Pilot makes first-ever plane landing on Burj Al Arab helipad

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Polish pilot Lukasz Czepiela made aviation history on Tuesday, becoming the first person to land a plane on the helipad of the iconic Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel in Dubai.

Czepiela was able to bring his specially adapted light aircraft to a stop in just 21 meters (68 feet), landing on a platform only 27 meters (89 feet) wide, 212 meters (696 feet) above the ground on top of the 56-story building.

“The biggest challenge was the lack of any external points of reference, which is usually found at an airport where you have hundreds of meters of runway,” he told sponsors Red Bull.

Courtesy of Jumeirah Hotels, Resorts & Residences

Set above the 59th floor of the Burj al Arab hotel, this helipad watches over the Dubai coastline. Since 1999, it has hosted an impressive line-up of international sporting stars.

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The helipad has transformed into a car racing track, a boxing ring, and the starting point for the highest kitesurfing jump of all time.

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Tiger Woods teed off on the helipad before the 2004 Dubai Desert Classic.

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Anthony Joshua trained on the helipad in November 2017.

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US golf star Cheyenne Woods paid the helipad a visit during the 2014 Dubai Ladies Masters.

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Andre Agassi and Roger Federer played a friendly match overlooking the Dubai skyline in 2005.

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The Burj al Arab stands at 321 meters on its own artificial island in the Arabian Gulf.

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Designed to resemble a sail facing out to sea, the Burj al Arab is the tallest building worldwide to be used exclusively as a hotel.

Courtesy of Jumeirah Hotels, Resorts & Residences

The Burj al Arab received the first ever helipad license from the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority.

The stunt had been in the planning since 2021 and required 650 test landings, according to Red Bull.

Czepiela’s day job is captaining an Airbus A320, but he has some impressive flying achievements under his belt, including winning the 2018 world championship challenger class title in the Red Bull Air Race, and landing an aircraft on a wooden pier in Sopot, Poland.

Czepiela joins an elite group of sporting legends who have graced the helipad of the sail-shaped hotel, including tennis champions Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, who played a match there in 2005, and former F1 Grand Prix winner David Coulthard, who performed donuts there in 2013.