New flight experience that will offer views of the desert, sea and mountains at speeds of 400 km/h

Aerobatic flight maneuvers include loops and turns and vertical climbs up to 3,000 feet; prices, duration: everything you need to know

Speeds up to 400 kmph; real G forces that pull on the face while rolling and climbing; Panoramic 360-degree views of the stunning coastline, desert and mountains – Ras Al Khaimah has launched the UAE’s first commercial aerobatic flight experience.

Wayne Jack, Director of Flight Operations and CEO/Founder of ActionFlightHe said the adventure tourism aviation company has operated a couple dozen commercial aerobatic flights since gaining regulatory approval a few weeks ago.

Taking off from RAK International Airport, flights rise to an altitude of 2,000 to 6,000 feet, speeding along the coast between Marjan Island, Cove Rotana and Al Rams, as instructed by air traffic control.

Maneuvers include loops and turns, hammerheads, avalanches, inverted flights and vertical climbs up to 3,000 feet.

“Our passenger flights are… a G-force experience. They are an intermediate level aerobatic flight and include… hammerhead stall turns, where we fly vertically until gravity takes over. “Then we basically point toward the ground and then regain level flight.”

He explained.

The ascent rates reach speeds of up to 400 km/h, with G forces between +4 (four times the force of gravity) and -2 (feeling of weightlessness).

The company operates two EXTRA 330 aircraft, the same type that started the Red Bull Air racing championship. Often described as “the Ferrari of the skies”, the planes are designed specifically for advanced competition aerobatics. They have certified load factor limitations of plus and minus 10G.

“While this can be a very exciting and adrenaline-filled activity, we don’t want people to feel petrified. “The idea is to give people an idea of ​​what this plane is capable of, the G-force and the aerobatic world,”

saying Jacob.

The pilot will communicate with passengers throughout the flight to tailor the experience to their comfort levels.

Prices, duration

Cost of acrobatic flights. 2,399 dirhams and lasts about 20 minutes. The entire experience, from pickup to the airport, flight briefing, and flight suit fitting, lasts approximately three hours.

The adventure begins with a complete briefing by the pilot before the flight. Passengers are then fitted with a flight suit and headset/helmet before boarding.

Operated during the day, the first flights take off at 7:00 a.m. and the last at 5:00 p.m.

Managing emotions

The flight experience is designed to give passengers an exciting ride without scaring them.

“If someone wants to enjoy a quiet or purely scenic walk, that is also an option. But if they want to push themselves, that’s not going to happen.”

This is because higher G forces can be difficult for people to handle.

“We don’t want to put people in a situation that they can’t enjoy.”

“Most maneuvers are positive G, not negative. An example of negative G is flying inverted and this force is more uncomfortable for a person who is not used to it. The positive G is reasonably easy to handle.”

Meet the pilots

Jacob and Pete Lindsay They are the pilots currently.

“We are both former Emirates Boeing 777 pilots. Prior to our airline career, Pete was an Air Force pilot. “I was a civilian commercial pilot who flew many different types of airplanes.”

Among Jack’s many roles in the past was that of a ski plane pilot, taking tourists to the glaciers of New Zealand’s Southern Alps. The aerobatic pilot has enjoyed an association with the Red Bull brand for 11 years.

News Source: Khaleej Times