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By Sheiban Shakeri… On the 13th and 14th of June, the Red Bull Air Race will make their first trip to Canada. Already a successful series in Europe, the Middle East, parts of the United States, and Australia, Canada is new territory but definitely not one that is alien to the concept of air racing.
The first Red Bull Air Race in Canada will take place in Windsor on the Detroit River where 15 of the world’s best pilots will be racing in two countries simultaneously in this cross-border classic.
The Red Bull Air Race can easily be described as the Formula 1 for the skies. In its short history, it has achieved the distinction of being the top tier of aerosports and has garnered attention from many in the motorsport community including Formula 1 and NASCAR drivers.
What is the Red Bull Air Race?
The Red Bull Air Race is a high-speed, low-altitude race against the clock for the world’s best pilots.
The aircraft are light, nimble and custom-built for the job that they’re supposed to do: navigate a low-altitude track at high-speeds and tolerate g-forces as high as 12. That means that they push 12 times the force of gravity on their body and their aircraft.
In comparison, when taking off on an airliner, they push a maximum of 1.5 g’s; a Formula One driver will feel a maximum of five to six g’s when cornering; and going downhill on some rollercoasters will be about three g’s.
The pilots have to be mentally and physically strong and the planes have to be able to take the pressure that they’re subjected to in order to avoid the unthinkable.
The Track
A Red Bull Air Race track is denoted by a series of inflatable pylons, or ‘air gates,’ which have to be navigated through in the fastest time possible. They are two different colours – red and blue – with the former meaning that the pilot will have to fly at a knife edge of 90 degrees, or a ‘knife-edge,’ between them while the latter means that the aircraft has to be perfectly horizontal, or a ‘level-flight.’
There are also different types of air gates that are utilized.
The chicane is a series of three pylons that are lined up. The pilot and his aircraft have to fly in a slalom style around these pylons.
Rookies Matt Hall of Australia and Pete McLeod of Canada have both said to me that this is the most enjoyable gate.
Another gate is known as the quadro. This is four gates arranged in a square formation and is flown through twice per lap.
The way that this is done is the pilot will attack the gate in a knife-edge formation, make a steep 270-degree turn and then go through again from the other end.
These are the most common gates that are seen in a Red Bull Air Race. In some races, the odd gate will be absent, but that is due to space and safety constraints.
As well, navigating a gate with an incorrect knife flying (IKF) or incorrect level flying (ILF) will add a penalty of two seconds to a pilot’s time, and with fastest time being key, two seconds has the potential of being the difference between first and fifth place. Should a pilot hit a pylon with their wing or any other part of their aircraft, six seconds are added to their time.
Windsor
The third round of the Red Bull Air Race will take place in Windsor on June 13 and 14.
This will be the first time that a Red Bull Air Race will be hosted in Canada, but it won’t be the first time that it has been exposed to Canadian audiences. Last year, Detroit hosted a Red Bull Air Race and it was a hit in Southern Ontario, even though only about a quarter of the actual race was held over the Canadian side of the Detroit River.
Still, history was made in two respects: the fact that the Red Bull Air Race broke into Canada and also that a sporting event was held in two countries simultaneously.
The Canadian debut of the Red Bull Air Race also coincides with the centennial of the first flight of the Silver Dart and marks the homecoming of Canada’s first air racing pilot and the youngest man to participate in the series, rookie Pete McLeod at 25 years of age.
So far, the seventh season of the Red Bull Air Race has been anything but predictable. The 2008 world champion, Hannes Arch of Austria, has been keeping his diligence in staying at the top.
By winning two qualifying sessions out of two and taking victory in the season opener in Abu Dhabi with a third place due to a seagull hit in San Diego, Arch has the overall lead in the world championship, but barely.
Paul Bonhomme of Great Britain, last year’s championship runner-up, has not lost his touch just yet and is very much in the hunt behind the Austrian. He currently has one of the heaviest aircraft in the field but the aerodynamic modifications to his Edge 540 are impeccable.
