The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

One slight miscalculation and more than a dozen broken bones was the result. There was really no question about why Jason Russell decided to give up on Motocross and begin his skydiving career. Wait... what? Yes, that's right. Part of his motivation to begin his life in skydiving was a conscious attempt to get away from danger; That, and the realization quite early in his time in skydiving that competition was a solid part of the sport. through a series of fortuitous events in his life, Jason went from early dreams of competition and tunnel flying, to eventually spending a few years working as an elite tunnel instructor and eventually as the CEO of Skydive Dubai. Now, back not only in full jump mode not just for work but for competition, Mr. Russell finds himself busier than he's ever been, deep in the heart of the Lunatic Fringe. 

It’s yet another instance of skydiving saving a life. Fighting through difficult times and a past that wouldn’t let go, Dan Blakeley turned to skydiving with a doesn’t matter if I die attitude. Doesn’t matter, right up until he found himself in freefall wanting to live every second of life he could, having just literally fallen into his purpose. With luck in the sport that only a 90s skydiving newbie could appreciate, Dan was handed opportunities that allowed him to carve out a successful career as a camera flyer and instructor for many years. Now retired from the sport and on a different path, Dan looks back on a fulfilling career happily knowing that regardless of what the future holds, he is and will always be a member of the Lunatic Fringe for life.

As children, the desire to push back against what our parents do is as natural as breathing, even when what your parents do is cool as hell. Neither Anna Moxnes nor Hollie-Blue Allum were an exception to this almost steadfast rule. Both the children of prominent skydivers and having been raised on dropzones deep within our community, it was a completely normal atmosphere to them, and one that had them looking outside the bounds of nylon and prop blast for direction.  Yet as has happened with so many second and third generation skydivers, it didn't take either all that long to realize that their parents had been on to something all along. For Anna, it was a almost unintentional start as a load organizer that would eventually see her vying for world championships while still harboring a desire for more, and for Hollie it would be the skills she learned to perfect in her professional life outside our sport that she would bring to bear in their now successful co-venture, The EdgE Agency. Now jumping for fun and "taking the piss" while forging forward with an agency quickly picking up speed, this dynamic pair are pushing hard to keep their passions going strong deep within the Lunatic Fringe.

From the very start there was no doubt in his mind that there were two things he would achieve in his life. Scotty Milne would be a soldier, and he would jump out of airplanes; yet there was no way even in his wildest dreams that he could have imagined the amazing adventure he was undertaking. A standout in the sport from the very beginning, he became a championship member of the famed skydiving team The Red Devils so soon in his career that many wondered how he was advancing so fast; right up until they saw him perform. Now, more than fifty years deep into a sport that he still embraces whole heartedly and having been a sought after instructor for much of that time, his position as the Director of Active Skydive keeps him just as busy today as he was when he introduced AFF to the military. Straight from the Highlands of Scotland, Scotty Milne proves that the only thing age needs to change in skydiving is jump numbers, and that the Lunatic lifestyle and longevity go hand in hand.

Back in the can to bring us up to speed on life deep within the USPA, Highlight Skydiving Team and her own new venture, the one and only Melissa Nelson gives us a bit of personal history along with insight on why she decided to climb deep inside the belly of the beast to try and initiate change, the challenges of trying to bust down the doors of the "Old Boy's Club", the groundbreaking work of the Highlight skydiving team and the amazing ideas she's bringing to the forefront in student training from the ground up. A lifelong member of the Lunatic Fringe, when Melissa Nelson talks it's because she's got something to say.

For this guy, skydiving made perfect sense. Getting a very early start for someone not born into the sport, Shawn Carter managed to make his first 3 jumps out of the coveted C-130 as a military cadet in Canada, so when it came time to hit the nylon in the civilian world a couple of years later he was all in. With his rigging ticket in his pocket and a desire to travel, Shawn managed to become one of the earliest crew members of Skydive Dubai gaining knowledge and experience along the way. After a potentially life altering accident on a bad landing and a fourteen month recovery, the drive to once again get in the air was a major part of his recovery strategy and he eventually not only overcame the injuries, but pushed on to coach and instruct. Now with his sights set on aviation as a profession and skydiving as a passion, Shawn fills us in on how he used he place in the Lunatic Fringe as a healing tool.

When you're born and raised in a place like Anchorage Alaska, "extreme sports" isn't really a thing; add to that being born to a big wall and alpine style climbing father and its pretty hard to give that title to much of anything as Ben Nelson can tell you. Working as a paramedic in one of the harshest environments on the planet, the initial drive to skydive just wasn't there simply because he hadn't yet seen the big picture, but after transferring to Houston for work and looking for more out of recreation than weekends at the bar he found Spaceland. It was there that he was exposed to all that skydiving and BASE had to offer, cranking out a thousand plus jumps a year, and there that he eventually made the move to work in the industry. Now partnered with Veterans groups aimed at helping in multiple areas, Ben and a crew of highly motivated people will soon embark on a 7 continent adventure hoping to use their experience to help understand and aid in suicide prevention. Yet another wonderful and inspiring member of the Lunatic Fringe Community.

Skydiving beginnings aren't always blue skies and sunshine as Jason Moledzki can tell you. Sometimes the drive to make that first jump can come from a truly dark place, but it was a place that Jason found the drive and determination to escape through his love of skydiving and BASE. A multiple world champion dozens of times over with world records and accomplishments in competition too long to list, he and his crew were a major driving force in the advancement not only of canopy piloting and its flight out of infancy, but in competition itself. As the co-founder and creative director of Flight-1, Jason has been instrumental in the complete overhaul of canopy instruction both in the civilian and military skydiving world with incredible student numbers going through their courses each year. on top of that, he is the co-creator/host of his own podcast called Trust the Journey with Melanie Curtis offering inspiration and insight along our journey deep within the Lunatic Fringe.  

Growing up in Australia in a very supportive environment, Emma Thomson had always been encouraged to explore her interests, and after the gift of a tandem skydive on her 18th birthday jumping had most certainly become one of them; yet it wasn't until she found herself at a destination skydiving center with her boyfriend wingsuit carving around her and her tandem instructor that she realized there may be more to skydiving than drogues and uncomfortable harnesses. With her career in education well underway, it didn't take long for her to put her skills as a teacher to work in the sport, completely changing the course of her professional life in a way that she never expected. Now, working around the world as a more and more sought after coach, she enjoys the benefits of an out of the box lifestyle while navigating social media, staying true to herself and continuing to push her own personal boundaries well within the Lunatic Fringe.

Aviation entered the life of Chris Kleinhenz at a very early age. having been aimed toward flight to focus his drive an attention, it was a series of fortuitous meetings, flight opportunities and the generosity of aircraft owners that helped him along the way. Add to that working hard to become a member of the US Air Force Academy skydiving team, and there was no doubt that airborne is where he preferred to be. Aviation and flying were his main focus for quite some time until he was in a position with flying to also put real energy into the jumping lifestyle by going full force at the Desert Campus of Skydive Dubai. From tandems to wing suits, he's got the chops to hang with the crew, but he's also taking on competition aerobatic flying while his real life gig is up front in the largest bird working, the 747. With his sights set skyward for the foreseeable future, there's no doubt that Chris will be with the Lunatic Fringe for some time to come.