Kathrin as glider pilot.
SHE is “HOT NEWS”, …maybe even a trending topic on one of the social media during the AERO, …Gerhard Marzinzik from the prestigious AEROKURIER in Germany wrote an article about her and her art and I was trying to reach her for a week. Who is SHE???
When I noticed the great flyers from the AERO in Friedrichshafen I was more than impressed! The style was typically “the signature” of pilotessa design, no doubt about that. So I wanted to know more about the person behind it, Kathrin Wötzel, about her ART, her soaring and life. AND, …we will see more from these fantastic colourful flyers at the AERO and her stand full of impressive digital paintings, as she told me ” we are planning to do many things together in the future”.
Isn’t it great to combine passion for gliding with passion for art about aviation???
Her stand in Friedrichshafen at the AERO.
Artwork for pilots, from a pilot, is written on her site.
YES, Kathrin is for most of us a well known glider pilot, but some might not know her as an artist.
Hope this blog helps to change that now!
I write a lot about soaring-families, she is a member of one to. And, …when you visit when you are young, most of the time airfields, for her Jena Schöngleina in Thuringen [Germany], the “bug bites”. That happened to her as well. She wanted to be a parachutist but it turned out different. She was at 16 a licensed glider pilot and only half a year later she was involved in competition soaring.
She is also a licensed ultra light pilot and motor- glider -pilot.
Here is what she has to say about her flying:
” I grew up more ore less on the airfield of Jena. My parents are both glider pilots and for many years they flew competitions. My dad was 3 times DDR champion, my mother flew some DDR records. Even now they are very busy as instructors of gliding, motorgliding, airplanes and ultralights.”
“Every weekend they were teaching young pilots to learn how to fly. So most of the time (every weekend and at least 4 weeks in the summer time) I was at the airfield.
But I never could do a flight as a guest, because in East Germany it was not allowed to do this. Especially for families it was not allowed to fly in one glider because of the risk to cross the bounder to West Germany…”
“So I started with 13 years to do all the theoretical stuff and on my 14th birthday I have done my first take off in glider. As I was still too young, I had to wait until my 15th birthday to have my first solo flight and finally on my 16th birthday I’v got my glider license. 3 Weeks later I completed the conditions for the Silver “C” batch. So I became the youngest Silver “C” pilot from the DDR. 6 month later I started to participate in gliding competitions. Starting from this time I have done 2-3 competitions each year.”
She was 3 times National Champion,participated in 6 WWGC’s and one EGC and won 2 times silver and once a bronze medal. She has around 3000 hours, 2700 in gliders!!!!!
In 2010 she was for a short time No. 1 on the IGC ranking list (female).
” In 1994 I participated for the first time in a gliding female competition: the German Nationals. From 1996-2011 I was member of the German National Team of gliding. My first international competition was in 1997 at Prievidza, the womans EGC, 3th place club class.
First world championship: 1999 at Leszno, the World class with the PW5 .I was very proud of my 9th place, because I was the only woman in this competition.”
Kathrin is an engineer by profession, which is something totally different than being an artist. But her art is graphic and there is maybe that ” bit of a match” with her study.
In 2008 she started PILOTESSA DESIGN. She creates art totally on the PC, using the newest and most modern techniques.
The website www.flugsucht.de shows what she does. Digital art , if you wish on request , as the basics of her art are PICTURES!!! She “translates” the picture , if necessary, according to the wishes of the customer, to a painting fitting in the house of this customer.
The effect of her art in a room.
Not only impressive big colourful designs from planes, but also books for children decorated with her designs and pictures. The idea to make such a fairy tale story specially on request for your child is just awesome. At www.pilotessadesign.com you can find it all.
Postcards with “her stamp” on it, you just want to have them!!!!
Her great looking designer-post cards.
Kathrin is a very Multi talented young lady, who even worked in Italy for 5 years in a car business as project leader and constructor.
“In 2003 I moved to Italy and we [she is the partner of Stefano Ghiorzo, ] were living in the area of Varese, cloth to Milano. I have been working for 5 years in an Italian Company. But in 2008 I decided to do my own business as an artist and graphic designer.
Why? Well, first I really wanted my own business and doing something like that. And the other reason: Stefano and I couldn’t spend much time together in the summer. We are both in the gliding national team of our country (me in Germany, Stefano in Italy) and we are spending all holidays to do our competitions in different places. Only few competitions we have done together…”
Great to hear she was very succesful at the AERO and for those who missed her art there , you can see it next year or order via the sites.
About her future in soaring she says: ” next year I’m trying to do a comeback. I will participate in the next German Nationals and try to return into the National Gliding Team. ”
Why a come back? Because she was ill for a long time.
“My biggest chance and opportunities I have had during the WWGC 2011 in Arboga / Sweden. For the whole 3 weeks a crew of the German television has accompanied my team partner Swaantje and me for a live coverage of my person… Unfortunately I was really ill and I finished with my worst result ever during a WWGC. After that I took a long time to recover from my illness. It was really a pity.”
“In the spring of 2012 I decided to return to Germany and restart to work as an engineer. For this reason I couldn’t participate on the German Nationals and of course I had to leave the German National Team …Believe me: It wasn’t an easy decision for me after being so many years a member. After Sweden until now haven’t done any more takeoff in gliding”.
I met Kathrin last year in Uvalde during the Italian party and had a talk with her. Could n’t see she has been ill, she looked terrific, so a good beginning of a new period in her life!
I had no clue she was the engine behind pilotessa design. We became Facebook friends and then the penny dropped.
We were both already in 1999 at the WGC in Bayreuth and must have been on more comps together, but never really met till Uvalde.
Kathrin is a lovely lady and she definitely deserves all success she can have in art and soaring. Good luck to her and THANK YOU KATHRIN.
