The Freakin‘ Pilot from Blue Skies Mag talks to some of the worlds premiere, as well as lesser known skydivers and extreme air sports athletes to get their take on living life to the fullest, their paths along the Lunatic Fringe, and how they fit into the mainstream world while living life on the dark side.It’s just as much if not more about why we skydive, parachute and BASE jump as how, and it’s endlessly entertaining to climb inside the minds of those living a life less ordinary.
Episodes
Sunday Jul 30, 2023
Sunday Jul 30, 2023
One was becoming a big fish in a small pond, with beginnings on round canopies in the Israeli Military. The other was one of a rare few actually born and raised in DeLand, Florida who'd been watching canopies and meeting skydivers from the very beginning. Both not only fell in love with the sport that would become an incredibly important facet in their lives, but with each other as they pursued their mutual passions. Traveling around the United States and the world, Yonatan and Ella Ran have chased their dreams both in and out of the sky, managing to find a balance between the two while raising a child, carving out new careers, participating in incredible projects and maintaining the wonderfully close ties the Lunatic Fringe has to offer those that chose to life life on their terms.
Tuesday Jul 25, 2023
Tuesday Jul 25, 2023
Another Mid-Week Reboot with Pat and Shavon!
In this super fun and insightful episode I get the chance to sit down for a heart to heart chat with husband and wife Pat and Shavon about their shared love for skydiving and its community, the pitfalls and snags that come with being a couple in an "extreme" lifestyle, the parties, the close calls and what might come next.
Sunday Jul 23, 2023
Sunday Jul 23, 2023
She knew from a pretty young age that she was in a rather unique position. She also knew from a pretty young age that her dad was, well… cool! Luci Martyn has all the normal childhood memories that most kids do, but those memories are also forever intertwined with her earliest memories of skydiving, it's community around the world and her fathers prominent position in it. It wasn't a question that skydiving would someday be a part of her life, only how much of her life it might occupy. Now one of the directors of Jyro, an incredibly successful canopy manufacturer, Luci Martyn has the pedigree one would expect for a person in her position, right along with the wild streak needed to hold the reins of a company with a reputation for pushing boundaries (and sometimes buttons) with their line crossing antics and add campaigns to match. The Lunatic Fringe is most certainly strong in this one.
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
Another Mid-Week Reboot with Rook Nelson!
A third generation of jumpers that started with the 82nd Airborne, Rook Nelson comes from one of the most well known legacy families in skydiving. Having embraced the sport from an extremely young age, he's had the opportunity to try his hand at, compete and succeed in most every discipline the sport has to offer. Having been handed the reins of one of the largest operations in skydiving history after a tragic accident, he's taken what was already a force to be reckoned with and turned it into what can only be considered a cornerstone in the sport; yet with all the weight that comes along with such responsibility, he hasn't forgotten that its still suppose to be about having fun!
Sunday Jul 16, 2023
Sunday Jul 16, 2023
Back in the can for another chat about all things nylon, Zach Rosser brings us up to speed on his and the sports progression in canopy flocking and just how incredibly fast it's all evolving. It's a great look into the very beginnings of a new discipline in our sport as it just gets going, and all of the amazing potential it has, straight from the mouth of one of the Lunatics helping to chart a new course.
Tuesday Jul 11, 2023
Tuesday Jul 11, 2023
It's another mid-week reboot with the one and only Ellis!
Ellis Danho Bourbonnais is the quintessence of a renaissance man to say the least, but most certainly not in the way most people would think. From surfing in the Gulf and then Hawaii, to MMA, skydiving, BASE jumping and climbing, Ellis is more at home pushing his personal limits than most people are on a sofa. Attacking new passions whole heartedly is where he's at his best, and he takes this time to give us a few of the reasons why.
Sunday Jul 09, 2023
Sunday Jul 09, 2023
It's yet another story of it all starting out as a family affair, with roots in competition starting as young as 11 or 12 years old. Yes, you would be right, that's way too young to start a skydiving career, but its the perfect age to begin what has now been a more than 20 year career as a professional watersports athlete in activities ranging from Wakeskating to Foil Boarding. All Sports that helped vault Brian Grubb toward the top of his game and landing him an incredible career with RedBull. It's also how Brian eventually made his way into skydiving and BASE because lets be honest... when you're a RedBull athlete, you know people. Still happily in the thick of things in his Watersport career with no end in sight, Brian still manages to take any opportunity he can to learn from the best in airsports, enjoying the Lunatic Fringe in all its wonderful settings.
Wednesday Jul 05, 2023
Wednesday Jul 05, 2023
It's another mid week reboot with Squirrel!
Matt Gerdes and Mike Steen of Squirrel Wingsuits may not have set out to reshape the face of BASE jumping, but it seems they are quickly on their way to doing exactly that. With a ton of paragliding experience under their belts, their single minded goal soon became BASE jumping and wingsuit BASE; and in pursuing their lofty and dangerous dream ended up designing their own line of BASE specific equipment designed to enhance performance, increase safety and push the boundaries of human flight.
Sunday Jul 02, 2023
Sunday Jul 02, 2023
Hook, line and sinker. With the help of a really savvy DZO, what started out as a few fellas deciding to make a one time jump turned into an almost instant obsession. As a young and close to broke skydiver like so many of us were, Jason Cooke did what he had to do to get through his beginnings in the sport, and just in time. The revolution that was set in motion by the film Point Break sent waves of fresh blood toward the industry just in time for a now relatively experienced Jason to start making his way, first shooting outside video, and then as an instructor and competitor; but it wasn't just a new wave of jumpers, it was a new wave in equipment and technology at a time when camera flyers had to be the masters of DIY in order to do the job. It's where Jason Cooke's talent for design and a will to tinker served him incredibly well first for himself, and soon after for his mates. Now years later, Cookie Helmets can be seen on almost every dropzone and in every tunnel around the world, with its beginnings in a deep love for the sport and as just another necessity of the Lunatic Fringe.
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
It's another mid-week reboot with the one and only Regan Tetlow!
Talk about a wildly varied life... Mr. Regan Tetlow has made the rounds to say the least! From bar tender and pub owner, to the meet and greet face man at Skydive Emporia Brava. From randomly being asked to announcing a swoop event on the beach to becoming the voice behind some of the largest skydiving events in the world (and if you can believe it, balloon races...). DJ and MC turned pro skydiver and actor Mr. Regan Tetlow has stories and insight galore!