The biggest surprise of 2009 so far is Nicolas Ivanoff of France. After a terrible 2008 season due to an aircraft that was just too slow, the Frenchman has upgraded his wings to a brand new Edge 540. After just two races, Ivanoff has stood on the podium twice and on the top step in the previous round in San Diego after setting the track record in the final round.
The Red Bull Air Race in Windsor will take place over the Detroit River with the temporary runway – the airport where all air racing pilots and aircraft are located – located at a nearby airport on Canadian soil.
All eyes will be on Pete McLeod in Windsor. He may be a rookie but he is making an impact with the Red Bull Air Race. Currently, the 25-year old Canadian is currently in last place with no points after finishing 15th and last in the first two rounds.
However, after completing the previous round in San Diego, he has had special modifications made to his Edge 540 racing plane which will make their debut in Windsor. Perhaps the first points for the first Canadian in the first air race in Canada?
Overall, the first ever Canadian round of the Red Bull Air Race is looking to be really unpredictable for the main championship protagonists. With many modifications made both to Pete McLeod’s aircraft and that of the other 14 pilots, anything is possible.
By Sheiban Shakeri… In the Red Bull Air Race, two laps around a low-altitude, high-speed track, are performed with a prescribed set of maneuvers. The biggest and most complex maneuver is the half-Cuban eight.
Usually, at the end of a pilot’s first lap, the half-Cuban eight is performed in order for the pilot to re-enter the track and start the next lap. However, this isn’t always the case and the only city where you cannot find a half-Cuban is San Diego.
It’s a very important move to make simply because turning around requires a lot of energy and space, hence critical time will be used up. When completing the gate before the half-Cuban, a pilot must waste no time in pulling the maneuver.
For every second wasted after the exiting gate, a pilot tacks on another second for re-entering the track and thus compromises his race. So, this has to be done with precision and speed. Basically, pull too early and you get a penalty; pull too late and you lose time.
The half-Cuban eight is also the maneuver that subjects a pilot to the most g-forces—sometimes as high as 12. Any higher and you’re disqualified, as was seen with Paul Bonhomme last year in Porto: the result of pulling over-g during a half-Cuban.
To execute this particular maneuver, a pilot goes through the exiting blue gate and once complete, pulls up on the joystick until he’s fully inverted and turning back into the track. While making his descent into the track, the pilot rights the plane from its inverted position and continues on with the race.
It sounds easy, but when looking at the various angles or lines that pilots take to minimize their loop time, they can either go very steep which results in less drag, but more loop time, or they can go for shallow angles which result in less loop time but pulling drag and thus a slower re-entry.
It’s a gamble and no two tracks have the same conditions for performing an effective half-Cuban. Abu Dhabi requires a shallow loop with a bit of deviation while other places like Porto require a steep angle.
It is examples like this that show how much wiggle room the Red Bull Air Race has in its tracks and how much, for lack of a better word, creativity, pilots can use when it comes to air racing.
by Sheiban Shakeri… Pete McLeod, the 24-year old Canadian aerobatics pilot who received his FAI super-licence to fly in the Red Bull Air Race came to Toronto and sat down with me for a one-on-one interview about the Red Bull Air Race.
As well, Pete does a Final Five session with me, which is basically five questions that are strictly about himself. Finally, he answers fan mail from all over the world that was contributed through e-mail, Facebook and YouTube. So, without further ado, here’s Pete for all of you.
On September 18th, The Windsor Star reported that Windsor may get top-billing over Detroit for next year’s Red Bull Air Race. If you were to get a race seat, would you have anything special planned for the first ever Canadian stop?
I don’t have any knowledge myself for the 2009 schedule. Canada has a rich aviation history and next year will be the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight in Canada. Any year would be great to have a stop in Canada, but it would be better if there was a Canadian as well! It would be special for Canada to have a stop and this past year, we got a taste of it with the Detroit race being so close. Windsor jumped on board and supported the race and it created a buzz in Southern Ontario. It would be good for Canada to have a race. It would be special for me, but I don’t know if I could do anything for it. Hopefully, I can be present!
