Patrick
Davidson
South Africa
·
Aerobatic Flying
Date of birth | June 7, 1982 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | Port Elizabeth |
Age | 43 |
Nationality | South Africa |
Career start | 2017 |
Disciplines | Aerobatic airshows |
Six-time South African aerobatic flying champion Patrick Davidson has been in and around aeroplanes since he was a kid. Flying used to make him sick when he was younger, but he still managed to follow in the footsteps of his father, Stewart, who’s also a pilot.
By the age of 12, Patrick had entered – and won – his first contest with a safety pilot. He flew solo for the first time on his 17th birthday after cutting his teeth in a Yak52 training craft until he got a licence for the more advanced T6 Harvard. After that he continued to fly aerobatics at airshows and contests at home and around the world, logging over 2,500 flying hours in more than 20 types of aircraft.
Patrick's big breakthrough came along in 2018, when he was selected for the Challenger Class of the Red Bull Air Race World Series, which culminated in a career-high second place finish in Kazan, Russia.
Since then Patrick has been wowing crowds at displays around the world with his flying and still finds time to compete as well, claiming his sixth South African National Aerobatic Championships title in 2022.