This is one of the most unbelievable things I’ve ever seen.
In this post:
Small plane lands on helipad of Dubai’s “seven-star” hotel
On March 14, 2023, Red Bull pulled off an incredible stunt, which was two years in the making. Specifically, Polish pilot Luke Czepiela landed an airplane on the helipad of the world famous Burj Al Arab, Dubai’s self-proclaimed seven-star hotel. The helipad has a diameter of just 27 meters (14 times shorter than the world’s shortest runway), and is located on top of the 56-story hotel, at an altitude of 212 meters.
After completing over 650 simulated practice landings, Czepiela managed to land a Carbon Cub SS on the helipad, using just 20.76 meters to stop.
As you’d expect, a lot of work went into this, and major modifications were even required to the aircraft in order to make this work. A team of engineers and aircraft builders made changes to the aircraft to reduce the total weight to just 425 kilograms, including moving the main fuel tank to the rear of the plane, to allow for more aggressive braking. Furthermore, Czepiela then had to take off from the helipad, so nitrous was added to enhance the power for that to happen.
You can see the clip of this stunt below, and it’s honestly one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.
This is so incredibly stunning. Obviously this pilot is a real pro, but I still can’t even imagine the pressure and adrenaline of pulling off this stunt.
The Burj Al Arab helipad has been home to some unique events
This isn’t the first time that the Burj Al Arab’s helipad has been used for something other than a helicopter landing. Just to give a couple of examples…
Back in 2005, the Burj Al Arab’s helipad was used for a tennis match between Andre Agassi and Roger Federer.
Then in 2013, racer David Coulthard drove an F1 car on the Burj Al Arab’s helipad.
Of course this is valuable publicity not just for Jumeirah and the Burj Al Arab, but also for Dubai overall, as this gets a ton of attention globally, and gets people interested in visiting.
I also can’t help but mention how in early 2022, a stuntwoman dressed as an Emirates flight attendant stood on the very top of the Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building) holding signs while an Emirates Airbus A380 flew by.
Bottom line
A pilot pulled off a jaw-dropping stunt, whereby he landed a small plane on the helipad at the Burj Al Arab, using just over 20 of the helipad’s 27 meter diameter. Obviously this stunt wasn’t taken lightly, given the risk, and it took two years of preparation, including practice and aircraft modifications, to pull this off.
What do you make of this Burj Al Arab stunt?
He didn’t need nitrous to take off. He didn’t “take off” in the classic sense anyway, he just had to clear the tail over the edge and gain speed in a dive to give the plane lift again,
How did they get the plane off the helipad?
NOS
Over the edge.
Watch the YouTube vid, seeing him drop off the edge was really cool
Neat. But let's be clear -- there is no such thing as "14 times shorter". 1/14th as long, yes. 7% as long, yes. 14x shorter, no.
The first two attempts were staged for entertainment purposes.. There's no way a pilot for RedBull would be so far off, then suddenly get the third on spot on.
Sure probably made a bunch of passes and of course they are gonna edit it for dramatic purposes but lets be honest it makes it that much better that they show the worst passes and attempts before the successful one.
I'm glad to have seen the dismount too!
Someone else reported that he's an A320 pilot
According to sources, Delta pilots can do this also
C'mon there is no fun in pretending to be Tim Dunn, please don't do that.
The good stuff isn't what you think Tim Dunn would post but what he actually posts.
Impressive indeed, but I wager that this landing is moreso!
https://youtu.be/QFllgHbjnlU
Red Bull sucks. I prefer 5-Hour Energy
who