NEXT year’s Air Festival may see a new plane in the show, as Muscle Bi-plane pilot Rich Goodwin revealed he is building a new aircraft.
Sitting down with the Daily Echo, Rich, who wowed the crowds over four days with his breathtaking stunts and fast-paced manoeuvres, revealed he hopes to build a new plane for next year.
Rich said: “I’m hoping to bring a new product here next year. There is a lot of regulations to get by, but we should have it ready for next year.”
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This year saw Rich take part in a challenge against a Sunseeker power boat – a first for the Air Festval.
“We did a few practice runs for this challenge. Sometimes I won, sometimes the boat won,” Rich said
“It’s not overly competitive. I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to stand on a podium on Saturday with a bottle of champagne – I'm waiting for Sunseeker to sort that out.”
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Rich has been flying at the Air Festival for more than four years now, and has a lot of praise for our town. “Bournemouth is a fantastic location. Hats off to the organisers, it’s a lovely town and is great to see so many people at the beach.
“I do get a chance to look around. It’s a similar route every time, so it's engraved in my mind and that allows me to look around.
“I can see there are a lot of people on the beach and in Bournemouth – it's a fantastic place to come to and a fantastic holiday resort.”
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When asked what it is like to fly during these fast-paced stunts, Rich said: “If you put yourself in a washing machine, push the button to start it – that's what it’s like flying the Muscle bi-plane.
“To tolerate G better, it's best to have a full stomach. If I fly on an empty stomach, it will make you feel nauseous.
“Feeling nauseous is big in each season, we don't really fly much over winter, you start practicing and you get up and do the aerobatics. When you come down you feel nauseous and question why I’m doing it.
“But after a couple of flights, I know why. It’s an amazing machine to fly, especially because I built it.”
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