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(CNN) Polish pilot Lukasz Szypela made aviation history on Tuesday, becoming the first person to land a plane on the heliport of Dubai’s iconic Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel.
Chipela was able to stop his specially modified light aircraft at a distance of only 21 meters (68 ft), and landed on a platform 27 meters (89 ft) wide, 212 meters (696 ft) above the ground over 56-inch parasols.
“The biggest challenge was not having any external reference points, which are usually found in an airport where you have hundreds of meters of runway,” he told the sponsors of the Red Bull project.
This heliport is located above the 59th floor of the Burj Al Arab Hotel, watching over the coast of Dubai. Since 1999, it has hosted an impressive array of international sports stars.
The heliport has been turned into a car racing track, a boxing ring and the starting point for the highest ever kitesurfing jump.
Tiger Woods took to the helipad before the start of the 2004 Dubai Desert Classic.
Anthony Joshua practicing on the helipad in November 2017.
American golf star Cheyenne Woods visits the helipad during the Dubai Ladies Masters 2014.
Andre Agassi and Roger Federer played a friendly match overlooking the Dubai skyline in 2005.
The Burj Al Arab is 321 meters high on its artificial island in the Persian Gulf.
Designed to resemble a sail facing the sea, the Burj Al Arab is the tallest building in the world used exclusively as a hotel.
Burj Al Arab obtained the first helipad license from the General Authority of Civil Aviation in the United Arab Emirates.
The stunt had been in planning since 2021 and required 650 test landings, according to Red Bull.
Chipela’s day job is flying an Airbus A320, but he has some impressive flying accomplishments under his belt, including winning the 2018 World Championship class title in the Red Bull Air Race and landing a plane on a wooden pier in Sopot, Poland.
Chipilla joins an elite group of sporting legends who have graced the hotel’s helipad to sail, including tennis champions Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, who played a match there in 2005, and former Formula 1 Grand Prix winner David Coulthard, who served cupcakes there. in 2013.
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