F1 of the skies comes to Abu Dhabi

Transcript

00:00A flash of blue and red across Abu Dhabi's skyline, the maverick pilots of the Red Bull

00:12Air Race were back in the UAE for the start of the championship season.

00:17It's a dazzling display of skill and control across the capital's core niche.

00:22The rules are simple, get around the 5,000 meter course as fast as you can without clipping

00:28the inflatable gates.

00:30But with speeds of 400 kilometers an hour and forces of up to 10 Gs, only the best pilots

00:36in the world can take on the challenge.

00:39Thousands of eager spectators braved the sweltering heat to see the action close up.

00:44When the aeroplanes suddenly come down like that and then they sort of come up again,

00:48it's quite nerve-wracking, it makes your stomach kind of feel really wobbly.

00:52The aircrafts somehow make the course break or something when they return back.

00:58It's very close to us, it's the first time seeing this race face to face.

01:03I didn't know these things could do those stunts and I'm quite surprised.

01:07What are these things?

01:08I don't know, helicopters, choppers, I don't know, but it's been fun.

01:12It's my third week here and I'm having fun so far.

01:16This year saw Britain pull Bonham lead the other pilots from the start to take a convincing

01:21win.

01:22The Air Race promises to be a huge crowd-puller every time and it won't be long before the

01:27roar of the engines can be heard in Abu Dhabi once again.

01:31Ashaf Helmi, Gulf News.