Which pilot on the current air racing circuit would you like to have most as a mentor?
There’s a lot to learn from any of the teams in the top five or six. I’m friends with Hannes (Arch) outside of the air race and he’s a nice guy and runs a smooth team and has a good airplane. Over the last couple of years, the goal of the air race is something to build up to, it’s not something that you can wake up today and say that you want to be a part of. Any of the guys would be a good mentor.
What’s a greater thrill: going through the Breitling gates at over 350 KPH at such a low altitude or getting the opportunity to fly in some of the most interesting places in the world?
Ooh! I think it’s a combination of both. When I’m in the track, I can imagine that the location disappears. Outside of the track, it’s great to see different spots, experience different cultures… In the last few months, I’ve had the amazing opportunity of flying in Europe and experiencing the culture. They’re equally spectacular but in different ways.
How were your results in Europe?
I finished 12th out of the international field. Because I’m Canadian, I’m considered an independent entry. If I had placed 3rd or even 1st (Podium positions), I wouldn’t be considered a European champion. It’s a way to differentiate. I was pretty happy with my results considering that it was my first time in the international scene and it was a judged sport.
In your opinion, when watching a Red Bull Air Race, what do you think it takes to win: pilot’s skill or pilot’s ability, the plane’s speed or the plane’s agility?
That’s a tough one! The plane has to be fast. When I think of speed, I think of agility and that is what speed is! It’s about how fast it can get through the track. You see different tracks that are technical like Detroit, or Porto which is a drag race. Everybody needs three things: they need to be a really good pilot, have a fast plane and fly well that day. If someone flies as well as you, but with a faster plane, he’ll be faster than you.
You’re a University of Western Ontario graduate; during the time that you were in school, did you do any flying or was it all about being in the books?
That’s (University) when I really got into the competition and aerobatics. I didn’t start airshow flying until I graduated. I did a bit of flying in September and October. I would start the season again in April after school’s done. During the school year, the airplane was in the hangar and during the summer, the engine was pretty much hot.
Do you have any advice to young pilots who have aspirations to fly in the Red Bull Air Race?
It’s not easy but if someone really wants it, and is truly passionate to give some things up in their lives, it’s something to pursue. I don’t know how many times that I’ve been practicing and my buddies are on the golf course! If you have the motivation, you can accomplish it. Get good training and stay at it. Keep working on it. But I’m still waiting for the call.
The Final Five
Five places I’d like to visit in the world would be:
Japan, Australia, Russia would be cool and that’s three. I just like to go out. Everywhere I’ve been, I like to check out what is there.
What songs do you have on your iPod?
I like music but I’m not a huge music fan. I like to listen to a mix of everything. I just don’t have a whole lot of country! I don’t mind country, I just don’t have a lot of it. I’m not a huge iTunes freak.
Apart from air racing and aero sports, is there any sport you like to follow? What about playing?
I don’t follow the whole season, but I like tennis. I like to watch the Opens. I was a big hockey player growing up, so I follow that, but I can’t really give the stats on a player. I follow a lot of sports and I’m starting to gain a little bit of interest in Formula 1. It is elite auto racing with some potential connections to the air race. When it comes to playing, I have to be careful of not getting an injury… I try to stick to things that minimize the risk.
Do you have any hobbies?
Umm… I like to hunt and fish! I also like to play around with the financial markets, but lately with flying around, I’ve been busy.
Do you have a hidden talent that Red Bull Air Race fans don’t know about?
Probably, since not a lot is known about me… I can cook pretty good!
The Fans Ask
Through Facebook, YouTube, and e-mail, fans sent in their questions they had to ask Pete about the Red Bull Air Race, his career as an aerobatics pilot and other things.
What plane are you going to fly with if you qualify for the 2009 season? Do you have to buy an airplane of your own?
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