The Red Bull Air Race world series, which is expected to develop into a major drawcard for tourists to Perth, will take flight this Sunday on the Perth foreshore.
The Red Bull Air Race world series, which is expected to develop into a major drawcard for tourists to Perth, will take flight this Sunday on the Perth foreshore.
The racing series is staged in nine countries over nine months and the Perth race will be the final race in the 2006 world series for the 11 pilots competing. So far this year, 4.5 million spectators have attended the 2006 world series events.
The concept was introduced in 2003, and has grown into an extremely exciting event, with pilots flying individually against the clock. They have to complete tight turns through a slalom course consisting of specially designed 20-metre high pylons, known as air gates.
An army of Red Bull staff and contractors will transform Langley Park into an airport complete with 11 hangars, race control towers, runway, refuelling facilities, media station, and ‘energy station’. Six massive ‘vidiwalls’ ranging in size from 12 to 44 square metres will broadcast all the action to ensure spectators see the race close up.
All told, there are 140 tonnes of equipment, enough to fill 26 containers, which are transported from site to site by 747s. And it takes two weeks to assemble all the facilities.
The aircraft will race over a course that has been designed to optimise the view for spectators and will be over the Swan River between the Narrows Bridge and the Causeway.
Pilots will perform on a racetrack in the sky just 10m above the river at speeds approaching 400 kilometres per hour, negotiating the air gates, which are placed 10m to 14m apart. The acceleration forces produced at this speed are in excess of 10Gs.
The Perth racetrack requires pilots to perform manouevres such as half-cuban eights, half rolls, horizontal passes and knife-edge passes.
In case the knife-edge pass is more ‘knife’ than ‘pass’, the air gates, which are made of very light material, are designed to disintegrate and collapse without any damage or danger to the aircraft. A damaged air gate can be replaced in three minutes.
The aircraft flown in the race include the Edge 540 and the Extra 300 and are known for their combination of precision, agility and acceleration. They are some of the lightest, most agile and responsive planes ever built.
The aircraft are fitted with cameras so that spectators will get to see what the pilots see while they are flying, as well as watch the effect G forces have on the pilots via the vidiwalls on the South Perth foreshore.
And, while the pilots come from a diverse range of backgrounds, their names read like a who’s who of aviation.
Alejandro Maclean is the youngest at 37 years, while Klaus Schrodt is the oldest at 60. Another pilot, Frank Versteegh ran a dance school for 18 years – a skill that comes to the fore in his flying.
Mike Mangold, last year’s champion, is a former US Navy top gun pilot, while Klaus Schrodty has sailed solo across the Atlantic Ocean three times and is a five-time German aerobatics champion.
Another of the pilots, Kirby Chambliss, is the current US national aerobatic champion and, at the other extreme, pilots Paul Bonhomme and Steve Jones fly Boeing 747s for British Airways. The line-up also includes Nigel Lamb, who as a movie stunt pilot has appeared in four major productions.
The best viewing point for the air race will be Sir James Mitchell Park, South Perth. On the morning of Sunday 19 November, Langley Park will host a free paddock walk from 9am to 10am when spectators will have a chance to meet the pilots, view the aircraft and get autographs.
Additional Transperth buses and ferries will operate from 9am on Sunday November 19 to transport spectators to South Perth foreshore.
For full details of additional services visit the Perth page of the official air race website at www.redbullairrace.com
Two sections of the river will be open for public spectator craft and for commercial vessels on Sunday November 19 for the duration of the race. All spectator craft and commercial vessels must enter these areas before 9am on that day to secure a position. Full details at www.dpi.wa.gov.au/imarine.
