That was the “Red Bull Tunnel Pass” project

Istanbul, Turkey. On September 4th, Dario Costa launched his flying machine with the sunrise inside the Çatalca tunnels on the Marmara Highway. Around 2.26km had to be covered with high precision: the start of the route was in a tunnel, then passed through a short open stretch of highway before entering, passing through and also exiting the next tunnel.
The Italian stunt pilot needed 43.44 seconds for this incredible masterly performance, the top speed was 245.07 km/h (152.28 mph) in the second tunnel. In addition to intensive physical and mental training for the pilot to master the difficulties inside and outside the tunnels, extensive calculations and analysis had to be carried out in advance. This made it possible to ensure whether his plan was at all possible and when or where critical situations might occur.

Flight through the tunnel using CFD
Episode 1 – Basic Simulation | Stationary

Episode 2 – Simulation Tunnel Flight | Transient

Episode 3 – Location Check

Episode 4 – Modifications

Episode 5 – Weather Stations

Four world records for Dario and a personal one for BST
A year of planning. Over forty people involved. One dream. It was a challenging project, but thanks to the create cooperation it went smoothly. Dario Costa was not only to able to realize his dream, but also set four world records in just on flight:
- First flight with an airplane through a tunnel
- Longest flight under a obstacle (1.730 m)
- First flight through two tunnels
- First aircraft take off in a tunnel
However, it was not only the Italian who was able to break records, but also bionic surface technologies. In addition to increasing efficiency, BST’s Riblets served as an important safety aspect in this project. We couldn’t have imagined a better project for demonstrating how important Riblets / Shark Skin technology is in flight!
