3 minute read
From the Racetrack to the Skies, Indycar Drivers Fly with LIFT
LIFT ACADEMY FLIGHT SCHOOL HOSTS THREE NTT INDYCAR SERIES DRIVERS TO EXPLORE AVIATION THROUGH A DISCOVERY FLIGHT
“I was not really knowing what to expect when I said I was going to go fly a plane. I didn’t realize I was actually going to be flying the plane as much as I was,” NTT INDYCAR Series driver Kyle Kaiser said once he landed LIFT Academy’s state-of-the-art Diamond DA40NG single-engine aircraft.
“I’ve never actually been behind the controls of a plane before… it was pretty eye-opening, but I think I got the bug. I think I want to learn how to do this.”
LIFT Academy, located in Indianapolis, the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) where the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the Indianapolis 500, takes place each Memorial Day Weekend, invited three NTT INDYCAR Series drivers, Kaiser, Spencer Pigot and Dalton Kellett from AJ Foyt Racing, to its hangar to give them the chance to see how their skills in racing transfer to the cockpit.
The drivers had expressed interest in flying before, and they predicted some of the focus and precision required on the racetrack would translate. What they weren’t expecting was how natural the flight controls felt as the flight instructors guided them through the flows and maneuvers. Each driver was paired with a LIFT CFI to complete a pre-flight walk around, be introduced to the technology within the Diamond aircraft and be instructed in a flight around Indianapolis and over the IMS. The instructors realized quickly how comfortable and prepared the drivers were at the yoke and gave them some stick time while instructing them on how to maneuver the plane.
“I was amazed by what you all have to pay attention to and do. It’s the same for us in the racecar,” Pigot emphasized. “We could be driving in the Indy 500 at 230 miles per hour or in a street race in St. Petersburg, having a full-on conversation on the radio, changing engine maps, looking at different things on the steering wheel and still driving.”
“I THINK I GOT THE BUG. I THINK I WANT TO LEARN HOW TO DO THIS.”
The taste of adrenaline isn’t too different either. While the sense of speed may be a little different, the focus, decision-making, quick-twitch, communication and crew resource management all need to come together at once and throughout the entire flight or the race to ensure peak performance and, most importantly, safety.
“Coordinating all the inputs into the airplane felt really similar to an INDYCAR; it was cool to see that tie in— those similarities,” Kellett agreed.
Kellett went on to race in the Indianapolis 500 later in May, earning a 23rd place finish among the field, gaining seven spots from his starting position.
Before leaving the hangar, LIFT had an important question to ask each of the drivers, “Are you ready to become a pilot at LIFT?”
With zero hesitation, each driver shot their hand to the sky… looks like the racecar drivers may have found a new hobby!
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