#244 Grit and Growth: The Mindset of a Successful Pilot w Top Gun Ace Serge Durrant

April 19, 2025

Serge Durrant, a former Top Gun fighter pilot turned paraglider, discusses his journey from aviation to adventure sports. We explore themes of mentorship, risk management, and the importance of community in high-stakes environments. Serge shares insights on overcoming fear, the competitive nature of flying, and the mental techniques that have helped him succeed in hang gliding, flying F-18 fighter jets, and paragliding. The conversation highlights the parallels between aviation and paragliding, emphasizing the need for grit and the value of learning from mistakes.

mayhem

Gavin McClurg hosts a podcast (The Cloudbase Mayhem podcast) dedicated to free flight where he interviews the best pilots in the world to glean out what makes them great and contributes regularly to magazines like Cross Country and Parapente and many others.