An aerial slalom through a wind farm

Slaloming between fourteen wind turbines was the challenge that aerobatic pilot, Hannes Arch, recently took up. The operation took place in early April, at Spielberg, 125 miles (200 kilometres) southwest of Vienna in Austria. The 97 feet (60 m) tall wind turbines are located in the Styrian Alps at an altitude of 6,235 feet (1,900 metres). For safety reasons of course, their blades were stopped for this exceptional flight.

After obtaining the necessary authorisations and carrying out intensive preparation, although under immense pressure, the Austrian aerobatics ace was finally ready for action. At over 185 mph (300 km/h), the slightest mistake could have been fatal. Hannes Arch was formally, and strictly forbidden, to touch the towering metal towers.

"Every second, you have to be perfectly clear in your mind that you have wind turbines in front of you and need to know precisely what you are going to do next" he explains.

The pilot also had to be in excellent physical condition. In this aerial slalom, he was subjected to forces of around 6-G’s but ultimately, all's well that ends well, and Hannes Arch was on a roll, no real pun intended, in achieving this first world aerobatic feat without mishap.