Pilot Patrick Davidson is a master of Aerobatics but before putting on his incredible airshows, he creates detailed doodles to plan out his flights.
South Africa (12 April 2023) – South African pilot Patrick Davidson has been drawing doodles for years to help him design the sequence of his air show performances and illustrate the rigidly prescribed manoeuvres of aerobatics competition.
Davidson’s doodling techniques are a language all his own, even detailing his hand and foot movements to provide perfect clarity whether upright, sideways or inverted.
Aerobatics is a dizzying sport that sees pilots perform mind-blowing programmes, often at high G. Over the past decade, digital tools have been developed to print out the sequences, but Davidson prefers the physical act of doodling on sequence cards, which helps him find the right flow and memorise the patterns.
The South African native is a third-generation pilot, and by age 12 he had entered – and won – his first competition (accompanied by a safety pilot).
Davidson’s doodling is not just a hobby but a necessity. He credits his success in air racing and air shows and multiple aerobatic championships to his doodling. The pilot’s doodling techniques have helped him create, learn, remember and react during his performances.
Instead of relying on digital tools, Davidson prefers to doodle on sequence cards for better flow and pattern memorisation. His doodles even detail hand and foot movements for complete clarity during complex manoeuvres.
He says, “In the air, there’s a lot to contend with. So I doodle to try to work out this strange ‘ballet dance’ on the ground. Nine times out of 10, if it flows on my sequence card, it works in the sky.”
Doodling helps him navigate racetrack pylons, note vital operational points, and focus on the racing action.
Davidson’s doodling is such a signature that his helmet and his aerobatics plane – a Game Composites GB1 GameBird – are decorated with replicas of his drawings.
Davidson is also an advocate for doodling and uses it as a key tool when giving training camps for up-and-coming pilots. Davidson believes that the physical act of doodling is an important tool in planning every single flight, and he won’t do an air show unless he has a sequence card in front of him.
Davidson’s dedication to his craft has led to multiple podiums in the Challenger Class of the Red Bull Air Race World Series for two seasons.
Davidson shares his passion for aerobatics by training up-and-coming pilots using doodles and hand-held model planes to illustrate manoeuvres. He also enjoys doodling with his two young children for fun.
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