FLYING ON THE KNIFE-EDGE: welcome to the scary new sport of aerobatic air racing

摘要

A GLINTING BLUE SPECK of airplane comes roaring out of the western sky and then dives toward the ground at a jaw-droppingly way-too-steep rate of descent. It whirs past 40,000 sets of astonished eyeballs at 252 mph - just 20 ft. off the deck-then seems to jam on the brakes in midair as it banks to the right in an insanely tight U-turn, aiming directly for the open space between two pylons that stand only about 60 ft. high - and much too close together. Are they even a wingspan apart? How the hell is he going to clear... It happens too fast to phrase the question, because the pilot has already leveled his wings and shot through that gate and then another, and you swear you feel the force of gravity smashing your head against the back of your seat as he pulls another impossibly tight turn - 11 g's! - while an announcer imported from the X Games yells "He-e-e's rippin' it!" at a crowd that needs no exhortation. The Red Bull Air Race is on.