Wow, some lively discussion in this topic -
outstanding! We're all of course allowed to express our opinions - we're all right and we're all wrong! My main beef with this circus stunt is that it's a RB PR exercise. On initially looking at it, I thought yeah, pretty effing crazy, but there is some cool factor there. On further reading/watching all the RB PR that has gone with it - reaction testers, interviews with some crackpot head shrink found in Dublin - what a load of horseshit honestly - that's what lost me completely!
I am no shrinking violet when it comes to risk taking in flying - done plenty of it. Some of it even wakes me up at night in a cold sweat. Did some emergency recovery training once with a guy with 10,000+ hours in Pitts Specials. Try being in a tumbling aeroplane with your eyes closed and hands and feet off everything, then being told to recover - it's pretty interesting! How about doing recovery from a accelerated spin with the altimeter unwinding so fast it's a blur - something like 7000 fpm rate of decent! I have not lived covered in cotton wool sir. I do understand that everything worth doing involves risk. This formation flight through a hangar was taking a lot of risk to sell RB products in my mind - so to me it's not a "pure" exercise in pushing the boundaries of aviation. It is nothing more than a stunt - yes, admittedly a pretty amazing one, but a stunt. This is not shattering the record books for the benefit of aviation and mankind - just to sell more Red Bull.
Dude, you opened this topic with some "insane" flying by Red Bull. So what's the story then? Of course these pilots are super experienced and all the "i's" and "t's" were crossed and pretty well every known issue covered in this exercise - I've never questioned this. There were unknowns - of course there were. At some point, they flew together through that hangar at warp speed for the first time. Reading Paul Bonhomme's comments was interesting. Just the temperature difference between inside the hangar and outside caused a little turbulence until they went through the hangar a couple to times to equalise the air temp inside and out (a "unknown unknown"). Anyway. to me, all it's contributed to aviation is sweet F_CK ALL really. It will most definitely help RB sell more of their product. I just don't like this culture of extreme risk taking that RB promotes - fine getting some of the best pilots in the world to do these circus stunts and label it under the title of "world-first feat in aerobatics" , but to me it's a total horse shit exercise. You cannot put this in the same category as achievements done by some of aviation's greatest test pilots and record breakers. Breaking the speed of sound (officially) is in the same class as two guys flying through a hangar at the same time - really? I'm OK though with suicidal types like Jeb Corliss jumping off mountains in his flying squirrel suit promoting RB
He's at least not saying it's aerobatics!
I am admittedly a bit gun shy when it comes to appreciating circus stunts. I'm just not a fan of "Barnstorming" circus acts anymore. Cases in point. One of the legendary Pitts Special instructors in this country, one of the very few that offers special training (emergency recovery and advanced spinning) with over 5000 hours in Pitts decided to do airshow work awhile ago and was severely injured a while ago doing a "drunken pilot" routine at a country airshow. He messed up his timing and slammed the Pitts into the ground injuring his back - was it worth it? I have a great memory of sitting under the wing of Tom Moon's Extra 300S at Avalon one year having a great chin wag with he and another flying buddy - it was a cool moment. Some time after this he slammed his Extra into the ground at Temora for reasons unknown to me. As previously mentioned, I recall seeing the incredible flying exploits of Jim Leroy at Avalon doing the most extreme tumbling, hovering and rolling manoeuvres in this Pitts Bulldog. We all just knew from his flying this he could not last doing what he was doing. One day, something would catch him out and it did a few months later tragically. I recall waiting in the queue from hell at Avalon to buy some lunch with my brother whilst Jim was doing his routine above. Brother and I are eyes up watching Jim's amazing performance. Now, 99.9% of the great unwashed in this enormous queue were not even looking up - to witness as it turns out the last time Jim performed in this country. My jaw was on the ground seeing Jim's Bulldog hover, do 540 degree stall turns (think about it), tumble end over end, etc and hardly anyone in this queue was watching. Oh, their heads would turn though if a fast jet blasted by - straight and level in reheat! I just thought to myself, why is this guy risking his life when the bulk of those watching don't give a shit and I'm sure a percentage would even get their rocks off if he crashed! As previously mentioned, another guy I knew died practicing for airshows - a man full of life, great sense of humour, lovely family and it just sucked badly to hear he died this way. That's why I'm over aerial circus stunts.
To me there are risks worth taking when the goal is "pure" like in Unlimited competition aerobatics. There is zero fanfare, zero hype, no TV, no advertising, no product placement - just the world's best aerobatic pilots competing for the honour of being the world's best. I love the purity of this. It's a highly disciplined pastime and the level of skill is phenomenal. There is no money involved (other than whatever the competitors can scramble together as far as sponsorship to offset the enormous cost of training and competing) - just your name appearing in the results table and perhaps a medal at the end for the best of the best. I am in complete awe of what these Unlimited pilots can do. Anything else is just circus stunt/side show to me.
This is Unlimited aerobatics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CffOwB_5Q8kAnyway, all this great discussion has gotten me thirsty. I'm off to the shop to get a six-pack of Red Bull! You know me Paul - I'm just a F.O.S pilot!
Cheers
Adam
by hrtpaul » Wed Jun 24, 2015 9:43 am 
However only the 2 people flying through the hangar would've been killed if it had have gone to shit. I don't have a drama with people wanting to do stupid shit. As long as they are the only ones that will get hurt then go for it I reckon. Just don't take other people with you. Like I said, it's human nature to push the boundaries and that's why there's a Guinness World Records book. As far as the A380 under the bridge. Well it'd have to NOT break down for starters 
