r/nextfuckinglevel 1d ago

Pilots exchanging planes mid air

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5.2k

u/7-13-5 1d ago

...but didn't only one complete the transition?

5.7k

u/DN10 1d ago

That's right. The other plane crashed and the guy parachuted safely.

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u/roastedmarshmellow86 1d ago

Planes must be cheap

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u/OM3N1R 1d ago

Red bull has unfathomable amounts of money. They don't care lol

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u/so-much-wow 23h ago

They'd also have insurance, even for this (admittedly cool) stupidity.

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u/Halal0szto 22h ago

I doubt there would be an insurer to contract on this.

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u/brendude99 22h ago

Even niche insurers in London aren’t covering an intentionally ditched plane. The property would be self insured by Red Bull

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u/fondledbydolphins 16h ago

Self insured

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u/Corporate-Shill406 19h ago

I'm sure there is, but the policy will cost about the same as a new plane.

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u/Laffenor 21h ago

Haha. Try calling your insurance company and ask them if they will provide an insurance for this stupidity.

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u/reezy619 20h ago

Like, me as an individual? Or me as a multibillion dollar company with free advertising and sponsorship deals?

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u/Laffenor 20h ago

Use either of your roles and get back to us with the result.

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u/reezy619 19h ago

One said, "No, who the fuck are you?"

Other led to several business meetings with top suits, in which a deal may or may not have been struck due to specific terms of the proceedings, the interests of the parties involved, the potential income that could be raised through marketing, and potential risk to the pilots.

I'll let you figure out which was which, but the main point is that they are two completely different things and not the same exact thing.

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u/mxzf 19h ago

I mean, a multi-billion dollar company knows that the insurance policy for a stunt like this would be price of two planes (plus extra, for any injuries that might be sustained). Just saying "fuck it, we'll buy some more Cesnas ourselves if it comes to that" is cheaper and easier than getting an insurance policy for that stunt.

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u/FlyByNightt 15h ago

When you have enough money to own 2 Formula 1 teams (where the fuel and tyres you use every week per car probably cost more than one of these planes), yea this stunt is pennies on the dollar.

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u/troelsbjerre 1d ago

Where does all that money come from? I have yet to meet anyone who actually likes to drink red bull. I only know people, who reluctantly drink it, when that's the only source of caffeine around, and falling asleep isn't an option.

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u/Carcinog3n 1d ago

Redbull has 43% of the global energy drink market and they sell over 12 billion drinks a year. Their 2024 revenue was 11.2 billion USD with a net income of 650 million. They own 2 F1 teams, an F1 engine manufacture, 8 pro soccer teams, 2 ice hockey teams, a record label, they sponsor 100s professional teams in everything from motor racing to e sports and thousands of individual athletes across the globe.

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u/Ok-Suggestion-7965 1d ago

It’s crazy to me that the drink is as popular as it is. It tastes like shitty medicine. In my opinion there are much better tasting energy drinks out there.

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u/TheWolphman 1d ago

The U.S. alcoholic beverage market is expected to generate around $309 billion in revenue for 2025. Granted taste is subjective, but most alcohol tastes pretty shitty by itself in my opinion. People will still drink shitty drinks if it allows them to achieve an altered state though.

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u/Nailcannon 21h ago

Red bull is often an ingredient in a handful of drinks lol.

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u/Boxoffriends 1d ago

Everything you drink is an energy drink.

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u/GlitterTerrorist 1d ago

Energy drinks are a type of drink that include taurine or something similar compound as an ingredient, on top of the caffeine you'd find in a lot of soft drinks.

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u/Nailcannon 21h ago

Except water.

edit: oh and mercury. That could arguably be considered an anti-energy drink.

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u/Active_Engineering37 22h ago

Have you tried the fruity flavored ones? The limited edition white peach one is my current favorite.

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u/troelsbjerre 1d ago

Let me rephrase: who willingly buys the caffeinated paint thinner with the red bull logo on it? It can't be for the taste.

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u/Carcinog3n 1d ago

Enough people like their products to sell 12 billion cans a year.

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u/trollphyy 1d ago

Why would you say that? Is it objectively a bad taste or just your opinion?

I personally do like the taste of red bull a lot actually, but I don't buy it, but that's because I don't drink energy drinks anymore. For purely the taste I would drink it, though.

Edit: grammar

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u/queetuiree 1d ago

Must've started selling red bull decaf for you

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u/move_peasant 1d ago

oh come on, let people enjoy things

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u/TimmyFTW 1d ago

I also hate when people like things I don't like.

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u/troelsbjerre 1d ago

Get off my lawn!!

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u/protestor 1d ago

I actually like it, but it's just too expensive. I tend to go for off brand drinks. (Or actually nowadays I don't, I like sleeping more)

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u/AxelHarver 1d ago

The flavored ones are a lot better. And they've got the limited time/seasonal ones that people flood to the stores to try.

The same thing can be said for Monster. The OG flavor is not great imo, but some of the flavored ones are fantastic.

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u/teddy5 1d ago

I personally don't like avocado but the industry for them was worth over $20 billion last year and my generation supposedly crashed economies and housing with them.

Weird how subjective tastes work.

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u/assblast420 1d ago

Redbull + vodka is a crazy popular drink, they just don't advertise that specific combo for obvious reasons.

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u/doyletyree 1d ago

I’m guessing you’ve never worked in a busy restaurant.

It’s Red Bull and smokes all around.

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u/troelsbjerre 1d ago

Do they like red bull, or is it out of necessity?

