Who is Peter?
Hi there,
My name is Peter Dottax, and I live in Idre (Mid) and Jokkmokk (Northern) Sweden (in Scandinavia) together with my girlfriend, Emily and our Rottweiler, Sierra (guess where that name came from)! 🙂
I was born in 1977 (now, 48 years old at the time of writing) in a town called Alings̴s (South Western Sweden Рnear Gothenburg).
Unfortunately I have not had a very similar love for aviation as most people I’ve met. I flew quite a lot as a passenger in my 20’s as I worked basically everywhere in Sweden by then. I am a Microsoft Certified Trainer since 1997, but my main work is as a SharePoint Expert since 2001. Well – not expert by 2001, but after a few years and onwards. Due to the lack of work in one location I flew quite frequently. Probably 4-6 flights per week for more than 15 years until I was on a flight which flew into CAT (Clear Air Turbulence) when travelling from New York to Paris. Not knowing squat about the term CAT and what it was – I can tell you that the experience was shit! Absolutely dreadfull. People flew around like gloves in the aircraft, coffee all over, bread flying here and there, and people screaming… constantly screaming. Me? I was squeezing my little piece of bread for the life of me. Just hoping to be able to eat it soon.
All went well – as most incidents like this do, but it was scary as hell. I arrived to Paris, and all people not wearing seatbelts ended up pretty banged up – so ambulances picked up more than 15 people for medical attention. Now the new life began for me. When I was supposed to go home – I couldn’t for the life of me enter the aircraft. I didn’t know that I was that messed up after the experience, but there I was. Looking at the big bird, but did not want to be apart of such experience again. Very strange feeling as that was my main transportation for so long.
Fast forward..
In 2022 I read about an education starting up in the small town of Idre (about 680 permanent inhabitants – but more than 20,000 during winter times as this is a Holiday center for many). The education was towards PPL (Private Pilot License) – and the theoretical part of this class felt as a great way to actually start understanding what happened many years ago, and maybe, just maybe – be able to travel again – which I have not been doing for many years.
During this training towards becoming a pilot – which I never in my life intended – at all.. I met John Burman. A pilot with expereince from small to large aircrafts. I got such a big boost of confidence in just talking to John, and actually got my very first feeling that it was not impossible at all that I might end up flying together with him or someone else that I got such a trust from. In a small aircraft. But in that old Cessna 172 from heavens know when, or the Piper PA-28 from the stoneage… no. Big NO. NEVER!
All class mates started to take lessons, but not me. I was not interested at all actually. Until one day when a trainer came along which had a rather new aircraft. Never seen it previously, but it turned out to be a 2017 Eurostar. Small plane it was and I’m quite a tall one (6’4″ or 195cm). But the trust I for the trainer led me to take a ride with him. And I was sold. Aviation was something that I should pursue.
Why RV-10?
Well – the choice was never obvious for me. I couldn’t think of flying anything other than what I was schooled in (Diamond DA40). I actually choose Flight School by aircraft. I read a lot, and due to the safe characteristics of the DA40, it felt like the right plane to school in, and the academy was a great one. For me. Located in my old hometown of Gothenburg which I have been living in for at least 15 years, SPU (Svensk Pilotutbildning) was a perfect choice.
I actually started a pre buy of a DA40 in 2023, but never went through with the buy in the end. I figured that I have to be able to get a simliarly safe plane but more current. I should not need to sit in a 20-25 year old plane after spending about (the equivalence of) 300,000 USD. So I researched, and remembered my firend John Burman which gave me such a confidence to just try this out. He was talking about the RV-10 and that this aircraft was his dream to build.
Fast forward (again)…
Here I am – building the 10.
Am I a builder?
Well – now I am. At least.
Previously I was not. Everyone was not – to start with. Every builder started out with not knowing anything about building an aircraft – and then suddenly they do know a lot. I started the journey in August 2023 – ordering the Empennage Kit, which was delivered in February 2024 (due to the reconstruction of VANS). Managed to get my kit orderd so I was two weeks late for getting the old price. I had to accept the price change, and the calculations went to hell, pretty much.
So.. The journey to become a builder started in February 2024 with the Empennage Kit. I can now say that I AM a builder.