French pilot 1st woman to compete in Red Bull Air Race
France's Melanie Astles became the first ever female pilot to participate in Red Bull Air Race, an extreme-sport air racing competition. The competitors fly high-performance aerobatic planes at speeds of 370 km/h, navigating through 25-metre-high light-cloth, air-filled guiding towers. "I'm very calm in the plane and you can't be frightened, you don't have time for that," said the 34-year-old.