https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8i04jBLI5I
You know, talented pilots like this guy rarely ever get the recognition that they deserve. It's not an easy task to make a plane maneuver in this sort of fashion, and as you'll see in the video above, fighting against 11.2 G forces is a tough thing to do. This short video showcases Australian Hannes Arch back in 2008 as he makes his run in the Rotterdam Red Bull Air Race, and the amount of control he has over this airplane is pretty unreal.
The Red Bull Air Race World Championship features only the world's most talented pilots, and they use extremely light and agile race planes to put down the fastest time through the low-level course. They can reach high-speeds of 230 MPH, and also have to withstand forces around 10 g-forces. Additionally, they must pass through a series of gates during the race and adjust perfectly to be in the proper position, so that their wings do not touch the air-filled pylons.
Seeing this pilot tackle this course through the mounted camera angles onboard is mind-blowing. While you're watching, you'll see his lightning-quick reaction times to the upcoming turns, but you'll also hear how much he struggles as he hits the higher g-forces. You can audibly hear the guy groaning and breathing heavy, but the fact that he keeps it all together is impressive to say the least. There's no chance a regular passenger would have stayed conscious for those moves.
Judging by how fast he was going, you probably wouldn't have guessed that this is only his practice run, but it is. If there's one competition out there to show what a pilot is capable of, this is certainly it. I could only imagine the pressure that comes from a championship air race like this. I mean, if you won, you could officially claim you're the best pilot in the world, and that's pretty badass.