Daredevil pilots aim to swap planes in skydiving stunt over Phoenix
Apr 23, 2022, 5:45 AM
(Red Bull)
(Red Bull)
PHOENIX (AP) — A pair of pilots and skydiving masters who are cousins are planning a weekend stunt to swap planes in midair in hopes of setting a new aviation milestone.
Red Bull Media House is a global multi-media company that has organized the Sunday event over Phoenix. The plane swap described by Red Bull as a world first will be streamed on Hulu, its exclusive streaming partner.
The company says Red Bull athletes Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington will pitch their Cessna 182 planes into a synchronized nosedive at 14,000 feet (4,000 meters), stopping the engines while a custom-manufactured airbrake will hold the planes in a controlled-descent speed of 140 mph (225 kph).
The pilots will then exit their respective aircraft and skydive into each other’s planes, crossing over each other mid-air and regain control in under one minute. The plane swap is the brainchild of Aikens.
Red Bull says the planned feat has undergone hours of research and development to ensure it is a success.
