The Italian Red Bull Racing star said goodbye to his F1 Cosworth engine and took the air in Mangold's Edge 540 as they swooped above the warm seas of the southern Gulf.

"My stomach is still a bit upside down, but it was awesome - an unbelievable experience," said Liuzzi.

"I have been in an aerobatic plane once before in Hungary, but it was not like this - we didn't complete the race track.

"But this time we were really pushing it, doing somersaults, loops, flying just above the water - everything!"

Liuzzi was full of admiration for Mangold and said there were similarities between the skills of a Red Bull pilot and that of an F1 driver.

"Of course it's very different to F1 but the adrenalin rush is the same," added Liuzzi.

"The pilots need to have the same quick reflexes as an F1 driver. Reflex is very important.

"They have just millimeters to get through the pylons, just as we have millimeters to negotiate corners and curves."

The inaugural race of the 2005 Red Bull Air Race World Series takes place in Abu Dhabi on Friday, April 8. For more information on the series visit www.redbullairrace.com