The Red Bull Air Race combines low-altitude flying with extreme precision. While fans watch planes navigate an obstacle course at 230 miles per hour, they often miss the incredible engineering and physical demands behind the scenes. For instance, the famous pylons are made of a delicate material that rips instantly upon impact. Furthermore, many of these daredevil pilots hold regular day jobs flying passengers to their vacations. Prepare for takeoff with the aerial gladiators.
Red Bull Air Race
The pylons are made of lightweight spinnaker fabric. Engineers designed the 25-meter high cones using the same material found in boat sails. This fabric rips immediately if a plane hits it, which ensures the aircraft sustains absolutely no damage during a collision.
A special crew called “Airgators” repairs the track in minutes. If a pilot slices a pylon, this team rushes out on a boat to replace it. They use a system of zippers and Velcro to swap the damaged section so the race can continue without a long delay.
Pilots endure higher G-forces than Formula 1 drivers. While a race car driver might experience 5G in a corner, air race pilots routinely pull up to 12G during a vertical turn. They must squeeze their leg and stomach muscles violently to keep blood in their brains and avoid passing out.
The planes are lighter than a small city car. A fully race-ready Zivko Edge 540 weighs only about 530 kilograms (1,168 pounds). This incredibly low weight allows the engine to pull the aircraft vertically into the sky with virtually no resistance.
Mechanics drill holes in parts to save weight. Teams obsess over every single gram on the aircraft. They often drill holes in non-structural components, like washers and brackets, to shave off a fraction of an ounce and gain a speed advantage.
Pilots use “shark skin” tape to reduce drag. Crews apply a special textured adhesive to the wings and fuselage. This microscopic texture mimics the skin of a shark, which smooths the airflow over the surface and makes the plane fly faster.
The “Smoke On” command is a safety rule, not just for show. Officials require pilots to activate their smoke trails when they enter the track. This makes the wake turbulence visible to the next pilot and helps the judges track the flight path with precision.
A single race resulted in a plane crashing into a river. In 2010, Brazilian pilot Adilson Kindlemann hit the water of the Swan River in Perth. Rescue divers extracted him within seconds, and he survived with only minor injuries, proving the incredible safety of the cockpit capsule.
Paul Bonhomme flies Boeing 747s for a living. The most successful pilot in the history of the sport is also a commercial airline captain. He famously switched between flying high-speed aerobatics on weekends and ferrying passengers across the Atlantic during the week.
The start speed has a strict limit of 200 knots. Pilots must not enter the course faster than 230 miles per hour. If they exceed this speed, they risk pulling too many Gs in the first turn, so the computer system automatically disqualifies them for safety reasons.
Lasers measure the timing to a fraction of a second. The difference between winning and losing is often less than the blink of an eye. Therefore, the timing system uses advanced lasers that are accurate to one-ten-thousandth of a second.
The propeller tips spin near the speed of sound. The engine spins the three-bladed propeller so fast that the tips scream through the air. This creates the distinctive, buzzing roar that fans hear as the planes approach the race track.
Red Bull Air Race pilots wear a G-suit filled with water, not air. Unlike military pilots who use air-filled suits, these racers use a “libelle” suit filled with liquid. The fluid reacts instantly to G-forces and squeezes the pilot without the need for a connection to the plane’s systems.
The “Challenger Class” trains the next generation. Before a pilot can join the Master Class, they must prove themselves in a standard aircraft. This feeder league ensures that only the most skilled and safe aviators graduate to the main competition.
Finally, the Red Bull Air Race held a race inside a car racing speedway. In 2016, the pilots flew inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They navigated the pylons directly over the famous asphalt oval, bringing two worlds of racing together for the first time.
