DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — CubCrafters, in collaboration with Red Bull and extreme sports promotor XDubai, achieved a milestone in aviation by landing a Carbon Cub on the heliport of one of the world’s most iconic buildings, the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai.
The March 14, 2023, event featured Red Bull Air Race pilot and Carbon Cub owner Luke Czepiela landing a specially modified version of a Carbon Cub on a 78-foot diameter helipad suspended approximately 695 feet above sea level atop the 56-story hotel.
“All big moments start with little ideas powered by imagination and the desire to create something special,” said Patrick Horgan, CubCrafters President and CEO. “Red Bull has done many projects over the years that have inspired aviators worldwide, so we were honored to join them on this project to demonstrate the incredible capabilities of the kinds of aircraft our company designs and manufactures.”
“Throughout the years, CubCrafters’ brand has grown to be synonymous with an adventure lifestyle, and giving pilots the ability to land our airplanes in the most challenging environments is core to our mission,” added Brad Damm, CubCrafters vice president. “This project, two years in the planning and execution, really pushes the limits of what a best-of-class STOL aircraft, and an extremely capable and dedicated pilot, can achieve.”
Joining the technical team for the project was renowned bush pilot, aviation engineer, and YouTube personality Mike Patey.
Patey, who also owns a Carbon Cub called “Scrappy,” customized some of the aircraft’s features to help ensure a successful outcome, company officials noted.
“It was a pretty simple formula,” Patey said. “We cut weight, changed the C.G. to increase the effectiveness of the brakes, and added extra horsepower.”
“I’m really proud of how the airplane performed,” he added. “The Carbon Cub was a great choice to start with, and we made it even better for this event.”
According to CubCrafters officials, specialized gear and aircraft systems that supported the project included:
- Titanium main landing gear and custom main gear suspension were provided by Acme Aero.
- Custom tundra tires and titanium tail spring were provided by Airframes Alaska.
- Custom high performance composite propeller was provided by Catto Propellers.
- Landing and position lights were provided by Whelen Aerospace Technologies.
- G3X Avionics were provided by Garmin with a custom instrument panel designed and fabricated by Avionics Systems.
About The Pilot
A trip to an air show with his father at the age of six led to a life-long passion for airplanes and a pilot certificate for Poland’s Łukasz Czepiela. He began participating in acrobatic training camps in 2010 and eventually joined the Polish aerobatics team, Żelazny, competing for a world championship in 2013.
Starting in 2014 he began racing in the Red Bull Air Races, earning four podiums in 2016, including a first race win. Five more podiums followed in 2017, with him winning the Red Bull Challenger Cup in 2018.
In addition to air racing and aerobatics, Łukasz owns a Red Bull themed CubCrafters Carbon Cub EX STOL aircraft for backcountry flying.
Full details about the project, the aircraft, and the team that pulled it off can be found at: CubCrafters.com/RedBull
I dunno. Is this why insurance rates for taildraggers has gone up? Insurance providers see this stuff and fear the average taildragger pilot will attempt a landing on top of his local Cracker Barrel or something. I question how Red Bull gets away with things that the FAA would never approve for the average pilot.
They aren’t doing this in the USA. When Red Bull did the plane swapFAA REVOKED LICENSES.
AVERAGE PILOT????????????
👍👍👍
you trying to land at someone runway04 3 times