HGFA Skysailor Magazine

14 SKY SAILOR March | April 2018 What first prompted your interest in flight? I have had an interest in flight for as long as I can remember. It goes back to before primary school where I spent long days on the family farm on the back of the non-cabined tractor whilst my Dad worked the soil over. Many birds of prey would circle above to swoop down to grab insects and mice as we went around and around tilling the paddocks. As soon as I was tall enough to see above the tool bench, I had access to the farm workshop. As we had no TV, I spent my daylight after-chore time building many kites, wind powered toys, wizz-up propellers and model aircraft from any suitable material and scraps I could find. Later, in year five, a teacher presented to the school his boat-towed hang glider and for some years, I tried to build versions of it on the farm. However, all variations I built crashed horribly after my attempts to leap from various structures on the farm! Throughout my school years, I absorbed all flying-related material available to me and successfully built a flying model aircraft. My observation of soaring birds was particularly inspirational and became the source of many dreams where I found myself silently flying above the treetops, then swooping down and back up for a hover to survey the ground dwellers. What is the most important lesson that you’ve learnt during your time practising the sport? I believe the most important lesson that flying can teach you is to chase your dreams, but also to plan every aspect and allow for all contingencies before your feet leave the ground. There should never be a moment in any flight where you haven't already thought through each scenario and what is required to optimise your safety. What glider do you currently fly and why do you prefer it? I fly many types of hang glider, as is required when running a hang gliding facility. In any given week, I could fly three or four different ones in various states of tune. A large part of my business is to strip down and overhaul customers’ and traded gliders to ensure they are airworthy. I then adjust and tune them so they fly like new. I've flown most, if not all, Australian-built hang gliders from the 1980s to the present. My favourite high performance glider is the Airborne Windsports C4-13. I spent many seasons developing this glider with the manufacturer whilst touring the comp circuit. Sure, it may be a decade old glider now, but it still has respectable performance and it's a good size for my 74kg, affording good handling and a crisp flare. Why are you particularly attracted to weightshift microlights? The weightshift method of control, as found in hang gliders (and microlights), give the pilot direct feedback via the control frame where you feel the Interview: Rohan Holtkamp A weightshift microlight and hang gliding operations instructor, and competition pilot, Rohan Holtkamp has been part of the HGFA for over a quarter of a century. We speak to him about what prompted his interest, important lessons learned along the way, his most daring flight endeavour and the three key qualities to becoming a successful flight instructor. Early flying in flex and rigid wing hang gliders