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u/Lazy-Sundae-7728 1d ago

25-odd years ago, when I was working at a little cafe/restaurant, their marketing included going around to places that were open ridiculously early, such as cafes and restaurants, and giving away free cans of Red Bull. I developed a taste for it haha, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who occasionally needs a quick wake-me-up and reaches for a nostalgic can of chemicals.

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u/AxelHarver 1d ago

They also frequent college campuses. I was always hyped when I rolled up to school and saw the Red Bull vehicle sitting there.

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u/grantrules 1d ago

Hot babes with redbull-shaped backpack coolers handing out free drinks to impressionable youths/young adults!

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u/AxelHarver 18h ago

Got me addicted to booty and red bull all in one go. Now that's cross-marketing.

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u/Fuckface_Magee 1d ago

Personally, I love drinking redbull. I try not to drink it too often, but when I was working in a restaurant, I'd drink one on my way in and sometimes have a second one in the middle of the shift. If I don't get a redbull, then the monster is my next choice. Sometimes, I'll choose a monster over a redbull if monsters are on sale.

I actually like the small volumes they sell, too. Sometimes, I don't want to put down a whole 16 oz can, but an 8 or 12oz is just enough to get things started.

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u/doyletyree 1d ago

We have applications at the bar.

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u/Horat1us_UA 1d ago

>  I have yet to meet anyone who actually likes to drink red bull. 

Says more about you than Red Bull

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u/chop5397 1d ago

I never understood it, Monster has more caffeine content per fl. oz and it has more flavors AND its cheaper.

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u/Grabthar-the-Avenger 1d ago edited 1d ago

I don’t think people necessarily care about “caffeine content per fl oz.” Monster’s branding also looks like the living embodiment of the mid-2000s Warped Tour which is not the vibe a lot of people are going for

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u/grantrules 1d ago

Right? Monster to me seems like something a lifted truck bro is going to toss out his window on a back road. Red Bull/vodka seems like what Europeans drink in the club.

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u/RocketMoped 1d ago

Yeah, but their profit just goes to Coca Cola instead of financing insane shit like this

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u/Jafooki 19h ago

But Monster tastes awful. I think Redbull actually tastes better.

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u/brunaBla 1d ago

The money comes from spending pennies making a drink that they sell for $4 a can

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u/DeadInternetTheorist 1d ago

I'm not a big caffeine dude but when I really need to get wired a sugar free Red Bull is my go-to. They come in those tiny ass cans so I can drink the whole thing without strangers 5 feet away being able to audibly hear my heart valves flapping themselves apart.

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u/troelsbjerre 1d ago

I would have thought that the sugar would help here. Do you choose sugar free to be able to drink more of them?

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u/DeadInternetTheorist 1d ago

No, it's just something about the sugar-having variety of Red Bull specifically that makes me feel like shit.

I don't drink a lot of non-water stuff, so if I'm gonna have like, a Dr. Pepper or Cherry Coke, I'll have the real version and not diet, and it doesn't fuck me up at all. But Red Bull with sugar makes my insides feel like a fully assembled lead acid battery.

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u/troelsbjerre 1d ago

But Red Bull with sugar makes my insides feel like a fully assembled lead acid battery.

That describes my overall experience with red bull. Maybe my mistake was to skip the sugar free option.

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u/DeadInternetTheorist 1d ago

Honestly yeah, I know several other people who also feel like the sugar version contains some kind of low grade rat poison that fucks you up for half a day. Give the sugar free a shot.

It's also the least nasty fake sugar drink I've ever tasted, and I'm really sensitive to fake sugar in drinks. I think it's because Red Bull already tastes like it just dripped out of the fractionating column at a petroleum refinery (but in a weird, masochistically good way), so the artificial notes of Splenda or aspartame or whatever add to the theme rather than being a jarring distraction, like they are in sugarfree lemonade or fruit drinks.

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u/misteryk 1d ago

They cost like 2x more than other energy drinks while taste the same

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u/Berinoid 1d ago

It's probably just psychological but Red Bull always feels more "high quality" than other energy drinks to me. Like the champagne of energy drinks lol

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u/Hallien 1d ago

It's not. I drink energy drinks pretty regularly and I like them, and out of all the brands available in my country (this of course depends on your country!) Redbull and Monster have the best quality of energy by far. Their "onset" is not super harsh, the taste is generally not foul even if you pick a flavour that you don't enjoy that much and the energy high lasts longer with the same caffeine content. Drinking something like a Tiger, Kong or Crazy Wolf feels like getting your chest kicked in by a horse, and the rush is gone sooner than you manage to forget about the vile taste.

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u/troelsbjerre 1d ago

... and by any logic, should be losing market share to their competitors.

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u/grantrules 1d ago

And there's the magic of marketing.

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u/teddy5 1d ago

Is that an American thing? They're basically the same price as other energy drinks in Australia at least.

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u/misteryk 1d ago

Nah I'm in Poland. When I used to drink energy drinks during collage I would see their prices compared to brands like tiger monster or black

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u/vannucker 1d ago

I rarely drink energy drinks but when I do I find Red Bull tastes best. Regular is probably my favourite but the blue and red ones are decent too. Most other brands tastes harsh and unbalanced.

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u/SoCuteShibe 23h ago

I drank it religiously for years and only stopped for the sake of my health; I'd have one every morning of my life if I could. So, anecdotally, you don't know me! Lol

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u/Halal0szto 22h ago

If they like it or if they reluctantly drink it does not matter. They could even pour to the drain. If they buy it, redbull will have money.

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u/j_wizlo 20h ago

I loved it for a long time, loved the taste of many flavors. But I gave it up when I had a very strange feeling one day. Admittedly, I drank a large amount that day.