Get Frank Audience Interview with Chuck Berry

Cheers to Red Bull, we fire a round of questions at Chuck Berry following his recent  660m base jump into the worlds largest sink hole known as Tiankeng (Sky Hole), as part of China’s National Day Celebrations.

The Sky Hole (aptly named) is the world largest sink hole being 680m deep from its tallest point & 626m across at the top. The cave is shaped much like an inverted bell, wide at the top, narrowing at the bottom with one huge shear 900 foot rock wall cleft by nature with a chasm some 15 stories high looking like a massive Cathedral. Chuck desribes his experience below….

“Across the top of the cave a heavy cable had been strung for a tight rope act some years before. A steel garden seat was fitted pulleys so as to hang from the cable & trundle three jumpers away from the sloping edge toward the middle of the Sky Hole. What a place to be, sitting on a seat, hanging from a wire over the Great Sky Hole of China!

My feet come off the seat rail as I launch back first into two back flips. I speed toward the top of the big wall from above & then watch the cliff top fly past while on my still accelerating trajectory. I can see into the Cathedral while in freefall. WOW. Pull time. The near explosive sound of parachute fabric meeting my terminal airspeed of 200kph within the lower amphitheatre created the most incredible cacophony. Straight onto the steering toggles & fly my parachute at speed in through the front doors of this magnificent place to land sweetly under the surface of the earth. The only word to describe this is………… Wonderful” 

You're clearly a guy who's living his dreams (or at least doing cool shit your passionate about) ; how did you turn doing what you love into a career and what advice can you give to someone who hates prescribing to the rat race but can't see a way out? (Luke S )

Believe in your dreams & understand that they can come true if you put the
work in to realise them. Imagine yourself where you want to be & work
backwards to put everything in place to get there. Have faith in yourself &
don't be put off by the non believers. The difference between the talking &
the doing...is the doing! And remember...'thoughts without
actions...are just thoughts'

Can you remember the feeling of first doing this? Has this feeling changed compared to when you do it now? If so how? (Jack P)

My first feelings of skydiving & BASE jumping were of pure, wild excitement
& the thrill of pitting myself to the challenge of survival. Now, after
many years of this kind of challenge, I am comfortable facing these
challenges & I have a far better understanding of how I react to pressure &
have gained much confidence in my ability to handle any situation. As my
experience & skills have increased more challenges become possible.

wow those jumps must give you a crazy rush - awesome!!, my question is - how did you get into it? (GetFrank Member)

As a youngster I wanted to learn to skydive, scuba dive, hang glide & climb
as they all appealed to my sense of adventure (I do all of these now). I
started skydiving while still at school, bought my first parachute &
discovered a wonderful world of incredible friends who all had a high level
of confidence ( & fun seeking) which unlocks the path to believe in ones
self & achieve the incredible.

What is your ultimate base jump goal? (Matt Bull)

Travel the planet, jump amazing sites & share the experience with amazing
friends. Also to show the public what we all may achieve if we dare to have
total faith in ourselves & show that through a positive desire & attitude,
we can reach our dreams & goals.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

Living life to the full, dreaming up new adventures as I gain the
experience & skills to push myself & my sports to new levels.

What are some of the war wounds that you have got? (Chris Mayerhofler)

Very few war wounds really for the amount of extreme adventure I indulge
in. A broken fibula, finger & a dislocated shoulder during 24 years of
jumping. A broken neck & ribs in motorbike incidents. Skydiving is the
safest sport I do.

Worst experience?

Watching friends die while indulging in their passion.

What would you be doing if you couldn't get the adrenalin mix you currently get now? (Darren Reader)

There is always something new to learn or do. For instance, when I was in a
neck brace I got more involved in photography, videography, editing,
writing, honing my juggling skills (one of my trades) & I learnt to ride my
unicycle backwards. Concentrate on what you can do instead of what you
can't.

Ever been a time when u thought,...oh shit, this is it!!...I have punched my last ticket on this one? (Michael Gray)

I've had some close calls but the trick is NEVER GIVE UP! I've fought to
stay alive on a number of occasions. There is nothing like those moments
when you hold your lively hood in your own hands where making the correct
split second decisions & subsequent actions is the difference between life
& death.

What is the most embarrasing thing you have ever done/experienced? (Trish Isaac)

I rarely get embarressed as I think this is a negative emotion dealing with
the fear of looking silly. I'd rather give something a try & risk failure
than not to try at all & fail completely.

It looks like your a pretty brave guy... are you really scared of anything?(Cameron Elliot)

I'm scared of making a mistake that will kill me. This is the best
incentive to focus, learn, concentrate & perform at the highest level when
engaging in my adventures.

What is the most ultimate and crazy jump you want to do? (Aiden Moore)

I do want to land a wingsuit on the planet. I believe this is possible with
the right blend of skills, planning, preparation & a good team behind me.

How much preparation is involved in planning and doing your jumps? (Nicki Smith)

This depends on the particular jump. A standard BASE jump off a familiar
object will require me to pack my parachute to suit that site but most
important is the mental preparation, visualising a positive outcome &
putting all my energy into making that happen. Some jumps require huge
planning like when I turned a Red Bull Wigwam event tent into a parachute &
test jumping it. Months of planning, importing components, sewing, packing
& getting my support team together turned an 'idea' into a 'reality'.

What was the first thing you jumped off, How high? how scared? did you sleep at all for the week following? (GERUMBO)

My first BASE jump was from the 1000 foot high Channel 6 TV antenna in
Milwaukee, USA. I had planned this for months & was mentored by some fine
American BASE mates. I was more excited than scared of the jump. WOW, what
an experience, I still get a wee rush thinking about it. I don't think I
slept properly for a month after that. Every time I closed my eyes I'd get
flashbacks of the jump in my head. It was my desire that got me to the exit
point on that tower, here is where the 'wanting' becomes the 'doing', where
talk is cheap & now comes the action. It's a sublime feeling to lean
forward & push off from what you know is safe into the thin dark air & bet
everything against your ability to perform & handle whatever situation may
arise. Watching the tower racing by in the darkness, the feeling of the
parachute opening & the sheer exhilaration of stepping up to the challenge
of my own making changed me forever & through this I learnt I could achieve
anything.

Chuck Berry

Live Your Dreams