Kirby Chambliss says some people build their dream
homes near the beach or on a golf course. His happens to contain a runway
source:
indycar.com
"My hangar is part of my house, and I can fly upside down right past my door,"
said Chambliss, captain of the U.S. Aerobatic Team who pilots the Red Bull Edge
540 plane manufactured by Zivko Aeronautics Inc.
Red Bull Cheever Racing team owner Eddie Cheever and driver Alex Barron recently
joined Chambliss for rides above the Arizona desert. They were, without
overstating, some wild rides.
"I don't like flying anything," said Cheever, the 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner.
"I was very impressed with the pilot, but I was glad when I got out of it. It
was unbelievable. I don't know how you could do things like that. We were going
around mountains upside down 30 feet from the top of cactus. It was like a video
game. I did it once with the Blue Angels and I didn't like that. I did it once
with him and didn't like it.
"I appreciate what the guy does, but I'm glad I don't do that for a living."
Barron was more receptive
"We were all smiling at the end of the day; it's one of those experiences you
never forget," he said. "We didn't know what to expect and he did all those
acrobatic tricks. He briefed us on what he was going to do, but when you're
turned around you're disoriented a little bit and worried about getting sick or
blacking out. The negative Gs are something you don't experience in a race car."