24 January 2025
+VIDEO The famous Hahnenkamm Ski Races in Kitzbuhel, Austria are on this week with the main event, the Men’s Downhill Race, on Saturday – so Red Bull has come up with another of its famous stunts.
Air Race pilot Dario Costa flew his Zivko Edge 540 aircraft down the legendary Streif at speeds up to 190 knots ahead of the 85th Hahnenkamm races.
Costa, 44, said, “This is a world first, which is why I love it so much. Like all world firsts, the challenge is that you have no previous data to study on. You have no experience. Whatever you prepare for, there is always a big question mark. Records can be broken, but world firsts will live forever.”
The Streif is the most challenging downhill course in the world. It’s 3,312 metres long with an 860-metre elevation drop from the start gate at 1,665 metres above sea level to the finish line.
Costa continued, “Already flying level over mountains is challenging, but doing it with gradients of 85 degrees downhill is a new game.
“First, I had to learn the course by heart. Unlike a Red Bull Air Race course, which is designed so that you can fly at full power at speeds over 370 km/h and don’t have to reduce it from entry to exit, I had to adjust the power for each turn to avoid hitting anything.
“At the same time, I had to focus on not stalling or going over 12g which is the max of the airplane.”
Costa’s flight included a pass through the Red Bull arch at the Hausbergkante and the finishing arch (Audi Bogen), where he had to react at lightning speed.
“The manoeuvres were very difficult – and not just because of the steepness.For example, the two arches that I flew under were extremely low and put me even closer to the floor.
“There was also the serious challenge of the lack of depth perception, as almost everything on the Streif was white. It was an enormous challenge for me as a pilot.”
