A March 30 ABC News story expressed safety concerns over Red Bull‘s use of a 55-year old Grumman HU-16E Albatross as a marketing tool.
ABC reported that the old amphibian had been grounded twice over concerns about its “aged wings failing, but it flies over the heads of hundreds of thousands of people a year under an ‘experimental airworthiness certificate’ granted by the FAA in 2008.”
In a written response, Red Bull spokeswoman Patrice Radden said: “Neither Red Bull nor any of its pilots or flight crews have or would operate an aircraft that is known to be unsafe or in an unsafe manner.”
Grumbled ABC, “Although the FAA certificate specifically requires the Red Bull plane to avoid densely populated areas, the plane flew over festivities surrounding the Super Bowl inTampa.”
