Red Bull Air Race Barcelona

A tailwind to the Red Bull Air Race in Barcelona

Last week, the Flying Bulls went to their final scheduled air show in Barcelona. The finale of the Red Bull Air Race on 3 and 4 October featured ?appearances? of the Corsair and BO 105. More than a million plane enthusiasts cheered as both of the Flying Bulls pilots flew over Barcelona harbour in loops and circles before and during the breaks of the last of the eight Red Bull Air Races.

The logistical planning which goes into such a performance is a secret shared by only a few. Transportation of the planes alone requires exact planning. It is not so much the route as the petrol stops which present the challenge, especially in the case of the helicopters. Rainer Wilke, the pilot responsible for the spectacular show in Barcelona, completed his journey in a manner fitting for an air race: his net travel time for the 1,400 km journey to the Catalan capital totalled a mere 6 ¼ hours. This does not include ?pit stops? at Friedrichshafen in Baden Württemberg, on the Northern side of the great Lac d?Annecy in the place of the same name and on the French Mediterranean coast in Montpellier. With a top speed of 220 km/h and a maximum flight time of just short of 3 hours in the BO105, Rainer?s fast yet still 8-hour journey in total benefitted from a powerful tailwind. But despite everything: performing in front of such a large and enthusiastic audience makes all the effort worthwhile!

04.10.2009