Exclusive Q&A: Air Race 1 Pilot Des Hart Sits Down To Chat All Things Air Racing
Sportsvibe catch up with Scottish pilot Des Hart in Tunisia to discuss his career and the upcoming schedule in the Air Race 1 calendar.
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Sportsvibe: First in the Silver Class last year, are you keen to achieve something similar this year?
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Des Hart: Keen, but we have had some problems with the engine for a while now so while it may cause an issue in Montasir we are hoping it will all be fixed for Spain. We are hoping that we will be fast and able to try and take the silver back again.
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SV: Is there more excitement this year with a few more venues, especially with Montasir added to the calendar?
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DH: Very much so. Montasir is the first air race in the history of Africa so it is great to just be a part of that. You can see that they are taking it very seriously in Tunisia. The advertising has been brilliant and the interest from the locals is fantastic. It is fantastic to be a part of that and we do see things ramping up from last year considerably. Hopefully we will see the same in Spain at the end of next month.
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SV: Air Racing isnÛªt massive in Britain, is it a sport that could grow back home?
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DH: The problem with Britain is the liabilities and indemnities. We are trying to get it back into Britain, hopefully next year there may be an air race somewhere in Britain.
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I think the Air Race 1 series; we have already seen the entrance numbers from competitors go up from last year. Last year it was 11, this year in total between three there is going to be in the region of 17-18 aircraft. That is already a big increase. There will be an air race in Britain one day I have no doubt about that. Britain is a massive motorsport-crazy nation. There is no reason why we shouldnÛªt. I expect people in Britain will love this like everyone else does, hopefully the more exposure we get the more will be able to enjoy it.
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SV: How or what first got you into air racing?
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DH: I have been flying since I was 20. I have flown all sorts of aircraft from vintage to jets. I enjoyed the speed of the latter but they are very expensive to operate. These fun little things that we fly now can do over 200mph in a straight line and they cost peanuts to fly. They are very responsive and nimble. I brought the aircraft for that reason. Then thankfully the opportunity to race came along and I was invited to come and race. I came to give it a go, won the Silver Class last year and hopefully I can push on.
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SV: What would you say is the most dangerous aspect of your sport?
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DH: There are two aspects. If you watch the competitors and what they do they are flying in competitive time trials. With us where we are all flying at the same time you donÛªt know what the guy on the inside or outside is going to do. You canÛªt see the weight turbulence that comes off your opponents either.åÊ Sometimes you are very close to the ground going very high speeds. That is a small danger but it is a great sport.
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SV: Passionate about making aircrafts back home and rebuilding them, is that your main hobby?
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DH: I have a young family and I spend as much time as possible with them. I have a pretty demanding day job so that also eats up a lot of time. Fitting all of that in along with racing doesnÛªt leave much time for anything else.
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SV: And what is your day job?
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DH: I am a shipbroker. It is long days, we do every one in seven on call so we are on 24/7 call for a week. That means I canÛªt fly for two weeks solid when I am on call. I have an hour-and-a-half commute each day so it doesnÛªt leave much time for anything.
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SV: Do you ever fear for your safety or are you always confident?
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DH: I never fear for my safety. The guys around me are all professionals and they know what they are doing. We are always briefed thoroughly and our aircraft are always checked. We are checked out on the course, we try not to do anything unexpected and when you are in the cockpit you are busy. You are watching the instruments, youÛªre watching where the other guys are and youÛªre watching where the pylons are. You donÛªt have any time to think about fearing for safety.
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SV: How does it feel to probably be the biggest name in Scotland when it comes to flying?
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DH: I am sure there are bigger names than me in Scotland but I like to think that I am getting there. Someone has to go out and try new things and push the boundaries. For me this is a fantastic event and I am very proud to be a part of it. I am also very proud to be flying the flag for Scotland. I won something for Scotland last year and probably at the time nobody knew about it. The Scots are very proud people.
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SV: How much would you like a race at home in Britain?
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DH: I would absolutely love it to fly in front of a home crowd. Scotland, England, Britain, it would be fantastic.
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ÛÏThe Air Race 1 World Cup is the first international series in the sport known as formula one air racing. For more information visit www.airrace1.comÛ