Watch: Stunt pilot does the unthinkable, sets world-record tunnel flight
An Italian stunt pilot went where no other pilot has gone before, flying through lengthy tunnels designed for automobiles not airplanes, and setting Guinness World Records in the process.
After more than a year preparation, Dario Costa, 41, successfully navigated his modified Zivko Edge 540 race plane through two tunnels in Turkey on Saturday just after dawn to take advantage of optimal ambient conditions with the sun at his back, as reported by Red Bull.
He actually took off in the first tunnel.
Costa’s flight lasted 43.44 seconds and covered 1.4 miles with 1.0 mile inside the Catalca Tunnels (known as T1 and T2) along the Northern Marmara Highway outside Istanbul.
His top speed was 152 mph on an average flight path of 28 inches to 3 feet above the asphalt. He flew with about 11½ feet between each wingtip and the tunnel walls. It is said that changes in tunnel incline and shape complicated the trajectory.
One of the most critical moments came in the nearly 400-yard gap between the tunnels where the plane was exposed to crosswinds as Costa steadied the plane for entrance into the second tunnel.
“Everything seemed to be happening so fast, but when I got out of the first tunnel, the plane started to move to the right because of the crosswinds, and in my head, everything slowed down in that moment,” Costa said. “I reacted and just focused on getting the plane back on the right path to enter the other tunnel. Then in my mind everything sped up all over again.”
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After exiting the second tunnel, Costa pulled up and was obviously excited about his incredible and unprecedented achievement, as seen in the Red Bull video posted on Facebook.
“I’d never flown in a tunnel in my life – nobody had ever done it – so there was a big question mark in my head whether everything would go as we expected or if there would be something to improvise,” Costa said. “It was a big relief, of course, but big, big happiness was the main emotion. For me, it’s another dream come true.”
Afterward, he posed with his team and the Guinness World Record plaque (above).
The records included longest tunnel flown through with an airplane (1,610m or 1 mile), first airplane flight through a tunnel, longest flight under a solid obstacle (1,610m or 1 mile), first airplane flight through two tunnels, and first airplane takeoff from a tunnel.
Photos courtesy of Red Bull Photo Pool.
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