The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

An OG jumper that started his static line course in the early 90's, Mr. Paul Wetzel, aka "Weasle" would go from rocking out of college where he had substantially more motivation for beer and skydiving that his courses, to Army Ranger school where he'd earn his jump wings; From trailer life in Louisiana to tandems in Las Vegas, and from helicopter flight ops in Iraq and Afghanistan to a food truck...

USPA in the house!  The Director of Competition and Records sits down to tell me all the in's and out's of life inside the belly of the beast! Adding to the burn is a litany of brutal hot sauces eaten between Steve Hubbard, Junior Ludvic and myself as we talk about everything from world records to the changing of the USPA guard with the addition of the one and only Albert Berchtold as the big boss...

He might not be the best known name in the sport, and you've not seen him standing atop a podium after a sick canopy competition, but he's been there none the less.  Julien Peelman wasn't just creative in how he began his time in skydiving or even in how he got his gig with NZ Aerosports, but it's that exact creativity and training that has forever solidified his name and legacy in our sport. Desi...

Back for a little more abuse, Olga Namova, professional skydiver, canopy pilot competitor and NZ Aerosports athlete sits down to have an entertaining, yet serious and sobering conversation about injuries in our sport, her rush in days past to get back into the air regardless of the consequences, and the lessons she's learned on staying safer, taking better care, and recognizing the dangers of push...

You don't know them. You've never heard of them. You'll probably never meet them, and almost certainly never jump with them, but I promise you this is a chat you'll love listening to.  Having just done their first tandem skydives the day we recorded, they will take you straight back to the excitement, the fear, the wonder and the sense of accomplishment each of us had after that first experience w...

A climber since he was very young, Ivo Ninov had to learn to overcome his fear of heights in order to follow his passion, and overcome he did. Without any real pretense or ego Ivo will tell you about his countless climbs in Yosemite, setting record after record up some of the most formidable rock on the planet. As member of "The Stone Monkey's", He, Ammon McNeeley, Nicola Martinez and two other wo...

Don't let the package fool you.  Michael Washburn, or should I say, Officer Washburn, Retired US Army Ranger may not be large and imposing, but this guy has been there and done that! Coming to civilian skydiving later in life after a military freefall career that left him less than thrilled with the sport, it was a chance meeting with a guy named "Noah" who flew "wing suits" that drove him to chas...

He'd let his student down in a major way.  Quite literally the last thing she wanted to hear when asking her attractive, worldly instructor what had driven him to become a skydiver was "Google".  From a skydiving school with a "work placement" program, you wouldn't necessarily think big things were on the horizon, but Chris Stewart is flying proof that once that passion takes hold...  Champion com...

in 1976, Tony Uragallo started up Tony Suits after more "never again's" than he ever would have imagined. As a young man working as a brick layer in England, the idea that 50 years later his name would be synonymous with two of the most extreme sports the world has ever seen wasn't even imagined, but after breaking needle after needle building his first suits and heading off to Florida for the lov...

Multiple lives all rolling after and on top of the other.  Mitch Steere, software engineer, father of 2 teenage daughters.  Mitch Steere, sliding off a motorcycle at triple digits, dirty downwind on his first jump, downsize demon. Mitch Steere, building a full database on how to perform beautiful flock dives with as much safety and precision as possible. Having come through his truly "sketch" time...

From Nervous beginnings in communist Hungary on military rounds with a reserve he had to pack himself, to Four-Way world meets to a stint packing for the Golden Knights and test jumps on Icarus canopies that would be enough to make anyone lay the nylon down and walk away, Attila Cszmadia has come a very long way in his time in the sport; and as the long time GM of NZ Aero it's safe to say there's...

At first glance you might not see a whole lot in common between Brazilian Jujitsu and skydiving, but if you look twice you just might be amazed. Ricky Rout, a black belt and passionate coach in Brazilian Jujitsu spotted the similarities between the two immediately, and put to work the mental toughness he'd earned through years on the mat to work for him in the air. Born in India and raised on the...

Florida kid born and raised, William Lux always had a slightly different idea of fun.  Tearing away from the police on the back of a motorcycle as way to get a little rush may have been fun, but skydiving turned out to be a much safer way to get his fix, and William took to it almost right away; although it wasn't exactly love at first jump...  Join us on this edition of Lunatic Fringe to find out...

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 A...

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 sp...

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...

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...

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 fam...

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...

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.

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 boo...

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 s...

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 t...

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...

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 p...