Red
Bull Air Racing
Now,
there is something new in air racing. The Red Bull Air Race World Series
is as different from conventional air racing as Formula One is from
NASCAR. Sponsored by Red Bull Energy Drinks, the series was introduced
in Europe in 2003 with only a half-dozen competitors, but it was
remarkably successful.
A
product of the fertile imagination of aerobatic pilot Peter Besenyei,
the Red Bull Air Race is different from anything you’ve seen before. In
keeping with the vertical and inverted nature of aerobatic flying,
three-time world aerobatic champion Besenyei reasoned that airplane
racing should be more of a three-dimensional sport, and accordingly, the
Red Bull races are a cross between high-G, low-level, air-show
manoeuvres and conventional, closed-course pylon racing.
Pilots fly individually against the clock on a tight, 2,000-meter course
that keeps most of the action directly in front of the crowd rather than
several miles away. Competitors must fly a specific attitude (usually
knife-edge or straight-and-level) between five sets of inflated pylon
gates that stand only 60 feet tall, meanwhile manoeuvring through a
slalom-style course. Distance between the twin rubber cones that
comprise each gate varies from 33 to 45 feet, depending upon the
difficulty of the entry and exit manoeuvres. Despite the tight course,
racers typically reach speeds as high as 250 mph on some diving
recoveries. Turns between pylons can be so tight that they demand an
up-and-over in order to make the radius to the next pylon gate.
Pilots not only must navigate the course between pylon pairs in minimum
time, they’re required to execute specific manoeuvres during the flight,
usually a four-point roll, a two-of-four-point vertical roll, two
low-level knife-edge passes in opposite directions between two pylons
and a 11⁄4 vertical roll-up followed immediately by a touch-and-go
landing on a specified section of adjacent runway. The latter sounds
almost impossible out of a near-vertical dive, so Besenyei made it even
tougher. To compound the difficulty, the runway touchdown mat is only 39
feet long, and penalties are assessed if the aircraft touches ground
outside the centre 12-foot target zone.
There are three possible flight plans for the course to keep things
challenging for the racers and interesting for spectators. All use the
same basic plan form, but specify different manoeuvres in varied
sequences. Time penalties of two, five or 10 seconds are assessed for
flying too high through the pylons, any in-complete or missed manoeuvre,
missing or touching a pylon and failing to touch down inside the
designated zone on the touch-and-go. To be competitive, a racer must fly
the course clean, with no deductions. In a recent competition, the
winning margin was only .03 seconds.
(Interestingly, one cause for total disqualification is “hitting an
obstacle with one’s propeller.” This has happened several times,
fortunately, with no consequence worse than a bruised ego. Pylons are
made of thin rubber designed to disintegrate on contact. So while a
collision may be temporarily disorienting, it’ll simply destroy the
pylon, not the airplane.)
Unlike standard, closed-course pylon racing where virtually any decent
pilot with a penchant for speed, reasonable formation skills and enough
money to afford a race plane can compete, Red Bull racing demands expert
aerobatic skills plus a fast, highly manoeuvrable airplane and a
willingness to fly close to the edge. By definition, all competitors
must be comfortable flying their aircraft to the limits of the
performance and control envelope, a special skill confined to a select
group of aviators and a special type of airplane.
Red Bull kicked off the series in 2003 with two events, one in Austria
and the other in Peter Besenyei’s home country of Hungary. In 2004, the
schedule included three races, two in Europe and the third in the U.S.
The first of the 2004 events was held in June at Kemble Air Day in
Gloucestershire, U.K., the second in August at Budapest, Hungary. The
latter race attracted several hundred thousand fans who lined the banks
of Budapest’s Danube River to witness a wild race on a course that
demanded a flight beneath the city’s famous Chain Bridge. (Imagine
trying to get the UK CAA to approve that.)
The final race of the season was held in conjunction with the world’s
premier racing venue, the 41st Annual National Championship Air Races in
Reno, Nev. Eight pilots flew in each of the competitions, and the Red
Bull Air Race World Series Championship was decided at the Reno event.
The eight pilots who were invited to compete for the top prize at Reno
included some of the best aviators from the U.S. and Europe. All are
former or current national or world aerobatic champions or established
air-show performers.
Predictably, the pilots fly some of the world’s most agile
high-performance aerobatic mounts. The French CAP 232 is a dedicated
aerobatic airplane that has carried its pilots to more world medals than
any other type. Walter Extra’s remarkable German Extra 300 is a total
favourite of air-show performers around the world, and they include U.S.
Aerobatic Champion Patty Wag-staff. The Russian Sukhoi has been a star
on the aerobatic circuit for years, both in its initial SU-26 and later
SU-31 versions. Perhaps the most popular of the Red Bull aircraft,
however, is the Edge 540, an all-American product.
more information is available on the
Red Bull website
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