How did you start your career?
I first saw aircraft at 6, when my parents and I moved near the Budaörs airfield. It was love at first sight, if only platonic until I turned 15. At that age I took up gliding at the Ministry of Light Industry Aviation Club at Dunakeszi. At 19 I obtained a pilot license and at 20 I flew an old glider called Super Futár in my first-ever competition, the Budapest Championship, where I came in second.
What are your achievements? Which one gives you the greatest pride?
I’m a ten-time Hungarian National Champion and have been elected Athlete of the Year in Engine Aerobatics 21 times. I have been in the first three at European and World Championships and World Cup Heats on more than 30 occasions. I wouldn’t like to highlight any because each victory is dear to me.
What other sports do you like?
Car racing, angling, diving, sailing, skiing, parachuting and karate. Time permitting, I enjoy practising them all.
What are your favourite pastimes?
Music, car racing, photography, sailing and diving.
How did you end up in the Red Bull Air Race?
As long as five years ago, Red Bull’s owner Dietrich Mateschitz came up with the idea of launching an air race along the lines of Formula 1. He invited me as a skilled aviator to develop a concept for the competition. A group was set up under my control and it developed Air Race in 1.5 years.What makes an RB AR pilot?
Many pilots would like to test themselves in the racing series. A major key to a safe race is pilots’ experience, which is why the selection process is rather strict. Admission to the so-called Rookie Camp, managed by the Red Bull Air Race Commission for competitors of the next season, is only open to the best pilots and those who have been successful in the unlimited category in other international competitions. The most important criteria include a perfect space vision and reflexes, an excellent reaction time and a good mental and physical condition.
What’s the chance of an accident?
The risk of an accident is minimum if tracks meet all stringent requirements and pilots are highly qualified.What are the gates made of?
When developing a concept for the competition, our team found that gate design was a tall order. We had to consider both safety and easy use. Our priority was to prevent that a potential plane-gate collision could damage either the vehicle or the pilot. We tested gates made of smoke, laser, cardboard, water jet and balloon until we found the best solution: pylons inflated with high-pressure air. Since then, we’ve been busy improving them.
What do we have to know about AR aircraft? Which are the basic differences between the individual types and how does that bear on the final competition result?
All aircraft used at heats are high solidity and well-manoeuvrable race planes that are suitable for unlimited aerobatics. What normally makes a difference between the types is their weight and horsepower. Light and powerful planes provide a technical advantage.
What’s the key to Air Race’s success?
It’s a unique sport which is geographically unbound because most competitions take place in airfields. The key words are low height, high speed, and a spectacular show which makes the competition clear and enjoyable for the non-specialist audience. The ever changing scenes are a guarantee of variety since the competition happens over a range of beautiful sceneries. This year’s races have taken place over a group of Arabic buildings which recall the Thousand and One Nights, Rio de Janeiro’s Sugar Loaf Mountain and the rocks of the Wild West as they are known from western films.
What do you think will be the final result of the 2007 season? Who do you think is your greatest opponent?
This year’s season seems to be an exciting one now that almost every competitor is flying an identical type (despite the technical differences between the individual types), so I expect a dead heat. I think US and UK competitors will do great.
How fit do you have to be to endure these powerful effects?
Maximally. Sometimes the human organism must resist up to 10 G. You may get used to it but each manoeuvre calls for intensive muscular activity so that blood cannot go out of your head. Besides, mental fitness is just as essential as physical preparation.
What do you have to concentrate on most during a competition?
Flying alone calls for active and full concentration. You have to react to each effect and you must be fully focussed to achieve that.
How long does it take to learn an aerobatic manoeuvre?
It greatly depends on how difficult the manoeuvre is and the level you want to achieve. The more skilled you are in aerobatics, the sooner you learn new tricks.
Do you guys wear parachutes in competitions?
Yes, it’s compulsory.
Do you enter competitions in your own aircraft?
Whenever the Air Race takes place in Europe, I fly there in my race plane. Outside Europe, the aircraft is disassembled for transport.
Which was the most beautiful / interesting / exciting landing in your life?
I’ve landed on a Formula 1 track and in a British National Park. Perhaps my most interesting landing took me to a Budapest street.
Which is the hardest track in today’s series and why?
I don’t know yet the tracks of future races. In 2007 Monument Valley has proved to be the toughest, partly because of the track design, party because of the great height above sea level. Of my previous races, I would mention Longleat, UK, where we had to prove our skills in a dumpy track full of old trees and other natural obstacles.
How does it feel to be at 10 G pressure?
At 10 G an 80 kg person feels to weigh 800 kg. Blood tries to flow out of the head and pool in the legs. Unless you wear a G suit, you must perform highly intensive muscular activity to prevent it. Your face lengthens and your body is squeezed into the seat. If you are not skilled in aerobatics, you may even lose consciousness.
How long are you physically able to do this sport at this level? How long do you want to do it?
It depends on your physique. The more you’re in it, the longer you can go. The oldest Air Race pilot is 61-year-old Klaus Schrodt, and he’s in the prime of his life. He is still putting all his heart into it. But unlike him, I’m not planning to do it for so long.
If you had to give it up for any reason, what would you take up instead?
At long last, I’d have time to do my hobbies: music, car racing, photography, angling, sailing, cycling, diving and parachuting.
