PREVIEW

A daredevil pilot has pulled off a bonkers world-first by landing his plane on a moving cargo train - before blasting straight back into the sky.

Red Bull athlete Dario Costa made aviation history in Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye, after touching down on a train travelling at 120km/h and then taking off again in a vertical climb – all from the same container.

The Italian stunt ace had just 50 seconds to nail the move, battling heavy turbulence, shifting airspeeds and centimetres of margin for error.

Costa reduced his aircraft to a near-stall speed of 87km/h to match the train, which was travelling at its maximum operational speed of 120km/h.

Incredibly, he carried out the final approach blind.

The train remained visible at a 45-degree angle until 200m before the final approach, but the platform disappeared from his field of vision as he lined up with the ninth and final cargo container.

All three wheels made contact with the container despite drastic airflow changes and turbulence created by the speeding train.

He then stabilised the aircraft at near-minimum airspeed before accelerating and lifting off into an immediate vertical climb, completing the heart-stopping sequence.

The stunt, dubbed Train Landing, followed months of engineering analysis, simulation work and flight preparation.

Costa flew a Zivko Edge 540, a 400-horsepower race and stunt plane with a 7.5m wingspan.

While no major modifications were made, the aircraft was optimised for lower-speed flight with custom strakes and six small vortex generators.

The moving train created significant wake turbulence and unstable airflow, decreasing airspeed over the container by 33km/h and forcing constant mid-air corrections.

Even a mismatch of a few centimetres could have sent the aircraft overshooting the narrow surface.

Costa also underwent specialist cognitive training at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre in Thalgau to prepare for the blind landing.

The high-flying Italian previously stunned fans in 2021 with Tunnel Pass – flying through two highway tunnels outside Istanbul.

This time, after spotting a nostalgic passenger train in Kars, he began exploring whether landing on a moving train could actually be possible.

Afyonkarahisar was ultimately chosen as the safest and most suitable location thanks to its railway infrastructure and operational conditions.

Dario Costa, Red Bull Athlete: “Train Landing was one of the most challenging and demanding projects of my career. There were so many variables to measure, but the greatest test was learning to land blind on a very small moving runway - relying only on cognitive and flying skills.

Despite the difficulty, it was a great experience. For the first time, an aircraft successfully interacted with a moving train, bringing together the oldest motorised transportation with the newest. It was a complex project that required precision, teamwork, and trust - and I’m proud we executed it as planned.”

Filippo Barbero, Aviation Consultant: “The most critical aspect was the alignment with the train, so precision had to be absolute, and he achieved that. During a project like this, there's no room for emotions - Dario is a true magician.”