Articles
Daniel Ryfa: High passion
September 21, 2017 8:57 CEST 6 min read
Daniel Ryfa, Sweden’s top aerobatic pilot, is as passionate about building planes as he is about flying them. To get the bendability and strength needed for veteran planes, he uses SSAB’s Docol 600.
Many two-year olds are passionate about airplanes and flying. Few of them grow up to be pilots and plane engineers. Daniel Ryfa did both. “I started out with gliding when I was 14 and got my first pilot’s license as a teenager,” says Daniel. Daniel quickly developed an interest in aerobatics and has won several championships, among others the European Advanced Aerobatic Championship in 2009. He started building his first plane when he was 20.
Today, Daniel flies private jets and in his spare time keeps himself busy building a plane from a model from 1910, originally built by the Swedish aircraft pioneer Enoch Thulin. “At that time, planes were built with ash wood, but Thulin also used mild bendable steel. However, the standard of the steel that Thulin used was very weak, and I wanted a material that meets modern standards,” says Daniel. Daniel found that Docol 600 sheet metal fit the bill, and as SSAB took an interest in the project, Daniel is now provided with all the steel he needs.
By Anne Margrethe Mannerfelt
Photo: Redbull