Biography
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 most dizzying mountains, jumping off the highest cliffs and performing gravity-defying aerobatic maneuvers hundreds of feet above the ground.
The all-round adventurer started his career early and quickly rose to the top in several different disciplines. At only 16 years, Hannes obtained his Austrian Special Pilots’ License and began to dedicate himself to the sport of hang gliding. At 19 he was a state-approved mountain and ski guide and by 23 one of the best mountaineers and climbers worldwide.
He rounded out his outdoor education by studying Sports Science and working as a lecturer on sport climbing at Graz University. But shortly before completing his studies, Hannes left school to focus on his passion for flying. He became a paragliding test pilot for Paratech in Switzerland and quickly made a name for himself in the scene. He competed in international paragliding competitions and is credited as being one of the first “acrobatic paragliders” in the world.
His talent and aerial expertise soon gained him the attention of top sponsors. In 1995, Hannes founded the Red Bull Acro Team with the help of fellow Swiss athletes Ueli Gegenschatz, Andi Hediger and Austrian Ulrich Grill. 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 Airforce (USA) and more recently, the Aerobatix Team (South America).
One year after establishing the Acro Team, Hannes took his love of flying to the next level by making the crossover from free flying to motorized flying. 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.
In 2000, Hannes combined his business savvy with his love of extreme sports to form his own production and stunt coordination company Airpro GmbH. Specializing in aerial film and TV productions, the company quickly attracted a roster of high profile clients, including renowned fashion designer and filmmaker Willy Bogner. Bogner hired Airpro to make an Audi fly for a scene in the critically acclaimed IMAX film “Ski to the Max”. Hannes coordinated the spectacular stunt by rigging the automobile to the world’s largest sport paraglider.
A few years later, Hannes again made his mark on the paragliding scene by organizing a grueling international competition known as the Red Bull X-Alps. The competition challenged the world’s most elite paragliding pilots to cross the Alps from Austria to Monaco entirely by air or foot in a race against the clock. The event utilized advanced media technology and a live GPS tracking system, so fans could follow the race online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The event quickly gained a reputation as one of the world’s toughest adventure races and already returned for its fifth time in 2011.
Despite his growing business, Hannes continued to push his own career as an athlete. In 2000, he joined forces with Ueli Gegenschatz to become the first to dare a B.A.S.E. jump from the imposing 1800-metre high north face of the Eiger, one of the most daunting peaks in the Swiss Alps. In 2003, Arch and Gegenschatz teamed up once again to conquer yet another north face, that of the Matterhorn - again downwards. The extreme sportsmen had only two seconds to open their parachutes during the jump, which is infamous for having the highest “exit” in Europe.
How does the surprisingly down-to-earth guy balance a career as an extreme athlete and a businessman? “In the end it is all about being honest, staying grounded and staying true to myself,” he says. “I try to strike a balance between doing things I love and working on projects I believe in. My heart has to be in everything that I do.”
From mountaineering and climbing to paragliding and B.A.S.E jumping - Hannes has done it all. But he was a relative newcomer when it came to his latest love - Aerobatics. In 2003, Hannes bought an Edge 540 and began performing at airshows and events around Europe. The same year he was asked to serve as Race Director at the premiere of the Red Bull Air Race in Zeltweg and at the second leg of the race in Budapest, he joined the world’s best aerobatic pilots as a test pilot. He reprised his role as Race Director for the 2004 and 2005 Air Race seasons and played an integral role in designing the difficult course, and helping establish the rules and regulations.
But the talented young gun was not content to stay behind the scenes for long. In 2006, Hannes began rigorous training with renowned French pilot Patrick Paris, who calls him “one of the most talented and promising pilots” he has ever worked with. Under Patrick’s guidance, Hannes earned a top spot at the 2006 European Aerobatic Championships in Switzerland. A newcomer to the event, his aggressive style earned him respect from his peers and the judges. It also earned him the first place title in the Aerobatic Freestyle Category.
“Out of all the extreme sports I have done over the past 20 years, aerobatics is by far the most demanding physically and mentally,” he says. “There is no room for mistakes and you have to know your own personal limits.” Fortunately for Hannes, his limits seem to know no bounds. His raw talent, determination, and skill made him a highly anticipated contender for a spot on the podium going into his first ever season in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in 2007.
