CHEYENNE, Wyo.—Champ Bailey is used to the adrenaline bursts and unscripted chaos that comes with playing in the National Football League.
But the Denver Broncos cornerback said nothing could have prepared him for the rush he experienced Monday when he joined the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds in an F-16 flight over Cheyenne.
“It’s different,” he said in comparing the hour-long flight to playing in a football game. “I can only imagine the type of preparation (the pilots) need to go through to get to that point to fly jets like that.
“It’s great, and it’s a great feeling, but I wouldn’t want to feel that every day.”
Bailey, who has been selected to the Pro Bowl 11 times, was chosen to participate in the ride-along that precedes the group’s annual Cheyenne Frontier Days air show, which will be held Wednesday.
Maj. J.R. Williams, who is the Thunderbirds’ lead solo pilot, said Bailey’s visit was a treat for the nearly 140-member Thunderbirds squadron. But he said it also is a way for the crew to share the military experience with people outside of the armed forces.
“It is an opportunity for us to give a little taste of what the military is all about,” he said. “Our job is to help represent the nearly 700,000 people voluntarily serving in the Air Force, and so if we can share that with somebody who can in turn share that message with their fans, that gets us fired up about it.”
Lt. Col. Jason Koltes, who is the operations officer for the team, flew Bailey in his two-seat jet.
Koltes said he did his best to put Bailey “through the ringer” on their trip. That included exerting a force of more than nine times the force of gravity during the tough combat maneuvers and aerial rolls, dips, twists and turns.
“Champ said, ‘I could take anything you dish out,’ so I tried,” Koltes said. “And sure enough there was nothing I could do in the aircraft that he couldn’t handle.”
Koltes added that many of the celebrities or other civilians who they take up can’t withstand the high G-force maneuvers.
“To put that in terms for you guys, since it is Cheyenne Frontier Days, that is like the weight of a bull sitting in your lap,” he said.
Even before they got off the ground, Bailey had to spend several hours getting a medical examination, learning about emergency and safety techniques, and attending a full flight briefing. Thunderbirds crew members also walked Bailey through all the details of the flight suit and other equipment he needed.
Moments after Bailey landed on the Wyoming Air National Guard’s runway, he said he thought the flight was going to be even worse because of the amount of safety precautions and sessions that included how to eject out of the plane.
“I didn’t know what to expect after going through the briefings,” he said. “I was expecting worse, but it went smoother than I expected.”
But he added there were still “intense moments,” especially when he felt the pull from the G-forces.
“It feels like a bunch of people just pushing against your body,” he said. “You can’t really breathe, and it’s like you are stuck.”
Following the flight, Bailey also reported that his stomach was able to hold up despite warnings that many lose their lunches when they take off on their first F-16 flight.
“You guys were hoping I would throw up,” he joked. “But it’s all good, and I stayed clean.”
Koltes also confirmed that Bailey outperformed many civilians who take the flight.
“Flying in the aircraft is like running a marathon and riding a roller coaster all at once, so it’s very demanding on your body,” he said. “That’s where it helps a professional athlete like (Bailey) who has done the training and is in peak shape and condition.”
Before and after the flight, Bailey spent time with many of the pilots and other crew members while signing autographs and posing for pictures.
Bailey said the experience gave him an added appreciation for the men and women in the military.
“I don’t know how they do half the stuff they are supposed to do,” he said. “But that is part of their job, and they are doing it.”
