Explore The Sky With Hannes Arch

Hannes Arch, Red Bull Air Race pilot, started hang-gliding at the age of 16 and progressed to paragliding working as a test pilot and making thousands of paragliding flights around the world. The next step was B.A.S.E jumping; he made hundreds of leaps off cliffs plunging at 125 mph. He once climbed the west ridge of the Eiger mountain and jumped off the north face. He flew his Edge 540 underneath the Mozart pedestrian bridge in Salzburg in front of 10,000 spectators, crossing the Salzach River just a few feet below. Arch is also a professional helicopter pilot, an occupation which he loves as much as air racing. In 2005 Arch was the Red Bull Air Race's Aviation Manager and Race Director before switching over to compete. "It was like getting dropped into cold water and I had to wake up quickly and grasp the high skill level of the pilots in the race," he said of his rookie season. "I felt I was making improvements throughout the season, getting faster and faster and improving my technique. I was able to nail some very fast training and qualifying times. I'm really looking forward to the new season." More on Hannes Arch on http://redbullairrace.com