Come Master RedBird's Flying Challenge

Come Master Redbird's Flying Challenge!

ONLY WEEKS REMAIN TO PARTICIPATE!

It appears one of the best-kept secrets in flight simulation has been happening at flight schools around the world for the past three months. Pilots are flying simulators in competition for real-world prizes and a paid trip to the largest general aviation airshow in the world: Airventure at Oshkosh. 

And you don’t need to be a real-world pilot to win. In fact, sim pilots may have a serious advantage.

In April, Redbird Flight Simulations launched the Flying Challenge Cup [http://landing.redbirdflight.com/]. This challenge consists of three events—think FSX “missions” and you’ll have the rough idea. They are Precision Landings, Steep Turns and Lazy Eights. Each event has an explanatory video, a training mission and a challenge mission. All flights are scored, showing you exactly the areas you need to improve. 

These events aren’t available for download. They are flown on full-motion Redbird Simulators at flight schools, currently available in 32 states, Canada, and Australia. Registration is free at the Challenge Cup website, and you get a coupon for the first 30 minutes on the full-motion sims for $15. Sim pilots who found the event already through flight schools have done quite well, but it seems only a small slice of the flight sim community even knows this is happening.

Not only is Redbird looking at the top scores on three challenges, they are looking at three categories of competitors: Rated Pilots, Student Pilots, and Non-Pilots. In early July, Redbird will name 12 top scorers, four from each category, and bring them to Oshkosh this summer to compete live on stage for the world championship. All the details are on the Flying Challenge website.

And even if you’re not interested in the Flying Challenge this year, just reading the rules [http://landing.redbirdflight.com/flyingchallenge/rules] is pretty amusing. 

You can see a quick teaser video:

Or check out the actual videos that precede each of the three challenges:

Precision Landings:

Steep Turns:

Lazy Eights:

The challenges, including the fourth challenge to be flown at Oshkosh, will be available beyond the summer at many locations, but the window to qualify for Oshkosh closes on July 7. So if you want a chance to prove you’re the best sim stick in the world, check it out and get to a school with a Redbird Simulator near you.