Red Bull Air Race

[TravelGal]

Next up NYC! 19-20 June. Anyone going? Is it on TV? I think I caught the end of the last one from Canada but don't know where I saw it.

RACE SCHEDULE

Qualifying (Saturday, June 19th)
10:00 Doors Open
12:00 Pre-show, Side Acts
2:00 RACE STARTS!
2:00 1st Qualifying Session
3:00 2nd Qualifying Session
4:15 Results, Summary, Interviews
6:00 Doors Close

Race Day (Sunday, June 20th)
10:00 Doors Open
12:00 Pre-show, Side Acts
1:15 RACE STARTS!
1:15 Wild Card Session
2:10 Top 12 Primary Round Session
2:50 Super Eights
3:25 Final 4
3:40 Results, Summary, Interviews
4:15 Award Ceremony
6:00 Doors Close

Remaining Schedule:

EuroSpeedway, Lausitz, Germany
7-8 August

Budapest
19-20 August

Lisbon
4-5 September

[stroker]

Red Bull needs to take a page from their Flugtag event and offer up big $ for the fastest effing aeroplane built from corrugated cardboard using a Briggs & Stratton spec engine. Run 'em at Reno.

THAT I'd like to watch.

[TravelGal]

Red Bull needs to take a page from their Flugtag event and offer up big $ for the fastest effing aeroplane built from corrugated cardboard using a Briggs & Stratton spec engine. Run 'em at Reno.

THAT I'd like to watch.

Thanks, Stroker. I wondered why no one replied before. I guess I'm easily amused but I'd never seen airplanes do barrel obstacle courses at such speed before. Or maybe it just looks better on their website (or TV) than it does in person.

http://www.redbullairracetickets.com/Home.html

[opinionated ow]

I think it just lost the interest factor. Maybe familiarity breeding contempt? I preferred it when they had set aerobatic manoeuvres that had to be completed at certain points in the run and before they started all the speed/g-force restrictions.

[oddlycalm]

I'd go if one of the races were close and I was able to. I used to go to the Reno Air Races when I lived East of the mountains and it didn't take all day to drive there.

oc

[stroker]

When I was a kid my dad took me to see an aerobatics championship one year in conjunction with our annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh. After about the third or fourth Pitts Special doing the same aero routine it was pretty damned boring because I wasn't able to distinguish why plane #1 got a better score than plane #2. That's what the Red Bull thing reminds me of, despite being against the clock. I guess you could call it gymkhana for airplanes. I'd rather watch side by side racing at Reno, I think.

[Andrew Longman]

Paper says prices range from $30-55 for GA $95 for reserved and $540-1650 for 2-day VIP like thingy.

Seems a bit much for something I am not sure I'd be able to see very well. They made a point to say you won't be able to see it from lower Manhattan because the planes are too small.

[BZSetshot]

Well, ended up going to GA with Mrs BZ, Little Miss BZ and a another couple. Was not expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. The planes and acrobatics looked better than I expected live and up close. I found the fact that they had Jumbo-trons to explain and provide as much detail as possible, as well as the required slo-mo replays, was a very good way to keep the crowd informed and not just have them looking at tiny planes doing some weird turns and loops. The commentators also did a fairly good job of keeping the vibe going considering everything.

All in all we are glad we decided at the last minute to head over there and see what it was about...