Riaan soloed at the Bloemfontein Gliding Club in 1991 and has been instructing there for over 25 years, currently as CFI. He was the South African Nationals contest director from 2002 to 2006. His most notable adventures in gliding are locating and rescuing atmospherically challenged glider pilots across South Africa, Namibia, Germany and Spain. Riaan is adept at handling unforeseen events and holds the club record for most breakdowns on a tractor.

Resident in Bloemfontein with his wife and three children, he spends most of his non-gliding life trying to understand how computer programs work.