Just after dawn on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, professional race and stunt pilot Dario Costa of Italy wrote a new chapter in aviation history as he flew a plane through the narrow confines of two enclosed automobile tunnels just outside Istanbul, Turkey.
In near-darkness, Costa executed a tricky takeoff inside the first tunnel, flashed through an open-air gap and then continued his 245 kph (152 mph) flight through the second tunnel.
Costa, 41, won the top category of the Italian Aerobatic Championship and became the first Italian pilot to join and earn a race win in the Red Bull Air Race Challenger Class. With more than two decades of flying experience, and numerous aviation feats to his credit, he has flown more than 60 aircraft models and logged over 5,000 hours in the air, more than half in high-performance aerobatics.
The tunnel pass was, by far, Costa’s most demanding and complex undertaking yet, requiring a team of 40 people, specially developed training technology, and more than a year of preparation, according to Red Bull officials.
“The project was shrouded in secrecy to limit variables and distractions, allowing complete focus for a successful flight that was no more than a simple idea on paper 12 months ago,” officials added.
Located outside Istanbul on Northern Marmara Highway the dual Çatalca tunnels were opened in March 2020.
At the controls of his specially modified Zivko Edge 540 plane, Costa took off inside the first tunnel at 6:43 a.m. Limited overhead clearance meant that he had to keep the aircraft on an average flight path between 70 cm (27 inches) and 1 meter (39 inches) above the asphalt, while also managing a tight distance of about 3.5 meters (137 inches) between each wingtip and the tunnel walls. Complicating the trajectory were changes in tunnel incline and shape, Red Bull officials noted.
From takeoff to exiting the second tunnel, the flight lasted 43.44 seconds, reaching a top speed of 245 kph.
“Changes to airflow, combined with the highly sensitive steering of the aircraft, required pilot reaction times of less than 250 milliseconds and fine hand movements of mere millimeters throughout the flight,” officials noted. “One of the most critical moments came at the…gap between tunnels, which exposed the raceplane to cross winds as Costa prepared to thread it into the low, narrow opening of 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 cross winds, and in my head, everything slowed down in that moment,” Costa recalled. “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.”
When the plane shot out of the other side, Costa pulled it into a celebratory loop before landing.
“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,” he said. “It was a big relief, of course, but big, big happiness was the main emotion. For me, it’s another dream come true.”
The achievement set a new Guinness World Record: Longest Tunnel Flown through with an Airplane (1,730m). Four other notable records were: First airplane flight through a tunnel, longest flight under a solid obstacle (1,730m), first airplane flight through two tunnels, and first airplane takeoff from a tunnel.
Costa was mentored by Hungarian aerobatic and racing pilot Péter Besenyei, 65, an aviation legend renowned for his role in developing and competing in the Red Bull Air Race. Besenyei is also well known for feats such as flying upside down under the Chain Bridge in Budapest.
“To fly in a tunnel is not a normal situation,” Besenyei said. “The main point is the mindset. Because to fly straight at one meter off the ground and follow a center line is not really so difficult technically if you are over a runway. But in the tunnel, especially a dark tunnel, and to come out of the tunnel into the light and then back into another dark tunnel, it’s different. And also there are air waves that can affect the flight, and you should expect some bumps. It’s difficult in your mind because you know that if you make a mistake, the wall is hard.”
An interesting exercise. Right up there with self-abuse in a house of ill repute.
I mean, you can do it, but what’s the point?
(;>0)
Ditto. The only thing I can think of that inspired this, is the barn scene from Blue Max.
i prefer martha
INSANE !
Congratulations Dario Costa on Your great feat.
I have flown under a few small bridges and under one inverted in my
Decathlon but nothing to that extreme.
Congratulations this was an awesome feat.
I have flown under a few bridges and one inverted in my Decathlon in Canada but nothing to this extreme.
Hum I wonder what the insurance premium was for this?
Awesome. Another useless and idiotic stunt that accomplishes nothing.
I bet you are a lot of fun at parties.
Right You’re JS!
Sigh. Martha Lunken flies under a bridge and gets totally busted. Dario Costa flies through TWO tunnels and gets a pile of money, admiration and into the Guiness Book of Records.
“Hold my Chianti and watch this . . . !”
Martha should be banned from flight. Period. This was an organized event by a stunt pilot with public safety fully handled. What Martha did goes against all rules of safe aviation. She belongs in the ground permanently.
Oh … That’s just great … Now, how long will it be before some student pilot tries to emulate. Only a CFI knows the mindset — more and more I’m having to refuse instruction to such “dare devils.”
Steve you should have no problem with a student or dare devil…. unless there is a Go Pro or camera phone close by. Then all bets are off 🙂
Perhaps the Red Bull Air Races will start again. They were the one show I never missed.
That’s great
Congratulations Mr. Dario Costa ! We hope you will be able to see some opportunities here in South East Asia or in China to fly another air challenge . . .of course with the participation of Red Bull or Guinness World Record . . .