![The Lunatic Fringe Podcast](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/4227613/Podcast_Logo80nm3.jpg)
The Freakin‘ Pilot from Blue Skies Mag talks to some of the worlds premiere as well as unknown skydivers and extreme air sports athletes to get their take on living life to the fullest, their paths to the Lunatic Fringe and how they fit into the mainstream world while living life on the dark side.It’s 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
![Lunatic Fringe with Roberta Mancino](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog4227613/IMG_7071_300x300.jpg)
Sunday Jun 16, 2024
Lunatic Fringe with Roberta Mancino
Sunday Jun 16, 2024
Sunday Jun 16, 2024
She had always dreamed of dancing and flying. They were two dreams that did not necessarily fit together. At least not until she saw two Titans in our sport dancing in the sky. That moment, coupled with the fact that her father lived only a few kilometers away from a skydiving center, and Roberta Mancino knew it was for her. Balancing a busy career as a model, and her new passion for skydiving, it didn't take long for her to begin combining those two as well. Not only did she find herself working with fashion designers to find ever more creative ways to highlight both their creations and her skills, she began pursuing her desire for competition. Now, the veteran of multiple blockbuster movie stunts, wingsuit competitions around the world and more, Roberta Mancino helps coach not only the upcoming generations of the Lunatic Fringe, but continues to chase her own passions.
![Lunatic Fringe with Sven Jseppi](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog4227613/IMG_6876_300x300.jpg)
Sunday Jun 09, 2024
Lunatic Fringe with Sven Jseppi
Sunday Jun 09, 2024
Sunday Jun 09, 2024
Like many long time skydivers, it was a great from pretty much the first jump for Sven Jseppi. With a supportive family, and the early realization that you could actually make money jumping out of airplanes, he had his path. Through luck with timing and weather he met his wife as she and her friend made their first jumps, and it's with her that he's carved out his own little corner of the sport as a successful tandem skydiving operator. Yet the competition bug was always something Sven had in him, and the canopy side of things got ahold just as the blossoming sport of canopy piloting was really gaining traction. Training, working, training, competing. It was a long road that he loved navigating, and it led him to reach the lofty goal of world champion. Now, occupying the top slot and with a little breathing room, competition is still a true passion, but without the need to push the limits no matter what. With his sights set on South Africa and a chance to defend his title, he's aiming once again for Lunatic Fringe gold.
![Lunatic Fringe with Steve Burrow](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog4227613/IMG_6879_300x300.jpg)
Sunday Jun 02, 2024
Lunatic Fringe with Steve Burrow
Sunday Jun 02, 2024
Sunday Jun 02, 2024
A random off field landing. It happens all the time at skydiving centers all around the world; but this off landing in the early 90's changed the course of Steve Burrow's life. A working man and a father of two sons and a daughter at the time, skydiving may not have been the normal path to take, but it was the one for Steve. With a supportive wife and family, he became an active and passionate skydiver up until 2005, when he made the choice to step away from the sport and give his attention to his loved ones. Cut to almost 20 years later when for 26:40, the equivalent of an A license worth of free fall, Steve Burrow was dead. Coded and laying on a hospital gurney having fallen victim to a massive infection, it was the incredibly hard work of his medical team that ensured he would continue to fight another day. Now, just over a year after surgeries that left him a quad-amputee, Steve found himself drawn back to the sky. With the assistance of the amazing team at Skydive Spaceland in Dallas, Steve showed his Lunatic Fringe drive to live life to the fullest, regardless of what's been thrown in his way, embracing the truth that once a skydiver, always a skydiver.
![Lunatic Fringe with Mike Brewer](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog4227613/IMG_6824_300x300.jpg)
Sunday May 26, 2024
Lunatic Fringe with Mike Brewer
Sunday May 26, 2024
Sunday May 26, 2024
The son of a previously unrevealed badass, sports like surfing had attracted Mike Brewer from a young age, but as he found himself running track for a military academy he couldn't help but feel that something was missing. As usually happens, random chance and circumstance found him taking the leap on his first static line jump. Then his second that same day. That was pretty much all it took. Realizing that his previous love for photography could aim him toward the top of the pyramid as a... tandem videographer. His almost singular goal moving forward became all things skydiving. Improving his flying skills, the pursuit of film making within the sport and a drive to compete were just a few of facets that drew him in. From living in a tent behind the Paraclete wind tunnel to working as a military contractor and skydiving competitor, to speed skydiving, to taking on the role of a documentarian for the lofty Project 19, Mike Brewer is in it for the long run, tempering his Lunatic Fringe tendencies with a high work ethic and desire to move his vision for the sport into the future.
![Lunatic Fringe with Carlo Manuel](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog4227613/IMG_6816_300x300.jpg)
Sunday May 19, 2024
Lunatic Fringe with Carlo Manuel
Sunday May 19, 2024
Sunday May 19, 2024
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Canada, Carlo Manuel did all the same things the other kids did. From skate boards to music, he did his best to fit in with the crowd; but when the thought of life in the military appeared on his radar, he knew it was the role of paratrooper that had real appeal. So much so that Carlo went out and made his first jump at a civilian dropzone, just to make sure he and a grip on what was to come. That's all it took. Although it would be many years before Carlo was actively jumping, his time in the military while deployed in Afghanistan would lead to skydiving opportunities one might not expect from someone in his line of work. Skydiving would not only become a passion for Carlo, it was an escape. a way to quiet the voices that constantly reminded him of difficult times. Now, having learned from personal experience that you can only avoid those inner demons for so long, Carlo goes out of his way to put in the work, seek connection, and offer up his take on mental health and well being, all while living the vagabond Lunatic Fringe lifestyle to its fullest.
