Speaking of stunts gone wrong, a pair of Red Bull demonstration pilots, cousins Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington, attempted a stunt in which each pilot bailed out of his identically equipped Cessna 182 aircraft with the intent of flying into the vacated cockpit of the other plane. It didn’t quite go off as planned. Aikins made it into Farrington’s by-then empty 182, but Farrington was forced to deploy his parachute after the plane he was aiming for failed to stabilize in its descent. The plane crashed and was destroyed, but Farrington was fine, as was Aikins, who safely landed the 182 he managed to fly into. The FAA, however, was not amused, and in the succeeding weeks, it came to light that the pilots had not gotten a waiver from the FAA for the flight. Aikins took responsibility, though the FAA yanked both pilots’ certificates regardless.
Red Bull Plane Swap
Key Takeaways:
- Red Bull pilots Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington attempted a plane swap stunt where each would bail out of their Cessna 182 and fly into the other's vacant cockpit.
- Aikins successfully entered and landed the other plane, but Farrington's target plane crashed after failing to stabilize, forcing him to parachute to safety.
- The FAA revoked both pilots' certificates because they performed the stunt without obtaining a required waiver.
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