|
MILLICAN FLYIN’ HIGH
Team Werner/Lehman Racing Top Fuel pilot Clay
Millican had one of his lifelong dreams fulfilled
on August 26 when he flew in an F-16 Fighting
Falcon aircraft with the United States Air
Force Thunderbirds at the Toledo (OH) Express
Airport.
“Everything about this flight was more
than I expected,” said Millican. “It
was the experience of a lifetime. The equipment
itself was like space-age technology. I couldn’t
believe how quiet and smooth the ride was,
even when we accelerated to 14,000 feet going
straight up. I was literally on my back going
straight up in the air!”
 Major Randy Redell, second in command with
the squadron, taught Millican how to operate
the ejection seats and went over the maneuvers
that they would do during the flight. Millican
also had the opportunity to tell Major Redell
a little bit more about drag racing, and gave
him a 1/16th scale die-cast of the team’s
Elvis-themed dragster that they recently raced
at the NHRA O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals
in Memphis, and will race at the upcoming NHRA
U.S. Nationals. Major Redell said that they
plan to put the die-cast on display at their
home base, Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
Once the flight took off, Millican, a 38-year-old
three-time IHRA Top Fuel Champion and winningest
professional driver in IHRA history, reached
a G force level far beyond the 4 to 5 G’s
he normally reaches when driving a Top Fuel
dragster. In the F-16, Millican pulled 9 G’s
(nine times the force of gravity).
“I heard that (NHRA Funny Car driver)
Ron Capps had flown with the
Thunderbirds and pulled 9 G’s, so I
told the pilot that I wanted to do that too.
He told me it might make me pass out, but I
was willing to give it a try. I stayed conscious
the whole time and it was really the ride of
my life,” said Millican. “The pressure
at 9 G’s is unbelievable. It feels like
someone is trying to push you out of the airplane.”
At one point, Millican actually got to fly
the plane under the watchful eye of Major Redell.
“He let me fly the plane and I did a
backwards loop,” said Millican. “It
was the coolest thing I’ve ever done.” (exclusive
photos courtesy Lehman Racing) [8-27-2004]
|
