Repeat destination? 🏝️ Traveling for merch? Lost, damaged? Tell us What you're owed ✈️
TRAVEL
Red Bull

A race pilot could be flying your 747

Andria Yu
USA TODAY

FORT WORTH -- As you board your passenger jet for a flight across the country or overseas, have you ever wondered what your pilot might be doing in his or her free time?

If you're lucky, you might catch a ride with some of the world's fastest precision acrobatic air racers.

British pilot Paul Bonhomme, the current points leader in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship' Master Class, shuttles hundreds of passengers between New York and London as a British Airways captain on 747s when he's not pulling up to 10Gs in his custom Edge 540 V2 airplane.

"I probably do two or three trips for British Airways in a month. Less in a part-time month. And I work my roster so (the air races) happen in the gaps," Bonhomme, a two-time world champion, says.

"Managing an airline flight is all about safety and comfort and security whereas this is just about speed, and you need to get around fast. You're not worried about passenger comfort. And you take risks in this that you would never even dream of in a 747," the 51-year-old Bonhomme says. "But overall, I'm still thinking about safety in this. Whilst it might look a little bit crazy, actually I don't want to hurt myself so I spend a lot of time working out the safest way doing this."

Another pilot you might run into is Texas native Kirby Chambliss, who also holds two world titles. The Southwest captain is currently on leave, but "still on the roster," he says. "I'm an adrenaline junkie. I raced motorcross as a kid, I love to sky dive, I love all things fast, so this is a perfect fit for me," he says of racing his Edge 540 V3. "Someday I'll go back" to flying commercially, says Chambliss, who turns 56 this month.

Air racer Juan Velarde, 41, of Spain is also a commercial pilot, flying for Iberia Airlines. Those flying in Europe or Africa on an Airbus A320 might snag a seat on his flight.

"Sometimes it gets a little tight on our schedules" to fly commercially and race, says Velarde, an Iberia captain, "but it's a great feeling walking down an Airbus A320 and jumping on a racing plane such as the Edge 540."

The youngest pilot in the Master Class, which is the best of the best, is Pete McLeod of Canada. However, Pete, 31, is not a commercial airline pilot. "I didn't have a past career in the military or the airlines. I actually grew up flying planes — bush flying up in northern Canada as a small kid in a family."

Still, what's to say he wouldn't add commercial pilot to his resume someday?

These men will compete in the final Red Bull Air Race World Championship of the season at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 17-18. The race will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 on Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. ET.

Featured Weekly Ad