James May has the flight of his life at the Red Bull Air Race

We sent our very own aeroplane geek, James May to the Texas Red Bull Air Race - where he got a lot more than he bargained for...
In partnership with the Red Bull Air Race.
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[@vaggelisgian]

This man has been in a U2 spyplane, a Eurofighter Typhoon,a Supermarine Spitfire ,a Harrier Jumpjet and has a pilot’s license and now he’s been in a Red Bull Air Race aerobatics aircraft through a course ... Now that’s a flight bio mr.May .....

[@vaggelisgian]

Ataberk Karatas you’re right , he’s been in one in the episode with the Germans. Thanks for the reminder !!

[@vaggelisgian]

valleywoodworker they weren’t late .... They were simply arriving in style .

[@panpaletkalg2550]

@Ataberk Karatas pfff, he was in a caravan airship, A CARAVAN AIRSHIP!!!

[@wiskybiz]

And ironically Captain Slow was faster in a car than Hammond or Clarkson.

[@revaddict]

Was also the fastest man in a production car briefly..

[@captpicard6894]

Any clip with James May is still more entertaining and informative than new top gear without him.

[@arlingtonhynes]

Ten seconds of hyperactively cut flying, mostly the presenter making faces. 5:40 minutes of talk. May’s great, even if he’s fat now, but this video is a waste of time.

[@jeck8005]

People who say this probably haven't watched it.

[@robertwagner5873]

A-freakin-men man

[@ntnwwnet]

"Includes paid promotion" Who cares, it's James May.

[@Smokecall]

This is why BBC wanted to keep him but honestly, they probably would of wasted such talent by not letting him do stuff like this

[@RacerM53]

James may is the coolest of the three because he does cool stuff like this. Change my mind

[@doubleutubefan5]

I certainly agree and I loved his world record series when he made the world's longest train set and also the world's longest slot car track with scaletrics

[@adlibbed2138]

@@doubleutubefan5 lest we not forget about going through the infamous Isle of Man TT with his makeshift bike :P

[@Metal-Possum]

Hammond would do this kind of stuff too. I find James the most interesting to listen to though, he's clearly very interested in the aircraft itself, and its details, and not just about going flying in it for a quick filming session.

[@山内淳カイル-i5d]

Richard does something cool by testing the safety of a Rimac.

[@henrikjohannessen3017]

He is the bravest. Jezza and hammond are wimps when it comes to stuff mike this.

[@graysonvirtue4058]

1:54 I like the way James says "420" and just stares directly at the camera. He knows

[@pervenchemusic]

“Easier than being filmed…because you can have a joint”

[@banelemsimango7363]

This channel should just be owned by James

[@revaddict]

Well he owns part of it anyway..

[@sarahhart6814]

It’s probably about 1/3

[@ammars.8121]

DriveTribe is an automotive online community platform founded/owned by Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.

[@woodenhoe]

JamesTribe

[@stepladder3257]

Kicking Jezza and Hamster out lol

[@b_mb4948]

James makes for an incredibly good reporter!

[@MTecs]

Brodie Bennett His enthusiasm is true and not staged like pretty much all if not most reporters, and thats what makes him good!

[@tlangdon12]

He is @@MTecslso very knowledgeable, which his interviewees quickly pick up on.

[@MTecs]

tlangdon12 Yes he surely is, with a vast knowledge of things.

[@argkatt9040]

Yes, James May is great! He's an interesting man with a lot of of knowledge. Slow or not, he's brilliant!

[@zakr1187]

I mean he still is technically a journalist

[@freakingoldskool3600]

Funny looking cars

[@georgechrist2886]

i laughed so much h is not funny .....

[@EinkOLED]

He holds a PPL and probably CPL/ME. And the hamster has a PPL helicopter licence, and the orangutan can drive a speed boat. Both May and the hamster also love motorcycling like me.

[@krishnaraju6790]

hes slowly morphing into a blob

[@Smokecall]

Planes be just aerodynamic cars with wings that produce upforce instead of downforce

[@TheThroor]

@@Smokecall it's called lift 😂 but yeah

[@sid1662]

“have a wash, then have a beer” - James knows how to chat the lads up!

