Pylons packed with high technology
Standing at 20 metres (65 ft) high, the Air Gates (as the pylons are known) define the race track. They are a creative and complex feat in engineering. When the competition was in the development stages, it was decided that one of the key features of the Red Bull Air Race would be the use of obstacles which the pilots would negotiate at high speeds. Due to the risk involved in using such obstacles on an aerial race track, an expert team was brought on board to research, test and produce pylons that would be capable of withstanding impact without any detrimental effect to the plane or indeed the pilot.
The first prototype pylon was developed by Martin Jehart of Bellutti Protection Systems, an Austrian engineering firm specializing in the manufacturing of technical materials and tarpaulin. They initially used a latex balloon for crash tests and aerodynamic studies and after many tests and research settled on the use of a combination of different materials, the crucial component being spinnaker rip-stop nylon, an extremely lightweight and flexible material used for making sails for boats. This would prove to be a breakthrough in the development of the Air Gates producing a pylon that would rip instantaneously when hit by a plane.
“We wanted to design an Air Gate that the pilots could fly through but it needed to be visible, safe and made of something a plane could hit without any problem,” said Jehart.
Over 70 tests of the pylon were carried out on the ground using a car with a wing strapped on the roof before they were ready to undergo tests with a real plane. Eight different cars were used in these tests as well as a trailer and truck. Hungarian pilot, Peter Besenyei worked closely with the team and attempted the first deliberate pylon hit in early 2003 with positive results. The first Air Gates, which were cylindrical, were finally ready to be used at the very first Red Bull Air Races held in Austria and Hungary later that year.
The answer is blowing in the wind
The Air Gates play a vital role in the Red Bull Air Race, but must also fulfil complex and contradictory demands. They have to be delicate enough to burst apart the instant they are touched by an aircraft and sturdy enough to remain stationary in all weather conditions, including stormy weather and strong winds. The early cylindrical pylons fulfilled the first criteria but proved to be too unstable in the wind and it was back to the drawing board for Jehart and his team.
The answer came in 2004 with the cone-shaped design. These Air Gates measure 5 metres (16 ft) across the base and 75 centimetres (29 inches) at their tip. Inside the Air Gate a relatively high and carefully monitored, pressure level is maintained with the use of powerful electrical, petrol-powered blowers that help keep the Air Gates steady even in windy conditions.
Over the years the Air Gate design has developed and improved and today’s Air Gates can withstand wind speeds of up to 60 km/h (37 mph) without being blown over. Their stability is further reinforced with
12 ground attachments, each strong enough to hold 1,200 kilos. For races over water, the Air Gates are secured to a floating barge which has stability anchors.
Permanent evolution
Jehart and his team continue work on the development and design of the Air Gates. Jehart refers to it as a ‘permanent evolution process’. “The design is evolving and there are always ways to improve”, he says. “We have new ideas and are constantly testing new materials and production technologies. Innovation in safety, handling and visual appeal is always at the forefront”.
In 2007 the upper half of the pylon was adapted to be much lighter and the sewing technology was also improved.
In 2008, four major improvements were made in terms of handling, wind stability and reliability. A major feature that the team have been working on over the winter has been the new ‘blower system’ otherwise know as ‘pylon chargers’. These powerful blowers, which are the latest generation of chargers, are able to inflate an Air Gate in just 15 seconds (an improvement on 90 seconds in 2008). In addition to this, there is an electronic control unit which can continually check the pressure inside the Air Gate. There are two flaps in the system: one which allows exact control of airflow during inflation and which shuts down after a pylon hit and the other which opens a flap at the bottom to ensure a fast release of air in order to collapse the pylon. Placed beneath the Air Gates, the 15 hp chargers fill an incredible 9m³ of air per second.
Rapid repair
Unlike early models, the current structures are made up of six sections attached together by zippers to allow quick replacement if damaged by a plane. It takes about two days to set up the entire Red Bull Air Race track, and if a pylon is hit during a race, there is hardly any time to replace it. A team of 15 trained specialists called ‘Air Gators’ is on standby at every race. In races held over water, the teams have speedboats at their disposal.
Training and analysis is ongoing and the team is always looking for ways to improve the efficiency of repairing the Air Gates so they can be fast without interrupting the flow of the race. They have a big job to do in a short space of time, handling 220m2 of material and filling them with 70m3 of air, the equivalent volume of 1,500 latex balloons.
It’s not just the Red Bull Air Race pilots who are focused on speed and skill. In 2003 it took the Air Gators 20 minutes to repair an Air Gate. Now it takes them just two to three minutes to get the pylon ready for racing again.
(Watch the video about Air Gate Development)
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