Red Bull Air Race

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JohnBM01

JohnBM01

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The Red Bull Air Race World Championship features an intense and exciting competition featuring a handful of brave pilots and fast light planes. The events of the Red Bull Air Race take place in many different venues around the world. The goal of these events is to score the best possible time in your flight making as few penalties as possible. You have to fly through a set of pylons requiring different maneuvers. For example, you may have to cross through one pylon gate by looping through it. You have to point the plane at a certain angle or fly at a certain level crossing the gate. I can tell you that the precision and the skill of these pilots are almost on the same level as Formula 1 racers.

In a sense, I often liken the Red Bull Air Race more like autocross or even rally, but more like autocross. Only this is more like aerial autocross. Two of the such planes that fly in this series Zikvo Edge 540 and the MXS-R. Perhaps the best pilot of us American folks is Kirby Chambliss. Pilots from around the world compete in this series. There aren't too many young pilots in this series. In one event, I think the youngest pilot from this past season was 38 years old. So maybe there can be a push to maybe find some pilots 30 or younger.

If you've never seen a Red Bull Air Race event, I think you're in for a treat. This video gives you an idea of what the Red Bull Air Race is all about:



Exciting, huh? For 2016, the season begins in March with the first stop in Abu Dhabi. Seven more venues are included along with Japan, beautiful Budapest, and two American events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 2016 season is an eight-round affair around a number of amazing places.

To learn more about the Red Bull Air Race, visit http://www.redbullairrace.com .


I set up this thread to discuss the goings on of the Red Bull Air Race series. So come on in and chat if this action interests you.
 
I love aviation, so I should probably attend one of these events when they're near me.
 
I don't know my planes too well. I do have some knowledge of some of the planes raced in this series. The precision in weaving through the huge pylons is incredible. I am often impressed how easily the pilots can execute quick rolls and flying at certain angles through the gates. Some events seem to have some gates be problem areas for some pilots because of being at a poor angle when crossing or something. The last thing you want to do is straight out take out a pylon. A foul like that will add some serious seconds to your flight, so try to keep the plane within the pylons as much as possible.

You can look around online for more videos of the Red Bull Air Race just to see all of the amazing flights and flying talent racing in the series.
 
I know more about military aircraft than commercial, private, and competition, so my knowledge about how each stunt plane performs is very little. One thing I did hear is that on some stunt planes, they have an extended edge on the wings. I it points forward, so it allows the pilot to roll the plane much more sharply. It essentially jams into the wind, and forces the wing to roll.
 
Besenyei's retirement was a rather emotional affair. It was nice to see the sincerity of all the pilots, no rivaries, no grudges or ill feelings, just respect for his success.

Looking forward to 2016. Come on Mr Arch. :D
 
This is the schedule for the 2016 season. Make some plans if you can make it out to these events and want to see the action live:

* Mar. 10-11: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
* Apr. 23-24: Spielberg, Austria
* ???. ??-??: (Japan)
* July 16-17: Budapest, Hungary
* Aug. 13-14: Ascot, England, United Kingdom
* Sep. 3-4: Lausitzring, Germany
* Oct. 1-2: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
* Oct. 15-16: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

It would be cool to see one of these events. I've been to the Wings Over Houston Air Show a number of times, but I'd love to imagine what it would be like seeing these planes in action flying through the pylons.
 
Next weekend, the first event of the 2016 season will begin in Abu Dhabi. It will be the first chance to see these pilots fly their way around the pylons. It is always entertaining seeing these pilots fly these light planes with F1-like precision.
 
JohnBM01
Next weekend, the first event of the 2016 season will begin in Abu Dhabi. It will be the first chance to see these pilots fly their way around the pylons. It is always entertaining seeing these pilots fly these light planes with F1-like precision.
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I guess you can call it the "Formula One of the Sky," even if the events are solo runs.
 
There's a reason the average age of the pilots is higher than most forms of motorsport...because the learning curve to do this is much much higher than for any kind of road racing, or most any other sport for that matter.

Today, the average F1 or top level sports car driver begins their racing career when they are less than 10 years old, many as early as 4 years old. You will never see a 4 year old learning to fly an aeroplane.

As far as I know, the youngest a person can be to get a pilot's license (note you cannot go to a "private airfield" and fly without a license, it just doesn't work like that) is 16. By the time many F1 drivers are 16, they have 10 years of experience under their belts - an equivelent pilot would be 26.

Next, getting a pilot's license is one thing, but you also need to get a stunt plane endorcement on your license to be allowed to fly these planes, which takes several hundred hours of flying time to be eligible for. Plus I think they have ejection seats in them now, which also require a lot of credentials to be allowed to operate.

There's also the cost of getting into a racing plane. You think racing cars is expensive?? Add a few zeros and commas when it comes to flying.

On top of that, there's "where do you learn this stuff?" There aren't too many places around the world that offer training for this kind of advanced flying. Unless you have very close personal connections, the most likely place to learn advanced precision flying is through a military - in which case, you're probably not starting until you are 18. If you do make it through a military flight training program, and happen to be good enough to fly fast jets, you more than likely don't become a free man to choose to do this kind of stuff until you are in your mid to late 20s, at the earliest. Most pilots are in their 30s at least before they leave the service.

Lastly, the progression along the path to pushing the limits of speed and control is extremely gradual, as when you start flying anywhere close to the ground or obstacles, the consequences for mistakes are black and white.

This is a sport for men, not for boys.
 
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Excellent points, @twitcher! With F1, your race can be ruined by multiple factors like other drivers and pit crew mistakes. With RBAR, you are held accountable for almost everything that can go wrong (Aside from bird strikes, mechanical issues, etc).
 
Dan
Excellent points, @twitcher! With F1, your race can be ruined by multiple factors like other drivers and pit crew mistakes. With RBAR, you are held accountable for almost everything that can go wrong (Aside from bird strikes, mechanical issues, etc).
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And there's no paved runoff to slide across and then gently bounce off of a tire wall ;)

Edit: I should correct myself, this is a sport for men/women, not boys/girls. There are some damn good female pilots out there.
 
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Later today on FOX Sports 1 (2:00 PM EDT), there is supposed to be a highlight show on one of the latest rounds of the Red Bull Air Race from beautiful Budapest, Hungary. The race already happened back on the July 16-17 weekend.

The next round of the 2016 championship at this point is in Ascot, England, UK on the weekend of August 13-14.
 
Heads up! NBCSN is showing the Red Bull Air Race series right now! The round being featured is from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It used to be FOX Sports 1 showing this. Now it's NBCSN showing this exciting series.
 
Time to resurrect this a bit.

So this year the final event was at Texas Motor Speedway. Didn't get to see the Challenger Division run, but did catch the Masters. Even though they don't race each other directly, it's still exciting as hell. I'll post pictures once my hands fully thaw, but first I need to know if the race broadcast has already happened for the rest of y'all.
 
I love the amount of skill and the real technique applied competing in these events. Haven't seen Red Bull Air Race lately, but I have the utmost respect for these pilots. That even includes fellow Texan Kirby Chambliss.
 

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