It Was Amazing

It could very well be the most exciting air race around -- the Red Bull Air Race in Hungary. Eight of the world’s finest aerobatic pilots flew across downtown Budapest Thursday and Friday -– over the Danube and right past the Parliament –- in a breathtaking competition with one another and against the clock. Flying the track between Budapest’s Chain and Margaret bridges, the aerobatic aircraft reached speeds of up to 400 kph. The winner: Kirby Chambliss, USA, second ranked Klaus Schrodt, GER and third place for the local hero Peter Besenyei.

The Red Bull Air Race is the latest and thus far most spectacular flying discipline ever. The pilots have to fly a track between pairs of pylons. In between, they have to perform aerobatic maneuvers such as half and full rolls while flying vertically upwards and flights in knife-edge position. The winner is the pilot who flies the track in the shortest time while making the fewest errors. This type of air race is extremely demanding, both for the pilots and for their aircraft, because of the high-speed turns and the extreme time pressure.

Friday’s race was the absolute highlight of St. Stephen’s Day, the Hungarian national holiday. After a fantastic warm-up program of aerobatics, the whole city was watching as the American Kirby Chambliss won the race with a time of 1.29.45 min, barely outstripping German’s Klaus Schrodt and Hungarian’s Peter Besenyei. "The scenic backdrop alone made this race especially exciting for me," said Chambliss when it was over. Why he is the winner? "It was my day today and I had the fastest plane tough.

The Air Race started as each pilot flew beneath the Chain Bridge – at full speed, of course. Then the pilots had to fly through the obstacles in the prescribed order and perform the acrobatic stunts. After flying a huge figure eight in front of the Parliament, the pilots crossed the finish line by flying once again beneath the Chain Bridge.

1. The Location
The historic city center of Budapest - directly above the Danube River between the Chain and Margaret bridges - is the most spectacular backdrop imaginable for an air race.

2. The Day
August 20, St. Stephen's Day: on their national holiday, hundreds of thousands of Hungarians came to the capital to celebrate their national saint - and to spur on their national hero.

3. The Track
Four pairs of pylons, mounted on pontoons. Following the start beneath the Chain Bridge, the pilots had to fly through the obstacles in the prescribed sequence and perform aerobatic maneuvers (half-rolls and full rolls, also while flying vertically upwards, as well as the knife-edge maneuver).

4. The Tempo
Within moments after their start beneath the Chain Bridge, the aircraft were flying at more than 400 kph.

5. The Spectators
Several hundred thousand fans watched the race on the spot in Budapest, while huge numbers of spectators viewed the live broadcast on TV and on the Internet at

6. The Supporting Program
A special class of historical aircraft were in the skies over Budapest: a North American B-25 Mitchell, a T-28 Trojan and a De Havilland Sea Vixen. In addition, there was a helicopter show and, of course, a fantastic aerobatics display by Peter Besenyei.

7. The National Hero
The triple World Aerobatics Champion from Hungary is also the inventor of the Red Bull Air Race: Hungary's national hero Peter Besenyei was the big star of the race in Budapest.

FMI: www.redbullairrace.com