You’ve probably heard many times that someone flew over the Grand Canyon. My story is a little more spectacular than just a tourist helicopter flying tour that you can reserve in almost every hotel in Las Vegas.
Flying in the Red Bull Air Race airplane and taking photos with the best pilots in the world in the formation is definitely something to remember for a lifetime. I had a place in the double seater Extra 300L with great pilot of Chile Christian Bolton. Our spectacular flight lasted a little more than hour and a half with all the details that acrobatic plane can give you.
Like a referee at one of the famed Las Vegas boxing matches, Britain’s Paul Bonhomme took Australia’s Matt Hall on a tour of the Grand Canyon that was the equivalent of a handshake before a title fight. Following them closely behind for the recon flight was legendary Peter Besenyei of Hungary. As the climax of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship season loomed on the glittering Las Vegas horizon on 17-18 October, Bonhomme led Hall and Besenyei on a flight outside the neon city to drink in one of the most breathtaking sights on the planet.
Carved a mile deep by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon’s astonishing panorama has been a source of inspiration and wonder for centuries, and roughly five million visitors are drawn to it annually. But rare is the stunning perspective enjoyed by the Red Bull Air Race pilots in their agile race planes.
After seven races since February, only Team Bonhomme and Matt Hall Racing still have a chance to clinch the World Championship crown at Sunday’s season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Bonhomme, already a two-time champion, leads the series a mere eight points ahead of Hall, who is eager to claim his first-ever title. While much has been made of the classic sporting matchup between an Englishman and an Australian, the pilots say it’s the most friendly of rivalries ñ right up until race time. Then, as they say in Las Vegas, all bets are off.