Venezuela
Jimmy Marull witnessed the birth of the first hang gliders in the seventies and assumed the promotion and development of this sport all over South America. He travelled by land, flying off every possible mountain to the awe of the locals in every country in South America, from Venezuela to the Patagonia and back.
A dedicated professional photographer and film maker, he filmed and worked with Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and BBC London in many documentaries about nature.
Jimmy was introduced to the then recently developed ultralight airplanes while getting his commercial pilot license in Florida. He was one of the pioneers of sport aviation in South America and became a flight instructor, committed to safety and proper instruction. Paragliders also came his way, along with hot air balloons and aerobatic flying.
Hot air balloons are a very important part of his career, after nine years of exceptional expeditions and thirty years of active ballooning, Jimmy is the only certified flight instructor and examiner for Venezuela.
Jimmy has published over two hundred aviation related articles and a hot air balloon flight manual that became a reference for balloon clubs from Mexico to Argentina.
His book Venezuela from Deep Blue Skies, published in 1991, is an aerial view of his country.
Jimmy is in the book of aviation records because he flew a modified ultralight through a narrow cave, near the top of a flat top tepui Autana, in the amazon jungle in 1987. He flew in F-16s with the Venezuelan Air Force, and he received the decoration “Carlos Meyer Baldó” for his flying achievements.
His most recent book is Jimmie’s Angel, a novel based on the life and legend of James “Jimmie” Angel while he lived and flew over the Venezuelan skies.
Jimmy is currently a flight instructor, a hot air balloon pilot, and a motivational speaker.