Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Matthias is a Red Bull Air Race World Champion and member of the Flying Bulls who grew up on the airfield his parents built in Tannheim, Germany, and in this episode he takes us through that journey, from his first flight at age three to becoming Germany's youngest flight instructor, joining Red Bull's aviation team, winning the world championship, and returning home to run the family airfield.
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0:00 Intro
1:17 Welcome to Tannheim Airfield, fifty years in the making
2:21 Matthias's first flight at age three
2:54 First solo, first license, and growing up around airplanes
4:02 Becoming Germany's youngest flight instructor at 21
5:59 Lessons from a lifetime of flight instruction
8:14 Taking over the family airfield
8:52 How Red Bull entered the picture
9:31 Joining the Flying Bulls
10:15 The origin story of the Flying Bulls
11:47 Flying and restoring historic warbirds
12:55 The jump from the Flying Bulls to the Red Bull Air Race
14:26 Learning competition aerobatics
16:22 Why the Red Bull Air Race is unlike anything else
18:40 Inside a one minute race run
19:29 Preparing for a course that is different every time
21:44 Muscle memory versus in race decisions
23:46 Why the last ten percent decides the race
24:45 How hard to push on every run
28:04 The turning point before the 2016 championship
31:58 Trade-offs in aircraft and team design
32:36 Life after winning the world championship
33:55 What winning actually felt like
34:46 Staying motivated through wins and losses
35:50 The pinnacle memory of his air race career
38:14 Coming home after the Air Race ended
39:59 Advice to his younger self
40:25 The story behind Tannheim's Oshkosh style fly in
43:51 Finding the right size for the event
45:43 His favorite aircraft from a lifetime of flying
47:10 What he hopes his legacy will be
47:42 What he hopes changes, and stays the same, in aviation
50:12 Flying over Tannheim
50:28 Why airfield restaurants matter so much in Europe
52:55 VFR versus IFR flying in Europe and the US
54:43 Becoming an airline pilot in Germany
55:34 What's next for Matthias
NEWSLETTER
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Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/3HzRjEntG0E3c47EXL4JEr?si=-AhSdOt-SiS1lbb_jDBpZQ
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Matthias is a Red Bull Air Race World Champion and member of the Flying Bulls who grew up on the airfield his parents built in Tannheim, Germany, and in this episode he takes us through that journey, from his first flight at age three to becoming Germany's youngest flight instructor, joining Red Bull's aviation team, winning the world championship, and returning home to run the family airfield.
Try a ForeFlight Premium subscription free for 30 days: foreflight.com/campaigns/30days
0:00 Intro
1:17 Welcome to Tannheim Airfield, fifty years in the making
2:21 Matthias's first flight at age three
2:54 First solo, first license, and growing up around airplanes
4:02 Becoming Germany's youngest flight instructor at 21
5:59 Lessons from a lifetime of flight instruction
8:14 Taking over the family airfield
8:52 How Red Bull entered the picture
9:31 Joining the Flying Bulls
10:15 The origin story of the Flying Bulls
11:47 Flying and restoring historic warbirds
12:55 The jump from the Flying Bulls to the Red Bull Air Race
14:26 Learning competition aerobatics
16:22 Why the Red Bull Air Race is unlike anything else
18:40 Inside a one minute race run
19:29 Preparing for a course that is different every time
21:44 Muscle memory versus in race decisions
23:46 Why the last ten percent decides the race
24:45 How hard to push on every run
28:04 The turning point before the 2016 championship
31:58 Trade-offs in aircraft and team design
32:36 Life after winning the world championship
33:55 What winning actually felt like
34:46 Staying motivated through wins and losses
35:50 The pinnacle memory of his air race career
38:14 Coming home after the Air Race ended
39:59 Advice to his younger self
40:25 The story behind Tannheim's Oshkosh style fly in
43:51 Finding the right size for the event
45:43 His favorite aircraft from a lifetime of flying
47:10 What he hopes his legacy will be
47:42 What he hopes changes, and stays the same, in aviation
50:12 Flying over Tannheim
50:28 Why airfield restaurants matter so much in Europe
52:55 VFR versus IFR flying in Europe and the US
54:43 Becoming an airline pilot in Germany
55:34 What's next for Matthias
NEWSLETTER
📫 Be the first to know the latest features in ForeFlight, tips & tricks, and more. Sign up here: foreflight.com/support/subscribed
LISTEN TO THE SHOW
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-mind-of-a-red-bull-air-race/id1567429912?i=1000783031880
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/3HzRjEntG0E3c47EXL4JEr?si=-AhSdOt-SiS1lbb_jDBpZQ
GET IN TOUCH
🌍 Our website: foreflight.com
🌍 Work with us: foreflight.com/about/careers
🌍 Questions? Feature Requests? Let’s talk! foreflight.com/support/contact
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
📸 Instagram: instagram.com/foreflight
🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/JeppForeFlight
👋 Facebook: facebook.com/foreflight
ABOUT US
This is Between Two Wings! A video and podcast series interviewing industry professionals, aviation enthusiasts, and fellow ForeFlighters to get an inside look at their lives Between Two Wings.
MEET THE HOST
foreflight.com/campaigns/b2w
#BetweenTwoWings #B2W #AviationPodcast
