Hannes Arch

Hannes Arch‘s motto is: “Respect, accept, and always stay grounded.” But staying grounded is easier said than done considering that the Austrian-born athlete has made his career by climbing the world‘s highest mountains, jumping off the tallest buildings, and performing gravity-defying aerobatic manoeuvres hundreds of feet above the ground.

At only 16 years, Hannes obtained his Austrian Special Pilots‘ License and began to dedicate himself to the sport of hang gliding. He competed in international paragliding competitions and is credited as being one of the first “acrobatic paragliders” in the world.

In 1995, Hannes founded the Red Bull Acro Team with the help of fellow Swiss athletes Ueli Gegenschatz and Andi Hediger. The Acro Team‘s innovative and impressive aerial stunts helped establish the Red Bull brand in the Free Flying scene and led the way for the formation of the Red Bull Air force (USA) and more recently, the Aerobatix Team (South America).

In 1998, he began experimenting with aerobatics and in 2001 he began training with three-time Aerobatic World Champion Catherine Manoury. The same year, the talented rookie pilot took first place in the Swiss Championship Advanced Category and earned himself a coveted spot on the Swiss National Aerobatic Team.