What is the Red Bull Air Race?
Air Racing is a relatively new, high-performance aviation sport. During an Air Race, a pilot is required to fly between a series of inflatable gates in a predetermined sequence in the fastest possible time.
What date will the Red Bull Air Race be in Perth in 2010?
The Perth event will be held on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 April 2010. Red Bull Air Race GmbH are currently finalising the rest of the 2010 World Championship calendar.
Will I need hearing protection whilst at the Air Race?
No, the noise generated by the planes is not loud enough to warrant hearing protection.
Who invented the sport?
The Air Race concept was created by Red Bull in conjunction with Hungarian pilot Peter Besenyei.
What types of planes are flown in the race?
The planes flown in the Red Bull Air Race include the Edge 540, Extra 300S and Extra 300SHP. The Extra and the Edge are considered to be the best-suited aircraft for the Red Bull Air Race: they have an appealing mixture of precision, agility and acceleration.
Has the World Championship format changed for 2009?
The new format features a Qualifying Day with all pilots racing to be one of the ten fastest to take them directly through to the Top 12 session on Race Day. For the first time ever, Qualifying will also be a race for one World Championship point which will be awarded to the pilot with the best time in Qualifying. A Wild Card session opens Race Day with the five slowest from Qualifying getting a second chance by battling it out for the final two spots in the Top 12. The fastest eight from the Top 12 advance to the Super 8 and the four fastest go all-out against the clock in the Final 4 – with the fastest pilot being declared the winner.
Are the Air Races always staged at air bases?
The locations vary from country to country. Air Races are often staged at airstrips for obvious reasons, but they can also be staged over cities, over water and over areas of natural beauty. Sometimes the Air Race forms part of an established air show, on other occasions it is a stand-alone event.
What are the gates made from?
The inflatable air gates consist of two pylons made from an ultra-light spinnaker material that rips if it is touched by a plane. The gates stand 20m high and 10 to 14m separates each pylon. If a plane hits a gate, then the pylon collapses immediately. It presents no danger to the pilot and can be inflated again in a matter of minutes. The Quadro is a gate made from four pylons.
How do pilots cross the gates?
The pilots must cross the gates in different ways. They must cross at the correct height and also in a specified horizontal or vertical (knife-edge) way. Penalty seconds are added to the time if they do not perform a correct crossing.
Can a pilot be disqualified?
A pilot can be disqualified for a number of reasons, all related to dangerous flying. For example, flying too low to the ground or touching a pylon with his propeller.
How can I find out more information about the Red Bull Air Race, the pilots and the rules?
Visit the Red Bull Air Race official website.