Arriving at 0945 local time, we had a short journey by executive transfer to Hangar 7, the home of the Red Bull aircraft collection. Within minutes of arrival, we were met by Raimund Redman, the Red Bulls Chief Pilot. Raimund had kindly agreed to be our guide for the day.

We started the visit with an informative tour of the aeroplanes and F1 cars in Hangar 7. Each one had its own fascinating story to tell, all set against the backdrop of the stunning architecture of Hangar 7.

Once the tour was completed, we were treated to something very special indeed. We were escorted airside and taken to Hangar 8, the Red Bull collection maintenance hangar. Before arriving in Hangar 8, we were given the unique privilege of boarding the Red Bull DC6. Once on board, we settled into the luxurious seating and were given a fascinating brief of the history of the aeroplane and how it came to be in the Red Bull collection.

After our tour of the DC6, we made our way across the apron area to Hangar 8, where we saw aeroplanes from the Red Bull collection under maintenance. We were all aware of how incredibly privileged we were to have the visit to Hangar 8 which is not normally accessible to members of the public. Raimund gave us the history of each aeroplane and helicopter and we had the opportunity to speak to some of the engineers who maintain these beautiful aeroplanes.

Once our visit to Hangar 8 had completed, we made our way back to Hangar 7 for lunch in one of the exclusive restaurants overlooking the aircraft collection. 

After lunch, we had one more stop to make. With the special permission of the Chief Pilot, we were given access to another maintenance facility, where Red Bull work on aircraft projects. This was absolutely fascinating and gave us the opportunity to see a helicopter at the very start of the restoration process and also some very vital spare engines for the DC6.

So, after some four and a half hours had passed at Hangar 7 with Raimund and the team, it was time to make our way to our hotel. A short drive through the fascinating city of Salzburg, we arrived at the Hotel Schloss Monchstein, our exclusive 5-star hotel overlooking Salzburg. At our dinner in the evening, the club members reflected enthusiastically on their day.

At breakfast on day two, we made plans for the day ahead which included spending some time in the historic city of Salzburg before making our way to the start of the Gaisberg motor racing event. Starting at the very heart of the city, this motor car event showcased the most stunning vintage and historic cars on the roads around Salzburg. All in all quite spectacular and a very fitting close to our time in Salzburg.

It seems that everyone had the most fantastic two days enjoying spectacular aeroplanes and some stunning vintage motor car racing, all set against the backdrop of the beautiful city of Salzburg. More importantly, though, I’m sure that there are some lasting friendships as a result of our trip to Salzburg and that, after all, is at the very heart of a successful Goodwood club.