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EAA AirVenture – August 1, 2007 – Michael Goulian calls it the longest and hardest 1 1/2 minutes you can imagine.
“You’re always fighting against blackout,” he says. “You’re fighting G-forces of 10 or so as you fly around a tight circle. It’s completely different than flying a show.”
It’s all part of the Red Bull Air Race where 13 pilots from around the world are vying for the title of the world’s best by performing precise aerobatic maneuvers as they fly through a series of inflatable pylons. Points are deducted for miscues, so to win, pilots must fly the aerobatic portion of the competition flawlessly, and they better be the fastest to complete it, too.
Goulian performed last week at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007, and will next compete in the Red Bull Air Race in Budapest on Aug. 20.
As an air show pilot, Goulian is used to fighting g-forces. But it’s the quickness in the races that can cause problems, as racers go from one tight maneuver to the next. However, you can tell when you’ve gone too far, he says. “It feels almost like you’re drunk.”
This season Goulian is racing an Edge 540 that he bought used. But he was surprised to find out how many of the other racers made modifications to their planes in the off-season to make them faster. Pilots have modified wings, air intakes and engines. “And it really is helping the performance of some of the planes.”
It’s made a difference in the results, too. “Two years ago, the top four or five pilots were 12 seconds apart,” he says. “Now we’re two or three seconds apart.”
In fact, in Interlaken, Switzerland, the top four pilots were less than 1 second apart.
But by next season, Goulian will have a new Lycoming engine that should make his Edge faster, and he remains optimistic that he will make the podium soon.
But no matter what, his passion for flying aerobatics remains strong. “I took my first aerobatic lesson at 16, and I never thought it would lead me to where I am today. I love this sport more than anything else. When you love something, it’s easy. It permeates what you do all day, every day.”
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Air show pilot and Red Bull Air Race competitor Michael Goulian waits for the weather to clear at a recent Red Bull Race. Michael calls the race series the “longest and hardest 1˝ minutes you can imagine.”
Michael Goulian in action at the recent Red Bull Air Races. Pilots must perform precise aerobatic maneuvers while flying through a course marked by inflatable pylons.
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