[@trentmarlowe7655]

Cracked me up when he said that.

[@zaoc1]

Content 9 / 10. Editing -16 / 10.

[@Cyba_IT]

Love how James surprised the guy at the end with his flying knowledge. Great stuff

[@D0csavage1]

The release from the shackles of a BBC contract has opened up another dimension for the ex Top Gear presenters it would seem.

[@ludektichy8934]

Lovely to see Martin Šonka (being Czech myself) talking to James who was amazed by Martin, his flight and his championship win overall.

[@jocax188723]

It's moments like these that remind you that technically, Captain Slow has almost certainly gone the fastest, highest and taken the most gees of the three boys.

[@jacobhoffman927]

I'd love to see a TV series or show that shows James's love of aviation

[@wallabybob3020]

James should be the commentator on the Red Bull Air races. His enthusiasm is contagious

[@Glimiril]

I've been fortunate enough to do some aerobatics in a plane far less nimble and it was an amazing experience, I did it with Air Cadets (RAF Pilot) in a Chipmunk over 30 years ago and still I have not found a Roller coaster close, I even did a loop to loop and barrel roll myself with instruction. I can only imagine how great that experience was in a machine designed for such purposes. As a side note I also only went and flew a glider with the Air Cadets Solo too after a bit of training with a RAF pilot. Tremendous, good on you James.

[@OhSoddit]

I understand how you feel !! I missed out on chance to solo in a CT-4 (RAAF via Air Cadets), long story, but did get a couple of flights in a motorfalke glider. What puts everything else in my life to shame was a flight MONEY CAN'T BUY in a Blackhawk - a pilot who must have been on the verge of heatstroke going into full on RAGE mode and treating it like an Extra 300LX. If it was a movie, it would be called blackhawk down, up, sideways, back-to-front, upside down, vertical and gone in 60 seconds. Not even Elon Musk could BUY the blind rage behind that pilots eyeballs :)

[@SEPK09]

One thing I like about James may he does his research and knows stuff before going into it.

[@darius2640]

let me guess, he spent 3 hours prior to flying doing pre-flight checks?

[@hdmat101]

Yes and he also had to carefully read all the warning labels, blueprints as well as plot a course for the plane to Navigate through.

[@MTecs]

hdmat101 Good old captain slow

[@kevinmcniff9498]

i heard he wanted the specific newtons the rivets were pulled by and the manufacturers certs on the production of the al-you - wait for it- mineeyum !

[@juliusmarin3893]

hdmat101 And he used a special cup to se if any water got to the fuel

[@glennoc8585]

@@juliusmarin3893 pretty.much standard pre flight.that though.

[@alexanderwingeskog758]

Wright brothers had an lightweight structure built for an underpowered engine around it... This one is a humongous engine and then they built something that will hold you in the seat while turning the engine up.

[@adam_mawz_maas]

This is a tiny engine in a relatively small plane, it's really comparable to something like a Lotus Elise. It puts a moderately powerful general aviation engine (it's a 9.5L engine putting out a mere 320HP) into a small & light airframe. With 320hp and 2095lbs, or about 6.5lbs per HP. (the number the pilot quoted is empty weight) it's a very good power to weight ratio by aerobatic standards, but low by air race standards. in comparison, the military trainer my father flies has around 1400HP (it's a T-28 Fennec) Dreadnought, the 2018 Gold winner at Reno is 12500lbs but somewhere over 4000HP (the team only states 4000+HP on its specs) from a 71L, 3760lb engine, or about 3lbs per HP, that's twice as much in terms of power to weight. Dreadnought qualified at 417mph at Reno this year, VNE (Never Exceed Speed) for the Extra 330 family is 253mph.

[@kellingtonlink956]

Congratulations on ‘still’ being in a position where you can (time/money-wise) follow what you are, clearly passionate about. It shows. Well done and Thanks James.

[@jangerhards8720]

James is such a great guy, film more with him, more, more, more...

[@shotz_o]

I watched the air race in Porto, it was amazing, some of the gates were in the river that is right inside of the city, I loved it!

