Pilot Peter Beseney, 67, flew along the Corinth Canal at a speed of about 300 km/h – along the historic 6.4 km long canal, built in 1893, which is 24 m wide at its narrowest and 50 m at its widest.
Aerial “stunts” are a breathtaking spectacle in themselves and, as a rule, are performed masterfully in clear skies, in the absence of nearby natural obstacles that could prove fatal. Therefore, we bow to the courage and skill of the Hungarian pilot Peter Besen, who crossed the Isthmus of Corinth in an airplane.
Of course, this is not just a pilot, but a person to whom Red Bull turned for advice on organizing the famous world air racing championship Red Bull Air Race, of which he is probably rightfully considered the “godfather”.
At 67 years old, Peter Beseney can boast that he managed to make his childhood dreams come true. He was born on June 8, 1956 in a house located near Budapest airport. The sound of jet planes became… a lullaby for him, and he was only 6 years old when he and his father went to watch their compatriot Josef Toth win the title of world champion in aerobatics. Since then, he wanted only one thing – to be involved in this world.
He started flying gliders and continued working as a pilot for the Hungarian national carrier, but his great passion was always aerial acrobatics. Some of his daring stunts set standards as no one had tried them before, and after winning titles and medals in many competitions, he began to set himself other goals and other ways to conquer the skies.
The Corinth Canal was one of his desires. In 1995, he managed to perform a stunt by flying upside down under the Danube bridge connecting Buda and Pest, two parts of the Hungarian capital, and then crossing Tiamen Cave, a famous cave in the Chinese mountains.
On March 26, 2014, with the “help” of the famous energy drink, he took off his specially designed Extra 300S D-EFBY with over 300 horsepower and set off on his daring journey… All he had to do was pilot aircraft weighing approximately 608 kg, 6.6 m long and with a wingspan of 8 m on a 6.4 km long historic canal, built in 1893, which is 24 m wide at its narrowest point and 50 m at its widest. This is a feat that has never been accomplished in world history.
Crossing it in a straight line, the experienced pilot felt ready to capture the excitement and spectacle, adding a variety of breathtaking stunts to his personal show. After all, even a person ignorant of space can understand what kind of piloting skill is required for such extreme actions, as confirmed by the footage of the video above! And after he got the hang of it, he continued the flight, passing under the old Corinthian Bridge, then raised the plane vertically, made a stunning dive at a speed of almost 300 kilometers per hour, ending it with two graceful goodbye loops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M614k90r9c
“A dream come true. The Corinth Canal, a historical site in Greece, has been a challenge for me for a long time. I am very pleased to be in this magical country with a rich history and I thoroughly enjoyed this unique experience,” – he said after the show ended. And now, having left the World Cup, everyone is wondering what the next project that will amaze us will be.
Photo from redbull.com
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