Jonáš Horáček, a very promising young pilot. At the age of 21, he is already a matador pilot who has participated not only in World Cup races, but also in the PWC Super Final. He is a multiple junior winner of the Czech league and paragliding cup. For another 4 years, he will be a member of the talented youth and during its existence he mostly collected what he could and if not, it was not that he did not have enough performance to win the category, but that he lacked time, because flying is not the only Jonášmy hobby.
The pilot, who was born into an aviation and engineering family, started flying very soon after obtaining his pilot's license at the age of 15.
For a long time he flew on the EN-B Advance Iota category wing and already at that time confused the heads of many performance pilots, whom he not only kept up with with his wing category, but they often couldn't keep up with him.
He later upgraded to a higher-class wing – the Omega X-Alps, and the next season he already flew the Enza, which he tamed very captivatingly. When it flies Jonáš, you see a pilot connected to his wing. Graceful flights, take-offs, landings, very good orientation in the air, knowledge of thermodynamics, terrain, hours flown and several attempts for first place in LA 200 km FAI triangle.
Jonášhis record outside of competitive flying, i.e. in the Czech paragliding cup, is 182,48 km FAI - i.e. a triangle with a return.
After a very successful year before last, Jonáš he got into the top ten of the world rankings, from which he dropped for almost a year's racing break, due to circumstances that unfortunately could not be solved otherwise.
Jonáš follows the life path of his grandfather, designer Jindra Horáček (3TP wing), studies a demanding university - mechanical engineering in Prague, the completion of which is a priority for him. We all very much wish that Jonáš he managed the state and we could meet him this August at the first ever Junior XC Paragliding World Championship in Tolmin, where he would be a very strong candidate for the leading positions.
S Jonášem was interviewed in Pilot magazine in 2022 - you can read it below:
Jonáši, thanks for making time between the holidays for an interview like this, you have an exam before
period. what are you studying
I'm in my first year studying at CTU, currently majoring in general engineering. I'll see what I choose as
a follow-up field of study, perhaps it will be an aerospace engineer. But for now I am
at the beginning. I don't know what I will enjoy.
Going back to LA 2021 season, you participated in last year's World Cup based on
wild cards. What was your reaction when you received the nomination to participate in the competition?
It was quite unexpected, I didn't expect to get a wild card at all. I was glad. He was
I am seventh in the order of who should go (i.e. if the Czech national team got 7 places from
organizer), so I didn't expect to be able to get there at all. Then Petra (note
Petra Slívová – team leader of the XC team) called that some nominees had canceled their participation,
that's how I got there. And I was very surprised.
How was your preparation for the championship?
So, the championship was in November and I haven't flown since August. The last races are completely for me
they didn't go well, so I took a break from competitions and I'm in Argentina after two or three months
he flew again. But I think it helped me a lot. When a person is always flying and trying to do
good results, then it is harmful and loses motivation. That break is sometimes needed there too.
And then I managed to get some nice results.
Certainly, the first championship and immediately a team medal...
Well, I wasn't on the team, so my scores didn't count…
... but your flying greatly helped the team's great result and they announced you together with
by the team…
Yes, that was nice.
You did joint preparations before each task, or how it goes on the big ones
international competitions?
The evening before the task, or the morning when Petra came from the briefing. The organizer had already published it
track, we loaded the tasks into the devices, we looked at where and how we could fly.
It was evaluated how who is doing in terms of points, who has what "scratches". So we wondered who would
could take risks and who must fly with a group to be safe.
So did the team spirit work a lot?
Exactly, I liked it a lot. The first thing that happened was that Honza Jareš got on and said that we are not here
for solo results, but we are here for the team, and mainly to help each other. We all are
tuned to the same frequency. We tried to communicate in the air. And I think that's enough
it worked well. When someone was in front, he reported to the group behind that it was there
he doesn't go much, get over it. I think this is a big advantage when communicating like this.
When you compete with the world's top paragliders, do you get inspired by their flight tactics?
