Paramotor Magazine, issue 24, April/May 2011
She got married in a bi-plane, holds four PPG world records and is an aerial star in her native Hungary. Ed Ewing dropped Edina Koleszar a line
EDINA Koleszar holds four world records, co-runs a school near Budapest and was voted national Ultralight Sportsperson of the Year back in 2009. Before paramotoring she flew paragliders and before that it was skydiving. Currently at home on maternity leave, we took the opportunity to fire some questions at her.
Edina, you have four world records and have held a fifth. You set them all in 2009. What happened that year?
At the FAI-CIMA Commission Meeting in 2008 it was decided that from 2009 there would be a female category added to the existing categories in paraglider control, foot-launched, thermal engine class. After studying the FAI Sporting Code I figured it would be fun to have a go.
So, tell us about the world records you hold.
The first record I did was an economy triangle. The goal was to surpass the existing male record, which I did, flying 120km. However, there are no ‘overall’ categories in Section 10, just male and female so it was ratified in the distance over a closed circuit, female category.
It was the same story with the 205km economy distance to a declared goal: there was no record in this category, so mine was the first in the record book. Carole Gobbe soon surpassed it and now it stands at 441km, flown by Karen Skinner.
I did well in the speed over a closed circuit category too. At 54.4km/h it stood as an unofficial record in the male category for almost a year too. Then Tony Gibson (SA) came along with an unbelievably fast 77km/h performance, and the order of the world was restored.
These world records were recognised as national records as well. In 2009 I was honoured with the ‘Ultralight Sportsperson of the Year’ title in Hungary.
There must have been a lot of planning involved…
Read more of the 2,000 word interview with Edina in Paramotor Magazine issue 24
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