Watch: Pilot executes daring stunt, does ‘world-first’ landing of aircraft on helipad in Dubai

Luke Czepiela, a pilot and aerobatics expert from Poland, has successfully executed a daring stunt by landing his specially modified aircraft on the helipad of Dubai's Burj Al Arab hotel, a feat that has been described as a "world-first". The pilot had been preparing for this challenge for two years.

Footage of the heart-stopping moment shows Czepiela's aircraft approaching the helipad, which is located 212 metres above the ground on the 56th floor of the iconic Burj Al Arab. After an initial scare, the pilot manages to bring the plane to a complete stop on the narrow landing area, which is only 27 metres wide.

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Red Bull Motorsports, who shared the video on their platform, hailed it as a "world-first". The Dubai Media Office also released pictures of the landing and reported that Czepiela had practised over 650 landings before attempting the stunt. Despite the rigorous preparations, the pilot admitted that landing at such a height was an entirely different experience, as there were no clear points of reference, and any mistakes could be fatal.

Czepiela is a Red Bull Air Race Challenger Class World Champion and an Airbus A320 captain. For the stunt, he flew an aircraft produced by CubCrafters, a renowned American manufacturer of light planes. The plane, which had been specially modified for the challenge, weighs 425kg, is 7.1 metres long, 2.54 metres high, and has a wingspan of 10.44 meters.

Czepiela described the Burj Al Arab landing as the most challenging feat he has ever accomplished, even more than flying under bridges and landing on piers, which he had done before. He expressed his gratitude to the people and organisations in Dubai who helped him achieve his dream and said it was an honour to become a part of the Burj Al Arab's impressive history.

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The Burj Al Arab's helipad has been the site of many jaw-dropping stunts before, including a tennis match between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi in 2005, a donut performance by Formula One driver David Coulthard in 2013, and a bike jump by BMX rider Kriss Kyle in 2019.