60
Another converted member of the masses, Omar Alhegelan went from just another bean counter to one of modern skydivings most influential figures. Filled with the feeling that this is what he was meant to do, Omar didn't think twice about walking away from the real world with all its rules and regulations and jump head first (Actually head up and feet first) into the wonderful world of skydiving. World champion, world traveler and one of the pioneers of modern freeflying, join us on this episode o...
Feb 23, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 59
Matt Munting. Nicholas Scalabrino. Heterosexual life mates, BASE wing suit apex predators and all around great fucking guys take the time once again to sit down with The Fuckin' Pilot to fill me in on what sounds like a pretty epic summer season of "sending it". From seriously intense Dam flare's, 270's into cracks and totems off towers, their idea of a good time is the stuff of nightmares to some, but a good fucking laugh to every fuckin' body. Join on in to another fun and informative Lunatic ...
Feb 17, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 58
From a missed shot a military flying career due to a childhood illness, to a desire to skydive which lead to an off the beaten path flying lifestyle, Taihuka Smith has had quite a ride so far. Near death experiences in West Papua, peeing in a bottle over the Mediterranean and looking ahead toward an airline career, This is a fun one to give a listen to! (and he sings and plays guitar... Just sayin').
Feb 10, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 56
Beep Beep! Or, depending on your perspective, Meep Meep. Without question one of the most unique souls ever to walk the planet, he was without a doubt one of the most memorable in skydiving and BASE. With over 20,000 skydives and countless BASE jumps, Mr. Stanley not only left his mark on these sports with his accomplishments, but he left it with his unique interaction with all those he jumped and played with. On this edition of Lunatic Fringe, two of his closest friends, Mr. Mark Norman and Mr....
Feb 03, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 55
If you're not the type to stay until the credits have all rolled, then you may just miss her name, but chances are, you know her work! From an active duty police officer to a UK National and then World 4-way champion turned professional skydiving instructor, Hannah Betts is not a woman scared of change; So when the opportunity knocked, she decided to answer her call to the world of professional stunt work in a major way! From AFF to the "MeToo" movement, badass stunt people and both sincere and ...
Jan 27, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 54
