Aviation
The Antonov An-225 Mriya
A tribute to the largest and heaviest aircraft ever to take to the skies on a regular basis over a span of some 33 years. Only to be destroyed by pointless vandalism during Russia's unjust invasion of Ukraine in late February of 2022.
Red Bull Air Race
The Red Bull Air Race (RBAR) was a unique aviation sports series, invented and funded by Austrian energy drink producer and media company Red Bull. It's origins trace back to a race concept employing aerobatic aircraft navigating a race course outlined through inflated pylons, sketched by Hungarian aerobatic legend Péter Besenyei.
A first event was staged at Zeltweg airfield in Austria on 28 June 2003, which had the character of an exhibition rather than a competition with a set of clear rules and regulations. Those would come later, following a second similar trial event at Tököl airport in Budapest on 20 August 2003. The fledgling concept was developed into a preliminary race format prior to the 2004 season which would comprise just three races.
The next year, the Red Bull Air Race World Series 2005 was launched, comprising seven races on four continents with ten pilots competing for the first proper championship. The RBAR World Series continued with regular amendments to its rules until 2008 when the official RBAR World Championship was kicked off. Until the conclusion of the 2010 season, the race format remained somewhat stable. However, for various reasons – among them several safety-critical incidents during training sessions – a three-year hiatus of the RBAR was prompted.
The return of the now FIA-recognised RBAR for the 2014 saw major changes to rules and regulations, such as standardised aircraft engines and propellers. By that time, only two specialised aircraft types – the Zivko Edge 540 and the MXS-R – were left competing. Moreover, the addition of the Challenger Cup to the event format, thus creating a platform for the next generation of air race pilots, became a new, exciting feature of the RBAR. In hindsight, the 2014 to 2019 RBAR championship seasons became by far the most competitive phase of this aviation sport, emphasizing team performance and professional preparation of all parties involved rather than aerobatic aircraft being tuned to the max as had been the case until 2010. After a total of 94 races, the air race series was eventually terminated by Red Bull on 29 May 2019 citing '[RBAR] ..did not attract the level of outside interest as many other Red Bull events across the world'.
Relive the history of the RBAR here: Race results and championship standings, all about Pilots and aircraft, plus two photo galleries featuring the 2014 Gdynia and the 2016 Lausitzring race events.
Red Bull Stratos
Following more than six years of preparation, Austrian B.A.S.E. jumper Felix Baumgartner on 14 October 2012 performed a jump from the stratosphere above Roswell, New Mexico (USA). The US-led project, financed by Red Bull, that day culminated in an egress from a custom-built capsule at 38,969 m of altitude. Sufficient for Baumgartner to become the first human to reach supersonic speed (Mach 1.25) during a 36,402 m freefall that lasted four minutes and twenty seconds. Learn more about the Red Bull Stratos project here.
Commercial aviation
The world top airports' ranking by total passenger volume is available for the years 1996 till 2019. All summaries are based on official data published by Airports Council International (ACI).
Complementing the annual airport rankings, a summary of airport runway information for some 150 airports around the globe is available.