As a result, it works in such a way that the teams also help each other a little - they communicate with each other,
they share information when they know something, and a lot is also communicated at the briefing. And what
in terms of inspiration from other teams, it is definitely the English and the French. You can see her there
good communication, each of them has a handsfree in their helmet and they communicate with each other. And I think
I think this is quite noticeable at the big races.
What are your plans for next season?
Now it's study and exam period. The boys persuaded me that we will fly to Brazil in the spring
to the world cup, so that's by far the biggest thing ahead of me. Of course
championship of the Czech Republic, and then I would like to go to other World Cup races
(PWC), for example, one of its rounds is scheduled to take place in Macedonia. Then the Alpine competitions, Ikarus,
austrian league, we'll see.
That's a lot of interesting racing plans to study. Cool. You still have some time left
training? Are you still in the young talent program, do you still participate in camps within the program?
Not much anymore, I try to go on dating sites in the spring, because of the party. And I would like to go too
in autumn at SIVlka, if there is room.
You come from an aviation family. Your grandfather, Jindřich Horáček, designed and sewed the first parachutes in
Czech, mom and dad also flew. It was clear that you would also be involved in air sports,
or did you "have a chance" to do other sports and hobbies?
My family didn't push me to fly, I didn't have it right away, like "you'll get your papers at fifteen
and you will fly”. It was my initiative. At the age of eleven I expressed an interest that I would like to
to fly and my grandfather supported me in this, he explained things to me, we went to the airport together. First of all
I skied competitively as a child. Then I had some health problems, so I did
I got into yachting and windsurfing and flying only later. I knew dad flew, but hey
would lead me to do so... not at all. But of course they support me in this when they saw that
I started to enjoy it.
To sum it up, you have been involved in "wind sports", so knowledge and awareness of the flow
air, wind, meteorology did you acquire from an early age?
Before he started sewing parachutes, my grandfather was a competitive yachtsman, so it was one and the same. He also sewed
sailing sails and went on a boat, so I went with him to Croatia, to the sea. Me too
probably "got".
And then paragliding. Did air win over water?
At first I thought that I would fly a glider, because I spent most of my time at the airport in
Hodkovice. But then I tried the parachute once and it was clear to me that it would be more for
me. I found it more sporty. One takes a bagel on one's back and sets out for the hill and does not have to go anywhere
sitting at the airport waiting for the tow truck to come for him.
So you can have gliding "hidden" for the future, they have become some good paragliders
good glider pilots…
I'm not thinking about it yet, it's a long way off. Maybe until I can't walk... Now you reminded me of the aviation legend Bambus (Vlastimil Klikar), who with two
he still does paragliding with leg endoprostheses and does not ride a glider because of his major
specialties include taking off from any starting point :-)) But we turned that to flying with us.
But you also flew valuable triangles in the Alps, which many seasoned pilots dream of.
From your point of view, what is flying in the Alps like?
Flying in the Alps is my favorite. I think it's the most beautiful flying - the views...
Well, but how are you going to fly such a "peky" on an EN B parachute? Reveal…
It's one thing to catch the conditions. One has to move in the crowd that follows
the forecast, and when the weather is right, they plan the triangles. It's always the same thing,
so there is not much to think about where it will fly. We will choose the optimal track with regard to
the valleys, as the hills will be lit during the day, so that it comes out that way. And the second thing is that
I studied a lot of literature about flying. The book Termika by
Burkhard Martens, year of publication 2017. Everything is beautifully explained there, where it would
it was possible to walk in the Alps, and where not to fly, what to avoid. So that helped me
much. There are nice pictures, thanks to which you can imagine it in your head,
when it flies.
And do you evaluate the weather yourself?
No, we have a WhatsApp group again, where we write that we could do it. It will be planned
quick attack on the weather, you don't want to step on the Antholz twice anyway. That's three hours with
with a bagel on his back. You can't do that two days in a row when you're still flying for ten hours.
So it's more like a collective work on the best selection of the right weather?
Jo.
You already mentioned the book Termika. what other materials do you use?
Now, before the championship, I watched the videos of Babiste Lambert, a young Frenchman
a pilot who films various tactical videos. And as far as theory is concerned, he just gave me a lot
grandfather, who, among other things, collaborated on Richard Plos's legendary textbook Paragliding.
