BECKMAN FLIES WITH THE THUNDERBIRDS
LAS VEGAS (Nov. 21, 2009) - Following the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series year-end banquet in Los Angeles on Monday, "Fast" Jack Beckman
traveled to Las Vegas to fly with the United States Air Force
Thunderbirds.
As a guest of the Air Force, Beckman fulfilled a dream he's had since he
was a kid and a sergeant in the Air Force by taking the back seat of an
F-16/ Fighting Falcon for an hour-long adventure in the skies surrounding
Las Vegas.
After completing a three-hour flight physical and safety training
program, he and pilot Lt. Col. Derek Routt, the Thunderbirds Operations
Officer who has logged more than 2,500 hours of flight time in the F-16,
launched from Nellis Air Force Base.
Beckman, who usually drives the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge
Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing, and holds the national top speed
record of 333.66 mph racing to a quarter-mile, found his match in the
F-16.
"It was like riding a roller coaster on steroids with your eyes closed,"
said Beckman. "Your view forward is completely obscured by the dash, some
of the flight instrumentation and the pilot sitting in front of you. You
can see very well out to the sides and up, but you can't tell which way
he's going next. And that plane is absolutely amazing. Imagine everything
a jet fighter can do and multiply that by three. The F-16 can do more
than a human body could ever withstand.
"As we're rolling down the runway to take off, Lt. Col. Routt says, 'This
isn't going to be much compared to your Funny Car.' I have to tell you,
it was still impressive the way that thing kept pulling.
"He takes off, pulls up the landing gear, and we're 10 feet off the deck.
Then he's calling out the speed to me over the radio. 'We're at 250,
we're at 300, we're at 350.' He says, 'Are you ready?' I say, Yeah. He
takes that thing vertical and we climb to 12,000 feet and it didn't take
very long. Then he snaps it inverted, levels off and rolls the thing back
to level. And that's how the flight starts.
"I've always been an airplane fan since I was kid and I always had high
regard for jet fighter pilots and that just doubled on this flight. What
Lt. Col. Routt was able to do was incredible. We pulled 9.1gs. I didn't
black out, and didn't even get close to blacking out. Let me tell you,
Lt. Col. Routt really lived up to his call sign, 'Tazz,'"
Beckman added. "He was throwing that plane around like a Tasmanian
Devil.
"I wore a g suit basically from my navel on down. It just crushes you.
You think it's going to turn your pelvis into powder. When they pull
anything over 4gs you can feel it give you a comfortable little squeeze.
When it gets up to about 6gs that thing is really laying into you. At 9gs
it feels like an anaconda is crushing you. And then you're doing
breathing exercises so you don't pass out and it worked great. He did a
loop and an 8-point roll. That's the one that finally got me. It was
unbelievable.
"Of the hour, 30-35 minutes of it was flying to locations and doing
scheduled maneuvers, and 25 minutes of it was like being inside a dryer
on full speed.
"When I got out I felt like I just got off the longest roller-coaster
ride on the planet. I was pretty lightheaded. At the same time you
realize it's one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences and, yes, I
would do it again.
"There were so many people who were instrumental in getting this
organized for me, from Pamela Robinson, GS-5, DAF, 57th Operations
Support Squadron; TSgt Randy Redman, NCOIC Community Relations, USAF
Thunderbirds; to Capt. Jason L. McCree, USAF ACC USAFADS/PA, Nellis Air
Force Base.
"What an amazingly professional staff," added Beckman, who flew "solo"
without the rest of the Thunderbirds squadron. "I spent four years as an
Airman so I can absolutely identify with these young people. I was one of
them. The Thunderbirds are really the elite of the entire Air Force. That
assignment is perhaps the most prestigious one in the Air Force and they
live up to it."
The F-16/ Fighting Falcon is capable of flying two times the speed of
sound and is currently being flown throughout the world, including Iraq
and Afghanistan. It was designed to be a cost-effective combat
"workhorse" that can perform various kinds of missions including
air-to-air, as well as air-to-ground combat.
"The Thunderbirds' mission is to represent the 700,000 Airmen serving on
Air Force's active-duty, Reserve, Guard and civil service. They perform
air shows worldwide, but also capitalize on media opportunities by flying
celebrities such as Jack Beckman," said TSgt Redman. "This way Jack's
fans have the opportunity to hear the Air Force story through his
experience with Airmen."
-credit: dsr
