Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington of Red Bull Air Force are going to create history succeeding month when they undertake a death-defying maneuver thousands of feet above the ground. As per the Red Bull press statement, on Sunday, April 24, Aikins and Farrington will attempt to exchange airplanes in mid-air at Sawtooth Airport in Eloy, Arizona, in an operation that will be streamed exclusively on Hulu. Aikins and Farrington will try the risky maneuver with the planes “totally empty” and facing the ground during a three-hour streaming session.
Red Bull is no newcomer to such audacious endeavors. However, the organization takes satisfaction in assisting individuals who wish to do unique and breathtaking maneuvers. Whether that’s flying planes within tunnels or leaping into volcanoes with nothing more than a wingsuit, Red Bull has always been at the frontline of backing these thrill-seekers, and next month wins hands down.
To execute the upcoming achievement, Aikins and Farrington will fly a pair of Cessna 182 single-seat planes up to 14,000 feet before dropping into a straight nosedive and skydiving into the other’s planes. As they finish the trick, the cousins will turn off the planes’ propellers and point them toward the earth. To perform the stunt, special airbrakes capable of holding the aircraft in a managed terminal velocity rate of 140 mph will be used. After coming up to the rival stuntman’s plane, Aikins and Farrington will approach the steering wheels and restart the planes, directing them to a safe landing.
However, fantasizing about the stunt and carrying it through were two whole distinct concepts. Aikins is very well aware that he would require engineering competence to design it. “This plane weighs 2,000 pounds; ordinarily, if we just threw it in a nosedive, it would fly so quickly that it would pull the wings off and the plane would just collapse.” The Cessna is also outfitted with instruments and a complicated vector guidance system, allowing it to follow and analyze every element of its flight – vital considering that the maneuver will be performed without the need for a pilot.
