In a daring and dangerous stunt, two pilots who are cousins and accomplished skydivers will attempt a world first by jumping out of their own planes and skydiving into the other’s plane in what Red Bull is calling Plane Swap.
Luke Aikins, 48, and Andy Farrington, 42, from the Red Bull Air Force will be the featured daredevils in Plane Swap, set to air in a three-hour, live-stream exclusive on Hulu in the U.S. on April 24 beginning at 4 pm PDT.
“Plane Swap is the natural progression and culmination of my life’s work as a professional, both in the air as a pilot and skydiver and on the ground as an innovator,” said Aikins. “It’s the pinnacle of my career, and my goal is to inspire the world and show that anything is possible. You can set your mind on something that at times seems wild, crazy and unattainable, but through ambition and creativity, you can make it happen.”
The two will fly in similar Cessna 182 single-seat aircrafts. At 14,000 feet, they will put the planes into a vertical nosedive and jump out, leaving the planes empty. They will then skydive into each other’s planes. Once in the cockpit, they will restart the engines and disengage the custom-manufactured airbrake system that they employed before exiting and take control of the planes.
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The planes will be descending at a controlled-descent terminal velocity speed of 140 mph as the pilots exit the aircraft. They will be wearing parachutes.
From Red Bull:
Hours of research and development have gone into the plane modifications required to ensure the feat is possible. Dr. Paulo Iscold, world renown aeronautical engineer, partnered with Aikins and Farrington to serve as lead engineer on the project. One of the major challenges was developing a methodology to hold the planes in a controlled vertical descent – the exact opposite of how autopilot systems are designed to function. This required the reverse engineering of the autopilot mechanics, and resulted in an innovative, purpose-built airbrake system installed on the aircraft belly, designed to control aerodynamic stability. Once engaged, it will ensure the planes maintain a relatively controlled terminal velocity in nosedive that closely matches the speed of the skydiver’s descent.
The plan was the brainchild of Aikins, who was inspired by a 1990s photo in an aviation publication and manifested over a lifetime of aviation experiences. Aikins served as the skydiving consultant on the Red Bull Stratos mission in which Felix Baumgartner jumped from a record-setting altitude of 127,852 feet in 2012. He also performed a historic first skydive without a parachute on live TV in 2016, and developed the Red Bull Aces, the world’s first wingsuit slalom competition that began in 2014.
The cousins share a 40-acre property in Washington that features an airplane hangar and grass runway. They are raising their families the same way they were brought up: flying and skydiving.
Photos courtesy of Red Bull: 1. The featured planes; 2. Luke Aikins stands next to his plane; 3. Andy Farrington stands next to his plane. 4. A plane in a nosedive free-fall.
