Life & Work with Orie Rush of Mansfield

Today we’d like to introduce you to Orie Rush.

Hi Orie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My brother, Michael, was an early adopter of the Onewheel which first exploded in California around 2015. He would bring it to Ohio when he would visit, and one visit we had the question “can this thing jump?”. Coming from skateboarding and snowboarding, I went to work coming up with a way to jump and better control the board while staying detached so that you could still bail since the board is 30+ lbs. Once we found that it could indeed be jumped, we started a Kickstarter campaign that was funded within 48 hours, and in 2017 FlightFins was born.

I raced in several national races put on by the manufacturer, Future Motion, with their premiere race, Race for the Rail being a huge highlight. The scene continued to grow with races, trick competitions, and many festivals that brought out an eccentric but passionate array of riders and creators which led to us continuing to develop products for the Onewheel. We even started making Onewheel specific tires, first with Hoosier, then with a custom vendor that now makes our bespoke tires.

FlightFins continues to innovate and support the scene, which is growing even in snowy Ohio!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been full of challenges, but we’ve always risen to them! One of the first was our PayPal account getting locked because of such a large influx of preorders for our FlightFender – Michael had to self finance the initial run, but soon after we were back on the wheel. Our flightfender also had breakage issues early on, but after much research on materials we settled on one that was much more durable.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I went to school for 3D animation, but starting FlightFins taught me 3d printing, CAD design, and bolstered my branding expertise. Through these new tools I was able to design new parts for the Onewheel and make those parts better over time. We’re known for our quality products and innovative spirit.

What matters most to you?
A quality product, bringing new riders into the community, and seeing new relationships from the community form.

Pricing:

• Onewheel – $1800-$3000
• FlightFins – $99-$300
• Tires – $100-$130

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.flightfins.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FlightFins/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlightFins/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAa4SxPb_VJX0jSHcrqpv5w