For the first time in the world: a pilot boards and takes off from a moving train.
Italian pilot Dario Costa made aviation history by performing a precision landing and takeoff on a freight train in Turkey—a high-risk maneuver requiring perfect execution.
Dario Costa performed the world's first aerial double-takeoff maneuver in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, landing his Zivko Edge 540 on a freight train traveling at maximum operating speed, then taking off again using vertical thrust from the same container.
This daring feat took place on February 15, 2026, when Costa landed on the 10th container of an 11-car freight train traveling at 120 km/h. This maneuver required perfectly synchronized speed and precise aerodynamic control, especially since the landing pad only came into view in the final seconds of the approach.
