The 20 Minute Call - A Skydiving Podcast

Doug Barron - Behind the Scenes of the 250-Way State Record Attempts

Text Your Name & Mailing Address and Receive Free Show SwagAbout This EpisodeDoug Barron returns to share the incredible story behind organizing the 2025 All American Big Way - a 250-way skydiving record attempt at Skydive Chicago that ran simultaneously with a 200-way vertical record. This is a masterclass in event logistics, leadership under pressure, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in skydiving.Resources Mentioned📺 250-way Documentary - 25-min film by Anthony Armandiraz🎙️ Episode 19 - Doug's origin story (December 2023)💻 SKYCRU - Event management platform📅 Next Event: September 2028 at Skydive ChicagoWhat You'll Learn✈️ How to coordinate 11 aircraft and 260+ jumpers across multiple days💰 The real financial costs of running large-scale skydiving events🛠️ Innovative solutions: mobile fuel stations, aircraft choreography, and SKYCRU platform🧠 Leadership strategies for managing setbacks and keeping teams motivated📅 What it takes to plan 5+ years ahead for a world-class eventTimestamps[0:00] Welcome & episode context[7:00] The 2017 vision that started it all[14:00] Aircraft logistics & the "corn sharks"[28:00] Financial realities DZOs face[42:00] SKYCRU: solving the admin nightmare[52:00] Leadership through adversity[57:00] Emotional debrief & looking aheadQuotable Moments"If you were to tell a non-skydiver we're taking 100 people in 5 aircraft to 18,000 feet and building a formation in 60 seconds - they'd say it's impossible.""It's not goal failed, it's goal prolonged. We're going to do it again.""Safety is always my top priority. No record is worth someone getting hurt."Connect With Doug Barron[Instagram | Facebook]Support The ShowLove the 20 Minute Call? Join our Patreon community for:🎧 Early access to episodes📝 Exclusive show notes and stories🎟️ Community e📲 STAY CONNECTEDWebsite: The 20 Minute CallInstagram: @20MinuteCallFacebook: /20MinuteCall 💙 SUPPORT THE SHOWLove the podcast? Join our Patreon community for early access, bonus content, and exclusive perks.→ patreon.com/The20minutecallPodcast ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEWYour 5-star review helps us reach more skydivers like you.Apple Podcasts: [direct-link]Spotify: [direct-link] 🎧 NEVER MISS AN EPISODESubscribe on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Presented by SSK Industries, CYPRES, Free Fall...

George Tang - Skydive Thailand DZO and Flight-1 Instructor

Text Your Name & Mailing Address and Receive Free Show Swag📲 STAY CONNECTEDWebsite: The 20 Minute CallInstagram: @20MinuteCallFacebook: /20MinuteCall 💙 SUPPORT THE SHOWLove the podcast? Join our Patreon community for early access, bonus content, and exclusive perks.→ patreon.com/The20minutecallPodcast ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEWYour 5-star review helps us reach more skydivers like you.Apple Podcasts: [direct-link]Spotify: [direct-link] 🎧 NEVER MISS AN EPISODESubscribe on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Presented by SSK Industries, CYPRES, Free Fall...

Helmut Cloth - Inventor of the CYPRES Automatic Activation Device

Text Your Name & Mailing Address and Receive Free Show SwagHelmut Cloth is a German engineer and entrepreneur whose groundbreaking contributions have forever changed skydiving safety. After taking up the sport in 1972, Helmut became an active participant in European relative work (RW) record attempts. But a tragic accident in 1986—when a close friend died without deploying either canopy—sparked a mission that would shape the future of parachuting.Motivated to prevent similar losses, Helmut spent four and a half years researching and developing what would become the world’s most trusted Automatic Activation Device (AAD). After testing twelve prototypes, he introduced the first CYPRES (Cybernetic Parachute Release System) in 1991—a revolutionary tool that automatically deploys the reserve parachute under life-threatening conditions.To bring this vision to life, Helmut founded Airtec GmbH & Co. KG Safety Systems in Bad Wünnenberg, Germany in 1990. His innovation set a new global standard in skydiving safety and has since been credited with saving thousands of lives. In recognition of his extraordinary impact, he was awarded the prestigious FAI Gold Medal in 1997.Today, CYPRES remains a cornerstone of safety in the sport, and Helmut Cloth’s legacy continues to guide the evolution of parachuting equipment and protocols worldwide.📲 STAY CONNECTEDWebsite: The 20 Minute CallInstagram: @20MinuteCallFacebook: /20MinuteCall 💙 SUPPORT THE SHOWLove the podcast? Join our Patreon community for early access, bonus content, and exclusive perks.→ patreon.com/The20minutecallPodcast ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEWYour 5-star review helps us reach more skydivers like you.Apple Podcasts: [direct-link]Spotify: [direct-link] 🎧 NEVER MISS AN EPISODESubscribe on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Presented by SSK Industries, CYPRES, Free Fall...

