Our Crew - Flying Aces

Runar Vassbotten

CEO and co-founder of the Norwegian Flying Aces.

He’s all hands on with overall control of the company.

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Runar is born into an aviation family, growing up around aircraft in his father workshop at Notodden Airport. At a young age, he became an aircraft technician rated for a range of business jet aircraft and all single piston aircraft.

He is also the co-founder of Pilot Flight Academy, one of the largest flight schools in Europe, and CEO of Scandinavian Aircraft, the Diamond Aircraft dealer for the Nordic countries.

He is an experienced pilot flying historic aircraft, seaplanes, aircraft on skis, aerobatics and is the holder of display authorization.

Rolf Meum

Chief Pilot & mentor

Magne Solberg

Magne Solberg, Assistant Chief Pilot of the Norwegian Flying Aces.

He’s responsible for the flight operations in the company.

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Magne started his career in the Royale Norwegian Airforce, as a 2nd Lieutenant. He worked with Air Defence for around 4 years at Ørland Main Air Base. As he worked there he took his Privat Pilot Lisence in Ørland Aeroclub. After the Airforce he moved to FL, USA to attend Flight School for 2 years, before he moved back to Norway with Commercial Pilot Lisence and Flight Instructor Lisences. He got his first job at Hesnes Air, flying Super King Air B200 and Citation Encore C560. He became Captain after only a year, and later the companies Manager Crew Training and Line Training Captain. After 7 years flying Biz Jet he started working in Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) as a First Officer on the B737 where he works today.

Besides flying in SAS he’s the Head Of Training of Notodden & Kongsberg Aeroclub, the Airshow Manager of Telemark Airshow and a Part-time Flight Instructor and Flight Examiner at Pilot Flight Academy. He’s an experienced pilot/flight instructor/flight examiner flying different types of land- airplanes and seaplanes.

Andre HÅkensen

A pilot for Norwegian Flying Aces since 2016. Checked out on Spitfire in 2024 to become our new Flying Spitfire pilot.

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Trained as an aircraft mechanic and currently working as an aircraft technician at Norwegian in Gardermoen.

Has been involved in restoring, repairing, and building several vintage aircraft.

Started flying gliders in 1997, at the age of 15.

Trained as a glider instructor in 2002
Approximately 450 hours of glider flight time

Started flying small aircraft in 2000, trained on an Auster tailwheel aircraft from 1946.

Checked out for aerobatics, Saab Safir, and Tiger Moth in 2002
Trained as a display pilot in spring 2003
Trained as an instructor in 2006
Checked out on Harvard in 2008
Checked out on PT-17 Stearman in 2013
Started flying with Norwegian Flying Aces in 2016
Checked out on Spitfire in 2024

Has logged over 2600 flight hours, most of them on vintage aircraft, and over 2000 hours on tailwheel aircraft.

Marcus Olsson

Aircraft Technician and pilot

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Marcus first held the controls of an airborne aircraft while sitting on his fathers lap at the age of 1. During his childhood years he would be flying RC-planes and occasionally accompany his father in the cockpit of a Cessna 172. It was not until his father got his tail wheel rating on an ex-Royal Norwegian Air Force L-18C Piper Cub that his aircraft mania, primarily for vintage aircraft, ignited.

He was at the age of 13 landing the L-18C Cub on his own from the rear seat with his father teaching from the front. Due to his early and many experiences in the L-18C Cub and later 8KCAB Decathlon, he has been able to get his endorsements on our vintage WW2 era aircraft at a fairly young age, being born in 1998. He got his aerobatic rating before joining our team early in 2021 and has equally as much experience flying the Stearman and Harvard upside down as straight and level.

In addition to being a pilot of vintage aircraft he is also heavily involed in the maintenance of our aircraft, working as an aircraft technician at Flyteknisk Notodden during they day, with approval to release all single engine piston aircraft from service.