After what has been a dramatic day in the history of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, several of the pilots expressed relief for the safe rescue of Brazilian rookie Adilson Kindlemann but also admitted it was reassuring to see the rescue teams working so quickly to retrieve the pilot and plane.

An official statement issued by race organisers explained that Kindlemann had suffered only minor injuries akin to whiplash and praised the prompt and efficient rescue efforts by both the jet ski divers and those aboard the rescue boats. The pilot was pulled from the upturned MXS-R race plane, which was floating in the Swan River, in under a minute.

The official statement read: “While manoeuvring his MXS-R race plane, approaching gate three in the middle of the race track, Kindlemann impacted the water with his wings level and tail first. Specially trained emergency response teams rushed to the scene and rescued Kindlemann as the aircraft floated in the water, in less than one minute. He was then transported to the Royal Perth Hospital.”

Once Kindlemann had been assessed at the hospital, the other pilots were able to breathe a sigh of relief as they heard that the 2010 newcomer was going to be OK. One team member admitted it was a nerve-wracking time as they awaited fresh information about the state of the pilot, who has already made an impact at the Race Airport with his lively personality. “I was in the holding area when the accident took place but I did not see how it happened,” said Russian pilot Sergey Rakhmanin, who was due to fly after Kindlemann in the first training session this morning. “I am happy to hear that Adilson is safe and received only minor injuries.”

Equally Japanese pilot Yoshi Muroya expressed his relief that Kindlemann was in good health after the incident, which occurred at 11.50am local time in Perth. “The fantastic response by the specially trained emergency crews has underlined the value of the emphasis on safety in the Red Bull Air Race,” said Muroya. “Both the emergency response team and the pilots have trained for this kind of incident and I confidently look forward to more practice in the track tomorrow and some exciting racing in the weekend.”

British pilot Nigel Lamb, who was sitting in third position after today’s disrupted first training session also offered a useful insight into the lifesaving efforts by the rescue teams. Lamb also noted Kindlemann’s quick thinking in the lead up to the moment when the MXS-R hit the water.

“I’ve seen very little footage but the most important thing is that if you have any kind of unwanted impact with the surface, you want to land at the slowest speed possible with your wings level,” explained Lamb. “From what I saw in the videos, he was not at slow speed but he did manage to get the wings level. I am amazed at how quick the divers were there and how unscathed he is. You’d think at that speed you’d be very poorly placed… but it all turned out very positively.”

Today saw what has always been a theoretical situation turn to reality. Seeing the rescue teams in action in the first ever ‘real life’ emergency operation has helped to confirm just how effective the safety measures the organisation has put into place are. “It’s one thing for your engine to fail and you have do a controlled landing on water but now I’ve seen someone do that at twice the speed you imagine and he came out alright,” admits Lamb. “That’s very confidence inspiring. Today has really given me even more confidence about operations over water.”

Source: www.RedBullairraces.com