Setting the record was scarcely supported by the weather with the temperature at 31.3° Celsius heating up the apron concrete to 43.3° Celsius. The aircraft, borrowed from Wizz Air, made a swift detour from the Terminal 2 apron to Terminal 1 between two scheduled flights with Sinka “Popeye” Zsolt on board fully focused on facing the superhuman task ahead.

Preparations were followed by an interested audience as well as supporters and fans from the terrace of Terminal 1 while journalists of the print media and television crews made their own preparations on the tarmac. The record attempt was made possible by the cooperation of professionals of Wizz Air, Budapest Airport, Malév Ground Handling, and Lufthansa Technik Budapest, as both the Hungarian strong man and the brand new aircraft was necessary to protect, and safety and security regulations of the airport had to be complied with.

All those present were in for a big surprise when Sinka “Popeye” Zsolt bit on the rope attached to the nose gear of the aircraft weighing more than 50 tons, put his back into it, and started to pull the aircraft with increasing speed. Some were already concerned that the Airbus A 320 will not stop when the pilot in the cockpit stepped on the brakes at last. The certified measurements produced amazing results: Sinka “Popeye” Zsolt pulled the plane to a distance of 39.2 meters in 52 seconds.

Thus, a new Guinness record was achieved, but final certification will take a few more weeks to complete on the basis of the report filed by official on-site observers. The setting of the new record was also watched on the spot by Dr. György Nébald, head of a department of the sports ministry, our former Olympic and world champion in fencing.

“I was afraid of the unusual heat, because at the ‘rehearsal’ temperature had been ideal at 15 degrees, with sky overcast, but now extreme heat was thrown into my face from the concrete,” recounted Sinka “Popeye” Zsolt, and added, “When I got the plane moving, I knew I was going to do it. The first few meters are the hardest, as always, after that one only has to gain speed. When I am at it, I shut the world out and only concentrate on the task. The special airport environment was also quite a boost and I did feel the support from all those professionals and various companies helping me to really do it. And I did do it!”

“We were happy that Wizz Air the biggest Hungarian airline was able to actively contribute to this Guinness record. Zsolt’s performance convinced us that we will amaze the world with further joint records going forward,” said Tamara Mshvenieradze, communication director of Wizz Air in Hungary. She added, jokingly, “I would like to reassure everyone that towing will not be replaced by sheer human force at the airport, as you need truly exceptional qualities to move an airplane all by yourself.”

“Especially thorough preparations were required to pave the way to setting the record today,” highlighted Mihály Hardy, communication director of Budapest Airport, the host of the event. He added, “I sincerely congratulate Zsolt as his performance was, once again, truly breathtaking: to move an aircraft of this size, we use a tractor featuring a 7 200-cc, 265-HP (195 kW) diesel engine at the airport with pulling power of 25 000 kilograms.”

Source: Budapest Airport