[@Smokecall]

They definitely call this Drivetribe, not just Roadtribe, for this reason.

[@coryv5679]

It's still funny how James is "scared of heights" yet flies and loves doing stuff like this.

[@sblack48]

Lots of pilots are terrified of heights. Myself included. For some reason that I don’t understand an airplane and a 20th floor balcony are totally different.

[@pervenchemusic]

@@sblack48it might be fear of falling more than heights. You can’t fall sat down in an aircraft but you could from a multi-storey building

[@sblack48]

@@pervenchemusic exactly

[@wonder528]

What? Couldn't get Hamster to do another wing walk?

[@RastaSaiyaman]

Not surprised to see him wearing Alpinestars suits. According to Ben Collins' (White Stig) book "Man in the white suit" it was Collins' past as a racing driver which saw Top Gear having an official endorsement with Alpinestars suits. It came about after the stunts got increasingly more dangerous, starting with Richard Hammond's run in the jet-car. To showcase what Collins' role in the show encapsulated: when the Jet-car was brought up, Collins was going "If you want to do a stunt like that, it HAS to be Hammond, he is of all of them the fittest, May and Clarkson cannot handle the forces that come with a Jet-car." and directly afterwards Collins inquired on Hammond's racing kit, what kind of suit does he have and is his helmet any good? So after being told what Hammond owned at the time he went "No way, Hammond will die if something goes wrong, he needs to have proper racing suits and helmets!" So when the Jet-car toppled over and hammond survived, the merits of Collins' reasoning had been proven and from then on, Hammond always wore Alpinestars racing suits and Simpson helmets, basically the same gear as the Stig wears but in a different color.

[@stefanmargraf7878]

James May is looking more and more like Jeremy Clarkson

[@albert7721]

That's got to give James the Fizz. :-)

[@hdmat101]

1:56 in other words 420° means you can roll a joint.

[@misterrock9720]

just like you can if you drive a bus

[@hubs1563]

Wait no stop *waves hands

[@schwig44]

in one second!!

[@Toto_Muc]

James has surprisingly much knowledge on this topic. Respect!

[@docmelih113]

Captain slow in action again.

[@hilarydrinkwater5392]

wonderful to see the pilot talking down to the passenger.

[@rob_ah_]

I always find James wildly entertaining. Another excellent video. Now he needs to work on one of those planes for The Reassembler...

[@husnainanwaar1992]

James May is the best he takes us on the best trips...

[@sventobergte845]

yeah he put on some weight...even in the face!

[@slckb0y65]

"6g, that's not a lot, we go up to 12 in the race" alright ... i thought i was insane, but i found my new role model :P

[@Da.Onus.Burger.618]

I LOVE Red a Bull Air Racing!!! It’s like F1, but in the air! If you ever get a chance to go to a race, it’ll be one of the best experiences of your life. We’d go to the races in San Diego and Las Vegas anytime they’d come. AMAZING!!!

[@minitrundle]

Paul Bonham. Red Bull air race champion by day, British Airways 747 Captain at night. What a guy!

[@AirCrash1]

I used to fly aerial surveys and we were paid for how many good km of data we returned with. Doing the turns at the end of lines was unpaid, so we would attempt to turn in the fastest way possible but we couldn't pull high Gs because it would rip off all the equipment attached to the aircraft so we would do stall turns but I would have to reprogram the computers while we were turning and have them running again before we had finished the turn....best times of my life......took me 2 months of flying 12 hours everyday before I could do it without vomiting......we made a fortune, myself and this awesome Finnish pilot, there wasn't any risk we weren't prepared to take to get more data which meant faster more accurate flying and we had to fly around in thunderstorms in the rainy season without any weather kit above jungle, nearest air strip 2 hours away. The whole 12 hour flights we would make each day were just a math fest for myself and the pilot, constantly working out intercepts around the weather from looking out the window, trying not to let thunderclouds get between us and a way back to the air strip. We would literally dance around thunderclouds and swoop in and out to get data. We would time our return to base so we landed the minute the sun went down as the runway was a dirt strip with no lights. Best team work I've been part of in my life, we would be constantly working out mathematical problems, like you did not want to survey hilly/mountain areas when you had 10 hours of fuel still onboard, so we would do the easy stuff when we were heavy with fuel and leave the tricky stuff for when we were light. You also did not want to go trekking up the leeward side of hills or mountains as this would mean the steepness is increasing as down-draughts are increasing and it does not matter which direction you survey in, so you would want to calculate a flight plan that involves flying down the leeward side of hills and mountains and up the windward side. The lines we flew were between 100km and 200km long and if you flew more than 10m off course or climbed more than 100ft from the ground then ALL the data for that line was junk and unpaid. When myself and the Finnish pilot flew we would collect more than 30% more data than the next best crew, each time we flew it was like we were going to the moon, hahaha, constant chat on the intercom asking for info, the pilot is asking me for good lines that makes it easier for him to stay on course, I am asking for ETAs so I can plan the most efficient route. And all this while only 50ft above the ground in aircraft wrecking turbulence while flying acrobatics........the pilots in this video are amateurs we had to do what they do with about 6 extra dimensions.

