March 16, 2007

March: Kurre Lansburgh,
Aeroholic

You’d think a guy who spends 900 hours a year piloting commercial jet planes would be pretty happy staying on the ground when he comes home from work.
Think again.
When captain Kurre Lansburgh gets off his shift he just changes planes. On his spare time you’ll see him pulling six negative G’s in his Pitts S1S aerobatics plane.

Kurre Lansburgh was literally raised in a cockpit. He’s father, a captain at SAS and a former fighter pilot, taught Kurre the secrets of flying before he could walk. Kurre made his first solo flight at an age so tender that we’re not allowed to write it. Let’s just say that he was seven years younger than most people are when they take their drivers licence. Or let me rephrase that: he was exactly as many years old as there are players in a soccer team. Yes, it was very illegal, but it’s also very statute-barred by now.

When Kurre became fifteen he officially started flying gliders. Almost every evening he spent out on the flying club in his hometown of Uppsala together with his father. The glider was the perfect remedy for a young aeroholic who wasn’t allowed to fly motor planes yet. Or maybe it was just a very good alibi. Let’s just say that when Kurre finally turned eighteen and was officially allowed to fly motor planes, he was already an experienced pilot.

But still he did’t want to join the flight academy and become a commercial airline pilot just yet. The premier reason being that he was pursuing a career in sports at the same time. At age 18 Kurre was an accomplished windsurfer and an even more accomplished skier. He was already a student at the Ski Academy in Järpen just outside of the Swedish ski resort of Åre, and he was doing very well. Before he had finished his studies he was a regular member of the national mogul skiing team. And before he new it he was a professional skier making a name for himself internationally with several top placings in the world cup and a 9th place at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Naturally his flying career had to stand back for a while. But when Kurre suddenly decided to quit skiing in 1999, only 22 years old, it wasn’t long before he was flying again. This time as a student at the flight academy.

As usual for Kurre it was all or nothing. He moved to a camper near the school and literally locked himself inside until he had made the theoretical part of the education. The practical part caused no problem for a guy who had been flying motor planes since early childhood. He graduated with merits and more than twice the required flying hours. Only two weeks after graduation Kurre got his first job as a commercial pilot on the Swedish airline Fly Nordic. Two years later in 2004 he joined the charter company Nordic Airways and made captain at the same time.

Nowadays his flying 900 hours every year during work. But it doesn’t end there. Kurre’s latest passion is called aerobatics: a spectacular air sport involving stunts such as rolls and loops performed in an airplane or a glider. There are aerobatic competitions, where the contestants perform certain programs while being watched from the ground by critical judges. But for Kurre it’s not the competitive side of the sport that turns him on the most.

- I don’t do competitions at the moment. I like exhibitions much more. The manoeuvres don’t have to be as precise at exhibitions, but it’s much more spectacular. Maybe I’ll try to do some competitions next year. But I don’t know how serious I’ll take it.

Do you have a favourite manoeuvre?

- It has to be the Lomashibak. It’s like a bunch of front summersaults of axis. But you have to see it, it can’t really be explained.

There have to be a lot of forces at work when your flying like that ...

- Yes, you expose your body to enormous forces when you’re doing aerobatics. You can pull as much as ten positive G’s. And up to six negative G’s, which is even more remarkable. That’s way more than you do in a fighter plane.

You have a small aerobatics business as well. Tell me about it.

- Well, I’m for rent. I do exhibitions if you hire me, but you can also fly with me. It’s really popular. I do a lot of private events like bachelors parties for instance, but I do some corporate events as well.

What reactions do you get from your customers?

- 50 percent of my customers throw up (laugh).

Wow, that sounds like at treat. Is that really true?

Well, sort of, but I can guarantee you it’s an incredible experience anyhow. Even those who throw up are happy as children afterwards. This summer I’m getting a new two seated plane as well. It’s not as fast as the Pitts, but it’s fast enough, I can promise you that.

So then 80 percent will throw up?

- At least! And we’re going to have a lot of black outs as well. It’s not going to be for wimps (laugh). No, but seriously, I fly just as hard as my guests wants me to. Nobody needs to be scared. We’re going to put in a video camera as well, so that each guest can get a nice video as a memory of their flight.

Then the Recipe crew will be lining up this summer! How do we sign up?

I’m looking forward to having you. Just visit my website. link

Thanks a lot. One final question, or rather something that we need you to confirm. Is it as much "fuss" going on between pilots and the cabin crew as they say?

- (Laugh) Well I wouldn’t really know. But I’m marrying a flight attendant in September, so I guess that’s your answer.

Recipe for men’s man of the month in March

Name: Kurre Lansburgh.

Age: 29.

Occupation: Airline Pilot.

Family: Girlfriend Louise.

Vanity level: 4.0 - On his sparetime he tries to apply the good old surf look an he never wears his captains hat because it messes up his hair. But what about the sunglasses? Hello tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby ... .

Best flying experience: I recently landed at an airport in Kasakhstan that was very close to the Himalayas. That was a special experience.

Best flying memory: My first solo flight.

Looks up to: Gabor Varga (Swedish aerobatics legend who was tragically killed in a flying excident during an exhibition on Malta last year.)

Homepage: QRE Marketing

The world’s most beautiful man: Val Kilmer (Well, the Ice Man - who else?).