Polish Pilot Makes World First Landing on Burj Al Arab's Helipad
- Publish date: Wednesday، 15 March 2023 | Last update: Thursday، 16 March 2023
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Dubai's Burj Al Arab helipad has witnessed its first plane take off and landing as Polish pilot Lukasz Czepiela makes history and becomes the first pilot ever to land a plane on top of the hotel.
#Dubai hosts another record-breaking stunt as Polish pilot Luke Czepiela (@lc_aerobatics) makes history with “Bullseye Landing” of a plane on the iconic Burj Al Arab helipad.@redbull @BurjAlArab pic.twitter.com/CpdAL2QLM8
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 14, 2023
The landing was made without any reference points and at a height of 212 meters, which is the 56th floor of the hotel.
Red Bull ambassador is seen evaluating the situation before successfully making the landing on the 27-meter wide helipad.
"It's a very steady wind right now," he said, right before the historic landing.
Czepiela said that 13 special modifications were made to the aircraft to reduce the weight to 400 kilograms and ensure that it can land "on a very short space."
The modifications also included moving the main fuel tank to the plane's rear for more aggressive braking and adding nitrous tanks to enhance the power to take off from the helipad.
"We added nitrous tanks, which provided the required power without adding weight to the aircraft. Nitrous fuel speeds up combustion in the engine, which helps the cylinders accelerate more quickly," said Mike Patey, an aviation engineer.
Patey, who was monitoring the situation on the helipad, is seen in the video running in to hug and congratulate Czepiela.
Czepiela said on his Instagram story that 650 attempts were made on the ground to prepare for this challenge.
Image source: @luke.czepiela Instagram account.