[@revaddict]

Keep him coming.. We cannot have enough of Mr. Slowly..

[@motorcyclestig6941]

I flew with the guys out of the top gear laser tag episode and they let you fly, he does the take off and landing... loops, barrel rolls, split s, stalls. Incredible!! They do it out of John Wayne Airport. Best experience of my life. Side by side seating $700 ahour but it's a steal. It's no ride along.

[@baloonia1]

This is great content. Thx James and the Drivetribe team.

[@TheIndulged1]

I'm amazed he didn't pass out!, Much respect Captain Slow.

[@HojozVideos]

"Whatever you're doing, if you open the throttle you'll probably be OK" *nosedive*

[@joshschneider9766]

Max v and yak the throttle as hard as you can into your stomach then level out. Insanely fast in an aircraft with a 420 dps roll rate lol

[@crazydave1996]

James looks more and more like Dave Murray from Iron Maiden every day.

[@RockerboiProduction]

I love seeing James having fun

[@Darkcasesunfolded]

‘Have a wash’ made me laugh. :D

[@b9y]

GUYS, love seeing stuff like this with the TG guys. Get the others on!

[@xxSuHonGxx]

Next time on Grand Tour, James fly a plane.

[@laneeric]

In case you haven't seen the TG episode where James flies a Cessna 182 with Hamster as a whiny passenger against Jezzer in a Bugatti Veyron from France to London. Great show.

[@xxSuHonGxx]

Hahaha true. That’s over 10 years ago. I hope they do something like this again.

[@jaytee4484]

Wish my stomach could handle this.. would be amazing to experience.

[@schumbo8324]

My stomach would be ok but im afraid if my back would snap in half lol

[@georgejacob3162]

I've been in an Extra 330 twice. One of my flight experiences is uploaded to my channel. My 2nd experience was ruined by almost being sick as I was subjected to manoeuvres of +8 and -5g. I realised afterwards why I was nearly sick and it was simply due to having milk based products on the morning before the flight. The following day I did a skydive and was absolutely fine. I've also done wing walking at the same place that Hammond did his wing walk. Just don't have milk and you'll be fine!

[@imstupid880]

James May: You know I hate heights Also James May: is a pilot, flies a red bull racing plane

[@plaady]

do you have more footage? i need a full length feature of this!

[@jimmywills8783]

He looks like Jeremy clarkson at 2.33

[@PS1212]

2:33

[@jimmywills8783]

@@PS1212 put ur crack pipe down

[@gggggggggggggggggg161]

nah

[@Mass_hole508]

1:12 At least you didn't break your zip getting into this race suit. LoL 👍Good job James.

[@colebrookhouse]

1:19 the synchronicity between the Hamilton and Red Bull branding... uncanny

[@op3l]

James may sure blossomed into I think the best and most interesting of the 3 presenters.

[@xuchengtian8849]

Jame May when he is 90: SPEEEEEEED and POWAAAAAAAH

[@adam_mawz_maas]

Cool. Now he needs to go to Reno and discover the pinnacle of Air Racing. Love to see him in the back of an L29 or Sea Fury for a couple laps at race speed (390+mph)

[@Smokecall]

Seeing aircrafts fly through checkpoints remind me of those amazing aircraft vs car races in Forza Horizon.

