World first: Red Bull pilot lands aircraft on moving train — then takes off again
February 17, 2026
Red Bull has pulled off one of its most impressive stunts to date, landing an aircraft on a moving train before it took off again.
The Zivko Edge 540 touched down in a high-precision landing onto a cargo train in Turkey, travelling at 75mph (65 knots).
Red Bull, which has built a reputation for daring aircraft stunts, called it a “world-first aviation manoeuvre”.
Red Bull pilot Dario Costa lands Zivko Edge 540 on moving train
Dario Costa was the man at the controls of the high-performance aerobatic aircraft, which necessarily boasts an extremely short takeoff and landing distance.
The landing took place on Sunday, February 15, with Costa touching down on the ninth and final container of the train.
He then lifted off again in a vertical pull from the same container.
“Train Landing was one of the most challenging and demanding projects of my career,” said Costa.
“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.”
Filippo Barbero, the project’s aviation consultant, added: “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.”
Two years of preparation for Red Bull’s moving train aircraft landing
Preparation for the stunt began in 2024, with Red Bull engineering and flight teams developing simulations to replicate the landing.
A moving platform was tested in Croatia with support from Rimac Automobili, with a Nevera R hypercar used as a moving platform reference.
Explaining the feat in a blog post, Red Bull said the landing surface “remained outside of Costa’s field of vision throughout due to the aircraft’s angle of descent and the train’s forward motion.
“With no visual glide path, he had to rely solely on his cognitive training and skill to achieve what was essentially a blind landing.”
Red Bull said the train was travelling at its maximum operational speed, with Costa having to reduce speed to 47 knots to make the landing.
“Even the tiniest mismatch between plane and train velocity could have resulted in Costa overshooting the landing or failing to line up correctly,” Red Bull said.
“There was heavy turbulence from the train and shifting air speeds – making the manoeuvre a test of absolute precision. The moving carriages created turbulent airflow as the Italian steered his plane towards the narrow landing surface, forcing him to make continuous micro-adjustments to maintain longitudinal and lateral stability.”
Red Bull Plane Swap stunt and previous aviation projects
In 2022, two pilots attempted to swap planes mid-air in Red Bull’s ‘Plane Swap’.
One pilot, Luke Aikins, was successful but the second pilot, Andy Farrington, was unable to enter the plane he was approaching.
Both pilots landed safely and the plane’s safety mechanisms activated, but the aircraft was damaged.
In an interview after the Plane Swap, Luke Aikins explained: “We proved it was possible, and we are pushing boundaries out here. “What’s great is that I jumped from one to another, and landed safely. Andy landed safely in his parachute and all of our safety protocols worked.”
Featured image: Predrag Vučković/Red Bull Content Pool
