I was wondering if you needed a special license for this airplane?

Question

I was wondering if I needed a special license to fly in the airplanes that are in the red bull races. I am 16 and have my private pilot license but I really want to fly in those trick planes.

Answer 1

Pics???

Info????

Private licence what????

Answer 2

Age aside, do you need a special certificate?  No.  You need a private pilot rating and a tail wheel and high power endorsement (possibly complex as well?  Someone interject here, are Extra's constant speeds?).  Thats what you need to just fly one  (OK so a CFI could in theory sign you off to solo in one without the PPL, but thats not hapening in real life).  Do you want to perform those tricks?  You need an aerobatic check out at minimum.  

You just don't hop in to one of them and do it just because you're technically barely legal to do it, those pilots practice pretty much every day.  Its like a sport.  They've spent countless thousands of hours perfecting what they do and many more planning it all on the ground.  Its one thing to do a full spin in a Cessna 150, a totally different thing to do aerobatics in a Citabria and a whole nother universe doing what they do in the Red Bull series.

Answer 3

No special license required. You could even get all of your initial flight training in the two seat versions of those aircraft. Of course, you'd have to be rich enough to afford an instructor willing to teach you, and the insurance company might have something to say about it as well. That'll cost you.

As the aircraft's engine is greater than 200 hp, you'll need a high performance sign off as well as a tailwheel sign off. Because it lacks retractable gear and flaps, it won't qualify as complex. (ref: FAR 61-31 e, f, and i)

Answer 4

In what country do you have your license? 17 is the minimum age to have a private pilot's license for powered aircraft in the US.

Most of the Red Bull racers I'm sure have Commercial Pilot certificates which require that you be 18.

Edit: To Kevin (below): Yes, Extra's have CS props. And, like your answer...

Answer 5

They had better not be :"trick" airplanes.  They should perform exactly as expected, every single time.

As you will have found out by now, you cannot have a Private Airman Certificate at age 16.  The Red Bull racers are all advanced pilots with lots of experience.

So the answer is that you can fly a racing airplane with just a private certificate and a couple of extra ratings, but you will have to own it, and do without insurance.  Nobody is going to let you fly theirs until you have a couple of thousand hours at least in your logbook.