[@dotnetdevni]

I just love the three together without each other their nothing

[@klj2382]

James was all over the those statistics and names of the maneuvers. This was perfect for Cpt. Slow

[@girishharlikal]

That pilot looks like my weed dealer

[@wallownine554]

1:53

[@ericlewandowskivlogs]

James is a LEGEND

[@GreatWhiteGT]

Well done, James!! (and you didn't toss your cookies? really? impressive.)

[@pimpinaintdeadho]

I absolutely love the Red Bull Air Race.

[@rm-nd7cq]

The one dislike is from the bbc

[@ryanmcfarland6086]

James May was at KAFW during the races? Wish I had known, I would've scheduled lessons that week in hopes to meet him.

[@elcam84]

Nice. The best part is he got the location right. Most ignorant people will say Dallas but all the cool stuff for the typical people is in Fort Worth. James Definitely earned himself a real BBQ dinner next time he is in town. Briskit sausage and Ribs right off the smoker.

[@MarkofT]

Dammit! James May was within 1/2 a mile of me for an afternoon while I was working on FedEx planes. In fact, at 0:02 seconds, the camera pans right and you can see a tiny little smudge of a white and purple plane at the end of the ramp. At about 0:45 and the rest of the ramp is on the left. I've even walked through that same exact door at the hangar ('tho many months earlier).

[@forzerotoo]

I wish James would stop by one of my companies locations while in the US, Duncan Aviation. Being an AVGEEK I think he would truly enjoy it!!!

[@DaanBrandt]

More of this please

[@recontube3787]

James is going to feel that in the morning

[@Whitehousebeetle]

Damn interesting life you have, Mr. May!

[@johnhfischeriii]

James May should do more commentary on RBAR.

[@Finallybianca]

Dude has flown to the karmin line, flown in a few different WWII fighters, and y’all call this the flight if his life don’t get me wrong doing aerobatics is frigging awesome.

[@suryanarayanan1090]

James May crashes.. Clarkson : Does that mean he's not coming on again 😂

[@Rammstein45]

James is the best!

[@wollyxl]

That was epic great flying 🛩️

[@airliftpilot]

I miss the Red Bull air races ☹️

[@yvlakhtionov]

For those who is interested: these race planes all has same standard engine and prop

[@Resound]

Is there a reason why you put so much effort into editing out all the actual flying?

[@katsaras1]

I have an infinite amount of respect for mr May, but damn, he has to hit that treadmill

[@abbykawaii6563]

Looks like he had so much fun 😁

[@tf9420]

Great, more please

[@RR-us2kp]

Who the hell would put an unlike to this video?

[@thedoctor4115]

"Have a wash" oh the pun 😂

[@error404blah]

So cool

[@brenrowe2042]

That is insane

[@RobinHood-yk8og]

You guys managed to upload an HD Video this time too, well done.

[@mrnobody1231]

the good old James's majestic hair

[@RR-us2kp]

Well done James May. You are awesome

[@KAMIKAZE-dk8xd]

I love these videos!!

[@rainman3269]

Uncle James , Always entertaining 😉😉

[@exotic9514]

James' plane should have a registration G-0CK 😂

[@ninadganore]

the few seconds of that racing commentary immediately told me the key demographic of the viewers.

[@NitinLuthra07]

James May's double chin game is really strong now

[@jerrysherwood2886]

In short... That ride gave hime the fizz 😁

[@Slippery_MOOSE]

I wish there was a airplane top gear. With lap times and everything. Awesome

[@teemumyyrylainen9247]

oh man, im so green from being jealous ... would absolutely love to have an go in plane like that..

[@georgejacob3162]

Go for it! I've been in an Extra 330 twice as a paying passenger. One of my experiences is uploaded to my KZbin channel. I was subjected to +8 and -5g by my pilot. I've also wing walked at the same place that Richard Hammond did his wing walk. Going upside-down while sat in or stood on top of a plane is aitaa mahtavaa!

[@lisamoore6804]

That looks like fun.