• What was your first contact with paragliding?
Completely backward! I did speedflying for many years before I started paragliding (don’t do that, kids!).
• What is your paragliding specialization, and what drew you to focus on this particular aspect of the sport?
I’m a speedflying pilot through and through! Small wings = big smiles! I love the strong and nuanced feeling of human flight that you can achieve while moving fast and close to the terrain.
• How long have you been flying, and where do you fly the most?
I’ve been speedflying for 10 years now, all over the Alps, Turkey, and Russia.
• What is your best flight so far?
Oh no, that’s an impossible choice! I’d have to choose between:
1. Speedflying a wingsuit line in Chamonix, France
2. Foot launching from Glacier du Tour, France
3. Flying the Big Crack in Myat Loam, Russia
4. My first speedflying flight from Akdağ, Turkey
• Have you faced any fears or significant challenges while flying, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge in speedflying is taming your ego and learning how to progress safely while respecting your limits. Dealing with that is a lifelong task, one that we have to commit to in order to stay in one piece and, hopefully, one day die of old age instead of a bad decision.
The best way to manage it? Remind yourself that your best line was already flown yesterday by a French schoolboy between classes, so you can afford to chill once in a while.
• Do you have any specific routines or rituals that you follow before taking off?
Just one more gear check, a weather check, and a quick visualization of the flight.
• What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned during your paragliding career?
The mountain will still be there tomorrow, but maybe you won’t. So sometimes, you need to step back today so you can show up tomorrow.
• Who or what inspires you to keep pushing boundaries in paragliding?
Childhood trauma. 😆 Just kidding! It just feels good to do something new, to beat your yesterday’s self. Turning a "Hmm, I think that might work..." into a "Wow, that was awesome!" is one of the best feelings a human can experience.
• What inspired you to become a part of the Sky Squadron team, and how does the brand’s vision align with your personal goals as a pilot?
I love Sky’s R&D process, it’s full of laughter and joy, yet super efficient! I love the whole "I've got an idea… what if…?" vibe in the team.
• Where do you see your paragliding career taking you in the future, and what are your ultimate goals or aspirations within the sport?
My goal is to become a better pilot, develop wings, and fly them. I’m also really focused on spreading accumulated knowledge through our speedflying school, FLYLAB. I want to make the speedflying journey as safe as possible for pilots around the world!
• How do you perceive the risks involved in paragliding, and how do you manage them during your flights?
One of my best rules is to replace the question "Can I do that?" with "Am I willing to do that 100 times in a row?"
If you’re not willing to repeat something 100 times, maybe it’s a bad idea to do it even once.
