Czech Aerobatic Team to Fly as Red Bull Aerobatic Team

The Czech aerobatic team Flying Bulls Aerobatic Team will now perform under the name Red Bull Aerobatic Team.

The new name puts the team itself in the spotlight — a team that has long been flying from its Czech home base at major airshows and aviation events across Europe and beyond.

Under its new name, Red Bull Aerobatic Team will continue to perform group and mirror aerobatics, disciplines built on precision, coordination and absolute trust between the pilots. During their performances, four aircraft become one, flying in tight formation and performing manoeuvres that rank among the most demanding in group aerobatics.

"The new name allows us to show more clearly who we are today. We are a Czech aerobatic team with a long history, our own distinct style, and the ambition to keep pushing the boundaries of formation flying. Red Bull Aerobatic Team is the name for our next chapter," says Stanislav Čejka, leader of the Red Bull Aerobatic Team.

The team’s history goes back to Chrudim, where the foundations of Czech group aerobatics, on which today’s formation builds, began to take shape between 1958 and 1960. This makes the current Red Bull Aerobatic Team one of the aerobatic groups with one of the longest civilian traditions in the world. The first generation of pilots already flew in very tight formations in ZLIN Trenér aircraft, laying the foundations for a style that remains characteristic of the team to this day: precision, technical difficulty and the courage to perform manoeuvres that only a handful of pilots can master in group aerobatics. 

Following a forced break caused by a shortage of aircraft, the team returned to the skies in 1990. During the 1990s, it performed under the name SKY BOX and once again established a strong reputation among pilots, airshow organisers and fans. In the former FAI Aerobatics World Grand Prix competition series, the team won five gold medals, ranking among the most successful aerobatic formations of its era.

In 2000, another major chapter began under the name Flying Bulls Aerobatic Team. Since then, the Czech pilots have performed at dozens of airshows, Formula 1 races, music festivals and other major events around the world. They have flown in Japan, China, India, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain and almost every European country.

The team has also undertaken several extraordinary projects that have become part of aerobatic history. In China, it became the first aerobatic team to fly through Tianmen Cave, known as the Gateway to Heaven. In Montenegro, the team achieved another world first when it performed an inverted loop in formation around the Mala Rijeka railway bridge, one of the highest railway bridges in Europe.

The current Red Bull Aerobatic Team consists of Stanislav Čejka, Jan Tvrdík, Jan Rudzinskyj and Martin Špaček, flying four specially modified XA42 XtremeAir aircraft. Each aircraft has an engine output of 315 horsepower and can reach speeds of up to 420 kilometres per hour. During a single show, the team covers up to 70 kilometres, performs approximately 38 aerobatic manoeuvres and the pilots experience forces of up to +7G and −5G during the manoeuvres.

Under its new name, Red Bull Aerobatic Team will continue to perform at airshows, sporting events and major events in the Czech Republic and abroad. For fans, what matters most remains unchanged: four Czech pilots, four aerobatic aircraft, tight formation flying and a show built on precision, courage and teamwork.