Who doesn’t know of Scotty P? If you’re not following his epic wingsuit base adventures on Instagram you really bloody should be cos they’re fucking epic. Scotty sent through a couple of pics for the blog, but I’ve ripped a whole lot more off his insta for this story 🙂
Hailing from Perth, Scotty’s home DZ (when he’s in Oz that is is Jurien Bay). He’s a wingsuit coach and tandem master and has been jumping since 2006 and has over 3,400 jumps to his name.
I’ve been lucky enough to meet Scott at Skydive Oz and can genuinely say he’s one of the nicest guys in the sport. I reckon he’s one of the world’s best wingsuiters so let’s get under the hood and see what he has to say for himself!
How did you first become interested in skydiving?
I went straight into my AFF with a friend and got hooked pretty quickly.
What was your first jump like?
I honestly can’t remember exactly, but I know it was good and it fully changed the direction of my life
What motivates you to keep skydiving?
The people in the sport, new and old. And continuously pushing to find how far wingsuit flying can go.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced as a skydiver and how have you overcome them?
Money Vs Time is the biggest challenge for me, to have the money comes with no time and to have time comes with no money. I’ve mostly overcome this by learning to be happy by sacrificing future job security with flying experience. Working in the sport too helps.
What is the most memorable skydiving experiences you’ve had to date? What made it so special?
Being able to carve around a canopy (XRW) for the first time was epic. It’s a very good feeling to get something you’ve dreamed about and worked towards for a long time, and then the toys and people develop to a point when it’s possible.
How has skydiving impacted your life outside of the sport?
It changes the decision making processes and direction to figure out the best ways to integrated flying more into my life.
Have you ever participated in any skydiving competitions? What is competition like? Is it worth the effort?
I’m not very into skydiving competitions and I only did some local Aussie comps, but all the ones I went too were fun and you get to hang out with a lot of cool people.
Do you have any specific skydiving goals you’re working towards at the moment?
My goal has for a long time been to integrate wingsuiting into my life more and more, and I’m constantly working towards that.
Have you had any bad or challenging experiences while skydiving? How did you handle them?
Yes, the accidents that come along with the sport of skydiving and wingsuiting are confronting. It’s especially difficult when it happens to a close friend or when you are right there at the scene. For me the best way to handle them is to talk about it with close friends and maybe chill out in the pushing for a bit. But for me it’s always been important to keep flying, it helps me remember why we all choose this life and even amongst the accidents somehow the dream of flight stays alive.
Do you have any rituals that you go through before every jump?
Gear checks is a religious one.
How has your attitude towards skydiving changed over the years?
I spend my time between skydiving and BASE jumping. And I see wingsuiting as a bridge between to the two sports. So sometimes I’m more focussed on BASE and using skydiving to enhance this experience, and other times I’m fully into skydiving and sharing good times with good crew. It’s always a mix and depends what’s going on.
Are there any particular destination or drop zones that you consider favourites and why?
I’ve been shown so much support and friendships from so many dropzones across Australia and the world it’s hard to pick one. But getting to jump over the islands of Fiji was epic.
How has the skydiving community or the people you’ve met through skydiving influenced your life?
Very positively. You end up being the sum of the people you hang out with. I choose my circle carefully, people can elevate you and show you a way of living that can be hugely positive. I’ve always found it’s important to have close, real friends in the sport.
Have you had any funny or unexpected experiences while skydiving?
Pretty much listening to Irish DJ at any boogie is the funniest thing ever.
What’s your number 1 safety tip?
Buddy checks, it’s always nice to keep an eye out for your mates
What’s your favourite bit of kit?
My wingsuits for sure.
What’s next for you in skydiving? Do you have any big dreams or aspirations related to the sport?
Yes, I’ll be looking at helping to maybe build a bit on the wingsuit scene in Switzerland and set up some events across Europe aimed at wingsuiters. Give it a crack, see how it goes.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to yourself at the outset of your skydiving career?
Just go for it, you will find a way
Cheers, Scotty!
I’d really like to get some more people from the West Coast featured, so don’t be shy. Either send me a DM or dob in a mate! I don’t care… I want to hear about everyone’s skydiving stories 🙂