Alethia Austin: Skydiving Organizer & Editor, Skydive Mag

Text Your Name & Mailing Address and Receive Free Show SwagAlethia Austin is a skydiving coach whose influence reaches far beyond the dropzone. Known for her calm presence, thoughtful leadership, and global impact, Alethia is the founder of LSD—Level, Slot, Dock—a sold-out series of skill camps hosted around the world. Her approach to coaching blends technical precision with mindfulness, energy management, and personal growth.Raised in a small town in southern Oregon, Alethia set out on her own at just 17, carving a life path that would span continents and careers—from the entertainment industry in Los Angeles to marketing roles across Europe. But skydiving was the throughline. After a tandem jump in 2002, she followed the pull of the sport, eventually shaping her professional journey around it.A respected leader in angle flying and a Regional Captain for Project 19, Alethia is equally at home talking about safety procedures as she is about the deeper, emotional currents of the sport. Her travels—including a pivotal journey through India in 2020—have informed her philosophy, one that bridges movement in the air with inner awareness on the ground.Plant-based for more than 20 years, a yoga teacher, and handpan musician, Alethia brings an intentionality to skydiving that has inspired countless students to not just fly better, but live more consciously.This episode is a reflection of Alethia herself—honest, grounded, and quietly powerful.📲 STAY CONNECTEDWebsite: The 20 Minute CallInstagram: @20MinuteCallFacebook: /20MinuteCall 💙 SUPPORT THE SHOWLove the podcast? Join our Patreon community for early access, bonus content, and exclusive perks.→ patreon.com/The20minutecallPodcast ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEWYour 5-star review helps us reach more skydivers like you.Apple Podcasts: [direct-link]Spotify: [direct-link] 🎧 NEVER MISS AN EPISODESubscribe on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Presented by SSK Industries, CYPRES, Free Fall...

Jon Devore | Captain of the Red Bull Air Force (2024)

Text Your Name & Mailing Address and Receive Free Show SwagMy guest today has truly lived a life that transcends even the wildest dreams of a successful career in skydiving. With over 500 BASE jumps and 17,000 skydives, Jon Devore is a highly respected camera flyer, BASE jumper, wingsuiter, world champion free flyer, and stunt performer. His work has been featured in major films such as 2015’s Point Break, Iron Man 3, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, and Ad Astra.Jon also serves as the event coordinator for the world-renowned Red Bull Air Force, one of the most exciting and recognized demonstration teams globally. In 2023, he was inducted into the International Skydiving Hall of Fame.Despite his incredible achievements, Jon remains as humble as he was when he first arrived at Skydive Arizona over 30 years ago, dreaming of completing 500 jumps to become a tandem instructor back in Alaska. Along the way, he encountered a few remarkable individuals who would forever change the course of his life.MEDIA VIDEO: Jon on the Ellen Degeneres ShowVIDEO: Jon landing in downtown Los AngelesVIDEO: Jon in the iconic wingsuit scene in Point BreakVIDEO: Wingsuit Formation: Flying the CrackPODCAST: Red Bull Bulletin with Jon DevoreJOIN OUR COMMUNITYLove the show? Help support it by becoming a member of the 20 Minute Call Community! Supporting the show gives access to a private group page where you can:- suggest who you'd like to hear on the podcast- learn what interviews will be upcoming- submit questions for future guests-receive show swagJoin our community and support the pod!Link: patreon.com/The20MinuteCallPodcastADVERTISEAre you interested in partnering with the 20 Minute Call as an advertiser? Let's work toget📲 STAY CONNECTEDWebsite: The 20 Minute CallInstagram: @20MinuteCallFacebook: /20MinuteCall 💙 SUPPORT THE SHOWLove the podcast? Join our Patreon community for early access, bonus content, and exclusive perks.→ patreon.com/The20minutecallPodcast ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEWYour 5-star review helps us reach more skydivers like you.Apple Podcasts: [direct-link]Spotify: [direct-link] 🎧 NEVER MISS AN EPISODESubscribe on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Presented by SSK Industries, CYPRES, Free Fall...