![Lunatic Fringe with Candice Wooten](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog4227613/IMG_6782_49pkrn_300x300.jpeg)
Sunday May 12, 2024
Lunatic Fringe with Candice Wooten
Sunday May 12, 2024
Sunday May 12, 2024
"Cause who the hell am l" is what most people say when they've got an opinion they either aren't ready or don't think they're qualified to share, and although you'll hear Candice say those exact words, they aren't ones that keep her from sharing. A self proclaimed 'empty Nester' who found herself asking what might come next, it turned out skydiving was. Back in the day there was no way she could have ever imagined doing even one jump let alone going on to get licensed, but now, having raised children under the shadows of canopies flying over her Florida neighborhood she's decided to do something one hundred percent for herself. Learning to overcome fear in dramatic fashion, with a smile from an icon in the sport being what kept her from walking away, Candice Wooten may be a newer member of the Lunatic Fringe, but she's damn sure going to stay!
![Lunatic Fringe with Paul Dorward and Oliver Neuberger](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog4227613/IMG_6758_jkjrip_300x300.jpg)
Sunday May 05, 2024
Lunatic Fringe with Paul Dorward and Oliver Neuberger
Sunday May 05, 2024
Sunday May 05, 2024
Friends for decades, Paul Dorward and Ollie Neuberger had a lot in common from the very beginning. A love for skydiving, and a career in law enforcement. As each discovered along the way their love not only for teaching within the sport, but welcoming new people to play, they found themselves regularly traveling abroad with plane loads of fellow police Britts to exotic places like Lake Elsinore, California. Paul was blasting full steam ahead on the canopy side of the sport, while Ollie set his sights early on earning the title of AFF instructor. Now, with Paul a Flight-1 instructor and Ollie having completely embraced the AFF life while juggling law enforcement and a family, the two take time out of their busy schedules to talk all things nylon, travel, and community, sharing shades of a great (and enjoyably insulting) friendship deep within the Lunatic Fringe.
![Lunatic Fringe with Ray "Ninja"Kubiak](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog4227613/IMG_6754_300x300.jpg)
Sunday Apr 28, 2024
Lunatic Fringe with Ray "Ninja"Kubiak
Sunday Apr 28, 2024
Sunday Apr 28, 2024
Back in the can to fire off a few questions of his own, A legend in the airsports world who has not only carved out his own unique path, but helped countless others find their own, Ray Kubiak shows not only why he's an incredibly valued member of The Lunatic Fringe, but one who's taken up an entirely new challenge which he'll be making good on in less than three months!
![Lunatic Fringe with Andy VanHandel](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog4227613/Image_3-31-24_at_529_PM95g2b_300x300.jpg)
Sunday Apr 21, 2024
Lunatic Fringe with Andy VanHandel
Sunday Apr 21, 2024
Sunday Apr 21, 2024
Like a lot of us, Andy "Bad Andy" VanHandel went out to make his first jump with his then girlfriend. How did that first jump go? Truth is, he couldn't tell you. It was complete overload... Yet something in that first experience drew him back. By jump number 3, he knew he'd found his sport. Working toward his coach rating, then static-line instructor, and eventually to a very busy weekend warrior TI, Andy had found not just a passion, but a community to share it with. Still deep in the tandem game, Andy has gone out of his way to support one of the most deserving causes out there. Veterans. Working closely with the veterans group HOOAH on their incredible project Freedom Freefall, it's an event designed specifically to help vets suffering from PTSD find a new direction and passion in life. With this years event falling on July 13th, which just happens to be World Skydiving Day, and July 20th registration will end May 15th. Head to hooahwi.org/freedom-freefall and help Andy and the Lunatic Fringe give something back to an incredibly deserving group!
![Lunatic Fringe with Bodyflight Spotlight](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog4227613/08B5BA7F-F255-4C43-B6F7-2B4038451A4D_xuvgkz_300x300.jpg)
Sunday Apr 14, 2024
Lunatic Fringe with Bodyflight Spotlight
Sunday Apr 14, 2024
Sunday Apr 14, 2024
Although Dawson and Olivier started their journey in skydiving at the same time, it was the tunnel that first sunk its hooks deep in both of them. Growing up in Canada, all the usual sports were on tap for each of them, from snowboarding to rock climbing, but it was the tunnel that showed them something exciting and new. As with most, finding both the time and money to maintain turned out to be the biggest challenge, and although Covid threw a proper wrench into the machine for everyone, both Olivier and Dawson survived the two year long tunnel shut down, pushed forward with the skydiving side of their journey and into the world of competition in the tunnel. Now have their sights set on helping smooth the way for newer generations of both skydivers and tunnel flyers with a YouTube video series designed specifically with them in mind, helping to pass on the Lunatic Fringe way of life.