Red Bull Air Race - San Diego

[John]

Short write-up on my excursion down to the bay today - sorry, no pictures as I forgot my camera at home.






Planes 1100lbs, carbon body w/ steel frame, 300-340hp ~8+L motors, ~250mph top speed.

Aerobatics - stunning.

There are rules that you can read about on <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.redbullairrace.com">www.redbullairrace.com</a><!-- w -->, but in person, these things are amazing. Capable of doing nearly 10Gs, these things rotate vertically in the blink of an eye, and are capable of some impressive turns. I compare it to like a air show autox competition.

These are far more entertaining than F1, and come with a better following with the airshow (SEALs doing insertion and extraction in the water, WWII planes, et cetera). Course is very close to spectators, so you truly get a feel for the G forces and challenges of the sport.

I hope to see this event return to San Diego next year - very entertaining and a worthy departure from the norm.