There wasn't much about this issue anywhere at the time, so grandpa was able to figure it out,
derive and explain theoretically. He was a mechanical engineer, albeit in the textile industry, but whatever he wanted,
he learned that. He bought piles of books, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics. So I have it
now a bunch after him.
(Here we are stuck talking about an upcoming book on the history of paragliding, authored by –
in addition to other personalities of Czech paragliding - Mr. Horáček also gave interviews. Jonáš
he summed it up in such a way that it will be quite difficult for the author to choose a "golden middle path", like that
could be :-))
Do you think that the theoretical knowledge of aerodynamics, which your grandfather passed on to you from a young age, decided about
that you fly so well? Because you definitely spent more time on it than on a regular course
paragliding…
It helps a lot in the beginning. When a person doesn't know much about theory, he flies, he doesn't know anything
air happens and he can't explain it. The moment you know the theory, you know how the
the air probably behaves, and what happens in it, and then if something happens to you - a wing flaps, you fly away
to leeward - so you say to yourself "oh, I did this", put it together and rationalize it somehow
you explain rather than trying to come up with some theories of your own as to what it could be. AND
how many times it seems to me that various funny concepts and theories among skydivers are…
Have you flown on your grandfather's 3TP parachute?
Yes, when I was little, I parachuted down Hodkovice after my mother...
So now you don't have an up-to-date comparison?
No. I started on a wing from Sky, then an Advance Iota 2, then I had an Omega. I'm flying now
Ozone Enzo 3.
What is your view on the promotion of paragliding on social networks, where many young people
pilots want to show off? Does paragliding help or hurt?
It depends... When they do really "tricky" things that end up stupid, of course it doesn't help.
But when they make "good caravin", for example in cooperation with RedBull, then again a lot of people like it
he says it's "really thick", and that makes for good advertising.
Will you make videos like this too ;-)?
I hope so, I would like to do some such projects someday. I would now like to start with
friends to move more in the Alps on the skialps. So then I would like to do ascents and descents.
Aaron Durogatti inspires me a lot, he's great at flying, he does acrobatics, and he's big
alpinist, mountaineer. But it is due to the fact that he grew up in the center of the Alps and that he has been doing it since he was a child.
This way from the Czech Republic is a little more difficult 🙂
So winter Hike & Fly or acro? :-))
Actually, I would like to get into acrobatics as soon as possible, because it is a good preparation for racing. AND
to Hike & Fly too, but I think that now I will learn to fly well on the flyover and
then I will have a greater advantage with Hike & Fly. If I only did Hike & Fly now, that's it
I will train, but I won't learn to fly that well again. That is the question….I would definitely like to k
Get Hike & Fly, but when there is more time, maybe after school...
So Hike & Fly is not in the plans now?
Absolutely not. I had planned to fly overflights and Hike & Fly, but my light gear was rolling
at home, so I sold it because I flew it twice a season. I say the most expensive
the parachute is the one that rolls at home so I sold it…
When I flew a year ago with the old flight equipment, I would still Hike & Fly with it
races, but this season I wouldn't bother with it anymore. The wing with everything will be 35
kilo. Parachutes and seats have started to differ a lot, depending on what you fly,
whether flights, Hike & Fly or acro. That wasn't the case before either.
It's something for something, either you have comfort on flights or light equipment...
Certainly, and as I found out, you can't do it at the big races without proper racing equipment.
That's where the differences are made.
We talked a little bit about the plans for the next season, what are your long-term plans and dreams?
I talked about acrobatics, I'd like to work on that next season, but we'll see how it goes
it will come out in time. The "blue two-kilo" (200km FAI triangle, editor's note) in the Czech Republic is also still there
it wasn't, so if it works out, that's kind of my goal for the future. I like to fly in the Czech Republic - when
the weather is nice, it's nice A person flies over what he knows from the ground and can then take it
view from the air. ... But even though I like the Czech Republic, I would like to go on a study stay to
some alpine countries, and if possible, fly there as much as possible.