In 2019, Ernesto Gainza - one of the biggest names in the world of parachuting, holder of 3 Guinness records - visited Bulgaria for the first time. At the beginning of the parachute season, the Venezuelan trained our skydivers at the airport near Radomir, and the course was organized by the only company certified according to international standards for parachute jumps in Bulgaria.

Gainza is one of the best skydiving instructors, he also flies in a wingsuit, he also practices the deadliest sport in the world - BASE jumping, where you jump not from an airplane, but from a cliff or other ground target, and fly with a high speed in a suit resembling a flying squirrel.

At the time of the interview, Ernesto Gainza (you can see the trailer for his biopic "Down to Earth" here) had nearly 11,000 jumps. In 2014, he simultaneously set two records recorded in "Guinness" - a jump with the smallest parachute (only 3.2 square meters) and the fastest parachute in the world (3.5 minutes from 4200 meters). He is the holder of another record – he participated in the largest group of people who jumped from a hot air balloon.

However, his life on solid ground is no less dynamic and interesting.

He was born in 1979. At the age of 24, he went to Great Britain to study there. He worked as a cleaner, took care of the elderly to support himself financially, and a year later a random "mistake" - as he jokes, during vacation - changed his destiny.

Interview by Tanya Ivanova

"While I was on vacation in Venezuela, a friend of mine told me that I should try skydiving. I had never been interested in it, but he insisted and I went... When the parachute opened, I realized that this is what I wanted to do. I was studying in Britain, working three jobs to pay for my education and skydiving courses, and it wasn't easy at all, but it worked out pretty well for me, I think."

Do you think that everything in our life comes with a purpose, and if so, what was the purpose of your education? You graduated from law...

Ernesto: I think so. Everything comes with a purpose in our life. Being at university and starting such a career I think has opened my eyes to other aspects of my life. You never know - I might end up practicing law one day. But right now skydiving means a lot to me, so far I'm doing great and hopefully I'm young enough to stay fit for at least another 10-15 years. And then we'll see what happens.

You have lived in 5 countries, you know people like the prince of Dubai, but you choose the Balkans, now you live in Slovenia, why? Why not in Venezuela?

Ernesto: Yes, I was in Dubai for almost 5 years and life there is really very nice, but I am such a person that I constantly need a change. After a few years I decided I had to leave the country. I love the Balkans. I think that this part of Europe is beautiful - not only because of the nature, but also because of the people. They are incredible, I also know Bulgarians. When I came here, people didn't stop feeding me, telling me that I'm a bit thin and I need to eat. It's great here! And as for Venezuela, almost all my relatives are there, but I think I will never be able to live in my country again for the simple reason that I have been "out" for too many years. I feel a bit more European, I know the culture, I'm used to the social relations here. My whole family is in Venezuela, I love it, it is beautiful, but, unfortunately, it is going through great political difficulties that are not in favor of human rights.

You say that your work, what you do for a living, is delicately described by women as something better than sex. On a related note, does your wife skydive too?

Ernesto: No, she jumped once, she liked it, but she said that one crazy person in the family is enough. So it's just me doing what normal people call "crazy work".

You are a stuntman, not just a skydiver, but a teacher of skydiving instructors, you go BASE jumping and wingsuiting. You say, "The problem is that the more experience you get, the more cowardly you become." I've heard that especially people who do BASE jumping, the deadliest sport, don't live long. How do you live with such a thought?

Ernesto: Yes, it's true - the more things you learn, the clearer the way out. I've been BASE jumping since 2006, which is quite a long career for this sport, and the reason I think I'm here right now is because of the fear, the respect for the danger, that makes me make the right decisions. I don't jump to take pictures and to impress people. I do it for fun. I have nothing to prove to anyone, I'm doing it for myself.

In 2014, you set two of your records - jump with the smallest and fastest parachute in the world. You do this with untested parachutes, You are a test pilot yourself. What part of this whole challenge was the most dangerous?
Ernesto: I think everything was dangerous, but to be honest, there were two critical moments - getting out of the plane and opening the parachute, and then, of course, landing, because the parachute was not tested before, so we had to do many jumps to see if it could land, what speed I develop, what the horizontal speed was, etc. It was a really dangerous project, but I think we took every measure to make it as safe as possible.

How did your body react, how did you feel during the flight? I guess the strain the body is under is huge.
Ernesto: Yes, part of the time I had a problem with the parachute spinning uncontrollably. Like aerobatic pilots. At some moments, the centrifugal forces affecting the body reached 8G, which is really a lot. I had to train a lot for this, I was specially in a training center in the Netherlands to make sure I could withstand such a load and cope.
 

What are you working on now?

Ernesto: I have two projects, one - in the sky above Nepal, the other - in the Balkans. I can't say much because I'm not 100% sure if I'll do them this year or next year, but I'm trying to finish them before I retire to make sure all my dreams in this area come true. And then I guess I'll turn to something else.

Can you say about yourself that you are a happy person?

Ernesto: Yes, I can say that because I follow my dreams. I do what makes me happy. Not what society expects. I respect the laws and rules of society, but I live life my way without harming others. And I think that's the secret to happiness - if you do what you want, then you're happy and you make other people happy.

You can hear the interview with Ernesto Gainza in the audio file above. It was broadcast on the Bulgarian National Radio on April 18, 2019: https://bnr.bg/horizont/post/101108033/ernesto-gainza

Photos: Personal archive of Ernesto Gainza