Nationality British
DOB September 22, 1964
Plane Edge 540
Race number 2
Abu Dhabi 2007 position 3rd
Final standing 2007 2nd
Abu Dhabi is the first round of the 2008 season. How important is it to get a good start in the Air Race championship?
It is important but not vital. Obviously it would be a good marker for the rest of the teams to show them that you mean business, but a slow start doesn’t mean the worst.
What do you do during the close-season?
First of all, relax. Secondly, plan and complete modifications for the plane. Then, towards the end of the off-season, I start aerobatic training to get some G-tolerance back. The plane modifications takes the most time so that needs to be started early; then training as a pilot can be done in a fairly short time.
How does the Abu Dhabi course differ from other rounds?
All of the tracks are different. This year’s Abu Dhabi track has the distinction of having two chicanes in each lap, which means four chicanes in each run. Also, like a lot of tracks, it is by the sea, which normally means shifting winds during the day.
Pilots are travelling from all over the world to come to race in Abu Dhabi. How does jet lag affect racing?
It is a huge factor if you get it wrong. To race well and win you have to be operating at 100 per cent and a slightly fuzzy jetlag feeling can affect your performance hugely. My own technique is to rest whenever I can – even if that means falling asleep at the back of the hangar during a noisy jet aerobatic display!
You’re travelling pretty fast in the air. Do you memorise the course beforehand?
Memorising the track is a must. You cannot possibly fly a fast round without knowing which way to go by instinct, but we do always fly by reactions. The clever bit, if you get it right, is not having to think about flying the aeroplane – you should act as one.
What is the rapport amongst pilots?
Pretty good, we all get along most of the time. The important thing is that you can be competitive and friendly at the same time. Let’s just say that one or two pilots are concentrating on the competition.
The Red Bull Air Races are getting more popular by the year. Does this add any extra pressure to perform?
It has definitely got more competitive. You just have to see the difference in lap times now compared to the start. Then there were 10 or 20 seconds between us, now there are just fractions of a second.
Can you talk us through your favourite manoeuvre?
My favourite aerobatic trick, not flown in the Air Race, is a flick rolling circle or loop. The aeroplane rolls at about 360-400 degrees per second whilst describing a circle in the sky. To fly it is great fun, all of the controls are moving all of the time and you have to make the plane roll, pitch and yaw continuously.
Who are the better pilots: the Royal Air Force or the US Air Force?
Impossible to answer. It depends on what you want them to do.
