If you were a child of the 70’s and 80’s, you must know about the TV show Airwolf about an advanced helicopter operating from a secret base and crushing bad guys with its incredible maneuverability, bulletproof exterior, and awesome weapons.
As laughable as the concept may be, it did institute a certain charm about high-performing helicopters.
And then we encounter the reality where we find out that helicopters can be quite finicky and fragile. Even attack helicopters are not completely bulletproof and can easily be brought down with a powerful enough weapon.
But that makes a pilot’s skill more impressive whenever they can make a helicopter move with such precision and execute feats it was not meant to perform.
Watch pilots perform a backflip with their helicopter below.
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Video credit: Rumble
Red Bull pilots Aaron Fitzgerald and Chris Bachman were filmed practicing some stunts during the Central Iowa Airshow. They were filmed by Wayne Ivarson, a pilot who was in another helicopter nearby.
The airshow is hosted at the Ankeny Regional Airport yearly and is billed as the premier family aviation event of the midwest. The airshow promises heart-stopping performances and gut-wrenching maneuvers as Aaron and Chris did.
The footage shows the helicopter sporting the Red Bull logo as it’s hovering mid-air. It ascends for a bit and then tips backward to fall dramatically as it’s upside down. Aaron and Chris then complete the backflip, correct the helicopter, and then fly away.
Ivarson commented, “Any type of aerobatics performed with a helicopter takes a very high skilled pilot.”
This is because helicopters were not meant to be flown upside down. There is the danger that the rotors could bend far enough that it cuts off the tail. This will make the helicopter lose all control and likely crash.
However, due to advances in power and rotor technology, modern helicopters are able to perform this maneuver but only for a few moments. This is something that those flying older machines wouldn’t even think of doing.
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