In this month’s News24 Outdoors Vodcast, driven by Ford, Riaan Manser takes singer-songwriter Ard Matthews out of his comfort zone to soar across the Cape Town skies in a tiny gyrocopter, before sitting down to discuss his love of sailing and what the outdoors means to him.

You are the sum of the five people you spend most of your time with.

Ard Matthews is someone who, if he were one of those five people, would make you a better person. So why, then, you might ask, would you throw him into a tiny little helicopter and make him fly into a blustery Cape Town sky, knowing all too well, I must add, that he is petrified of heights?

We always said we wanted our News24 Outdoors guests to primarily experience two things:

• spend a day with Riaan Manser in the outdoors; and
• do something out of their proverbial comfort zone.

We achieved that quite spectacularly here, I think.

Selfishly, I personally experienced that rewarding feeling of genuine admiration and pride – seeing him overcome something he was intensely afraid of; a feeling that serves to inspire and energise you. That is what the day spent in the outdoors with this rock star ultimately gave me.

Ard is launching his album online, song by song, and, in some way, returning to his roots of authentic, meaningful music. Showing, like he did in those lockdown concerts broadcast from his Hour Bay rooftop, that he is a maverick – an innovator that leads. And, as if he doesn’t have enough on his plate, he has fallen head over heels for Cape Town actress and model Tanya van Graan, who now, I can see so clearly, inspires his every breath.

Jean Tresfon, our generous host, is one of THE names in aerial photography and allowed us privileged access to his backyard –the skies over Cape Town and her coastline. A gyrocopter is the official term for the craft he is a master of and, in fact, one of the safest aircraft in the world – a fact Ard appreciated tremendously, I am sure. Jean is well known for his mesmerising photos of whales, sharks, and other sea life that he regularly posts on social media.

We flew from Morningstar airfield, which is a short trip up our west coast and nestled directly alongside the N7 freeway. This airfield is home to two training schools if you’re interested in getting your pilot wings or if you’re just keen on making some Top Gun vibe memories and friends – not a bad place to start.

Ard has graced global stages around the world, sailed his pirate ship from Africa to the Caribbean, and now conquered the largest volume of “outdoors” we have available to us – the big blue sky.

Rock on, brother – we as South Africans are so lucky to have you and your talents.

- Riaan Manser is a pioneering international explorer with multiple world-firsts and has joined the team as the new outdoors editor of News24 Outdoors, driven by Ford.