They’re giving you wings.
Ever wanted to see what it’s like to fly in one of the fastest racing planes on earth? Now, through VR, you can get a firsthand cockpit experience.
Red Bull is partnering with Google Daydream to create The Red Bull Air Race LIVE VR app. This app uses real-time flight data directly from the pilot’s cockpit and re-creates the races in a 360° virtual reality experience.
Allowing you to feel like you are in the plane, as it is flying, but you can also catch old flights on demand.
The VR experience is powered by a variety of telemetry data like latitude, longitude, roll, pitch all of that information is then paired with the pilot’s view onto an environment guided by Google Maps footage to simulate the authentic flight pattern and a real feeling experience. You can also track the speed of the pilot and how much G-Force they’re pulling.
The app is available now in the Google Play store, but the live VR experience won’t launch until the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Abu Dhabi in February 2018.
Red Bull’s impact on VR
This is not Red Bull’s first foray into VR. The company has created and published multiple 360° virtual reality experiences from a hike-and-fly race during the X-Alps to driver breaking a world record and jumping over a ghost town.
These projects are a groundbreaking marketing decision for the company by taking users to these high-adrenaline experiences—like a concert or in the seat of a plane race—and have helped builded the company’s brand as young, active and innovative.
The energy drinks market is expected to reach 84.80 billion by 2025, and embracing VR might prove an effective strategy in staying ahead of the curve.
But these experiences also help to bring VR to the extreme sports stage, seemingly a match made in heaven, and allow users to experience the sensation of an extreme sport from the safety of their own homes.