Although Arch was unable to make his mark on the Championship in his rookie year, with a fourth place in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) his best result that year, the 2007 was an essential learning experience for him, giving him the chance to watch the world’s best pilots from up close.
And in 2008 season, Arch was to put into practice what he had learned in a most spectacular fashion. Backed up by a better team and thanks to persistent training combined with improved tactics and technique, Arch was more eager than ever to go for gold. Right at the first stop of the season in Abu Dhabi (UAE), his rugged determination and outstanding performance made it clear that he had learned his lesson from the previous year well. With a sensational second place, he was rewarded with his first podium finish at the Red Bull Air Race. Just a lucky strike? Far from it! Triumph followed triumph and Arch dominated the whole 2008 season in the top rankings of all eight races, reaching first place in Budapest (HUN) and Porto (POR). Only in one single race he didn’t make it onto the podium, narrowly missing the top three and ending up with a solid fourth place in San Diego (USA). Arch’s spectacular take-off was crowned at the season finale in Perth (AUS): in a breathtaking finish, the Austrian left his competitors behind and snatched the coveted 2008 world championship title.
After his winning streak, expectations for the Red Bull Air Race Championship 2009 were conceivably high. At the traditional season opening in Abu Dhabi (UAE), the title holder kept a cool head in the midst of the desert heat and was rewarded with an outstanding victory. Only a near-fatal collision with a pelican could stop Arch from repeating his strong performance in San Diego (USA), leaving him in a solid third place. With three races left, Arch was still leading the overall rankings for the Red Bull Air Race World Championship 2009 with one point ahead of Briton Paul Bonhomme. Although cheered on by many Austrian fans, the traditional race in Budapest (HUN) only left Arch in fourth place and a few weeks later, the penultimate stop of the series in Porto (POR) saw him battle it out head-to-head against Bonhomme in a fascinating duel eventually won by the Briton, stretching his lead over Arch in the standings.
Just like in 2008, the championship was to be decided at the last stop of the season – with Bonhomme being four points in the lead. In the qualifying, Arch managed to bag a championship point with the fastest time, catching up dangerously close to Bonhomme. The tension for the race in Barcelona was palpable. At the last race of the year, Arch went all in to defend his title, unfortunately risking too much in the process: he received a six-second penalty for a pylon-hit and, narrowly missing the win, had to make do with overall second in the championship behind Bonhomme.
The 2010 season didn’t start off at full throttle for Arch either: a controversial decision made by the Race Director led to the Austrian being qualified in the season’s first race in Abu Dhabi. However, this didn’t throw Arch off course. He looked ahead with professional persistence and was more motivated than ever to bring the world championship title back to Austria. With grim determination, Arch and his team started the chase for the title – and was promptly rewarded with three victories in a row. In New York he narrowly missed the win, but managed to outshine his competition at the legendary last race at the German Lausitzring. The premature end of the race season made it impossible for Arch to bag the coveted world championship win, but he ended the 2010 Red Bull Air Race with the vice world championship title and the knowledge that he had made the most of the season. “The 2010 season was definitely our strongest Air Race season so far,” he said. “We won four out of six races and despite the disappointing result in Abu Dhabi were well on our way to bringing the world championship title back to Austria!”.
Hannes Arch also makes maximum use of any breaks from the Red Bull Air Race, for instance by fulfilling his childhood dream and earning his commercial helicopter pilots’ license. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to learn how to fly helicopters,” he says. “It’s important to keep the spirit of flying alive, so it doesn’t always feel like a job. You have to fly with a lot of heart and soul to balance out the extreme excesses of the sport. Without soul, flying is worthless.”
Arch continued to fulfill his dreams in 2011, for instance by combining his two big passions – aerobatics and music – in one spectacular show called “Rhythm and Air”. At the show’s world premiere taking place on occasion of the international airshow in Al Ain, UAE, Arch once again demonstrated his love of flying beyond the horizons of the ordinary in a most impressive way.
His innovative spirit and enthusiasm for flying also led to several other interesting cooperations for the successful Austrian in 2011. For instance, for his second big sponsor milon, Arch took on the spectacular battle between airplane and racecar at Styria’s Red Bull Ring and gave his all in the air against a Porsche GT3 CUP on the ground.
Like most years, Hannes Arch will also spend this winter in Hawaii, where he takes the time to recharge his batteries and work on new ideas to be able to start into the next season with some extra motivation and power.
