What some RC pilots do!!!

[wvrailfan]

One of my Beat the Heat racing buddies started flying RC planes with me during down time at drag strips we would visit. I feel just a little proud that I got to, one, get him interested in flying RC and two, taught him how to fly RC.

Those two things by themselves are no big deal, lots of people help get new people interested in the hobby. But Sam was a little different. He was a jet engine tech in the Navy during Viet Nam and did a couple of tours tending A-4s and A-7s. After the war he became a test pilot for Cessna, then became a corporate pilot flying Lear and other cool jets before finally becoming a commercial pilot flying everything from Air Bus 320s to Boeing 757s. In total he has over 23,000 hours as a pilot. So, yeah, I felt a little odd teaching him to fly RC planes!

Sam retired from flying a few years back, but just couldn't bring himself to sit around like a retired guy. He combined his love of drag racing, being a reserve Tulsa County deputy and flying to come up with what may be the perfect retirement gig, going on tour with a jet powered cop car!

This is a video of Sam at an air show in Pennsylvania this past weekend. Sam is on the road six or seven months a year going to air shows and drag strips all over the country. If you would ever happen to be at an event he is appearing at, stop by and say "Hi." He loves to talk all things flying, racing and RC, and even keeps a couple of electric planes in his hauler, just in case he has some spare time.

[Prowler901]

That's pretty cool! I always loved the jet cars when we went to Tucson Dragway. And the funny cars too.

[redtwilight]

Nice video!
We have 2 jet funny cars come to Roxboro every Easter for the annual Easter Bash Race. Last year the owner of the track was going to race one in his Pro Mod until an oil line blew off during the burn out.

I've often thought about bringing a plane with me to have a quick flight during down time between the rounds or an early morning sortie before things start up.

[wvrailfan]

When we are at a track together we often head down to the shutdown area in the early morning for some flying. We usually end up with a small crowd watching us fly. Check with your track, but some that we visit don't mind us flying as long as it is not during racing and not over spectators or over the pits.

Sam is a great guy to talk to, very down to earth. He gets a little preoccupied an hour or so leading up to making a pass, but otherwise, if you ever happen to run into him at a track, he's happy to chat.

The NHRA limits the top speed of jet cars for exhibition passes to under 300MPH in a quarter mile pass. At air shows like the one in the video, he can exceed that a bit, as he did in the video.

Drag racing and RC flying has allowed me to get to know some really great folks.