CASTOR FANTOBA TAKES INAUGURAL DESERT CHALLENGE TITLE

Castor Fantoba was crowned champion of the inaugural FAI Desert Challenge after two days of intense competition at this weekend’s Al Ain Aerobatic Show. Flying a Sukhoi 26, the Spaniard recorded an overall score of 70.85%, just 1.82% ahead of second place Gerald Cooper in his CAP 232.

Fantoba’s triumph came after successfully completing three extremely demanding rounds, incorporating two compulsory sections and one free-style flight, which were marked by the international panel of judges according to strict Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) criteria.

“Winning the first ever FAI Desert Challenge, and against such high quality competition, is a great personal achievement and one that I’m very proud of,” said Castor Fantoba. “I’ve had an excellent time visiting Al Ain and experiencing this beautiful country, both on the ground and in the sky, and winning this title rounds everything off perfectly.”

With scoring done in real-time, the six pilots - all top-10 FAI event rankers in the last two years - were allowed only one routine run per discipline, giving them a limited window to impress the judging panel and crowds with their aerial skills, and providing no room for error.

“It was a very tight competition between some of the world’s best pilots, but Castor Fantoba made the least errors and flew the second compulsory section particularly well, which gave him edge,” said John Gaillard, Chief Judge for the FAI at the show. “Castor is a great pilot, very entertaining and fully deserving of the title of FAI Desert Challenge champion.”

The ninth edition of the show featured more than 25 aircraft, including some of the planet’s best aerobatic and formation teams. Taking centre-stage was the multi-discipline FAI Desert Challenge, which saw six of the world’s best pilots flying in classic and free-style competition formats. They were joined by fighters from the UAE Air Force, aerobatic squadrons from the Turkish Air Force and Royal Saudi Air Force, Team Viper’s Hawker Hunter supersonic fighter jets, and many of the world’s best solo pilots, including Abu Dhabi ambassador Hannes Arch.

The Al Ain Aerobatic Show, which concluded yesterday (Saturday), was held under the patronage of HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and was organised by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) in conjunction with the UAE Armed Forces.