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FIRST TEAM NAMES FIRST PILOT
Given their over-achieving, ultra-competitive nature, it takes considerable character for a pair of fighter jocks to stand aside and allow another pilot to take the spotlight.
But that’s exactly what has happened with the announcement that F-16 pilot, Korey “Axe” Amundson has been appointed Chief Pilot for
Leading Edge Rocket Racing™, LLC and will take the controls of the team's Mark-1 X-Racer™ early next year in Rocket Racing League® competition.
“I’m thrilled and honored to fly the Mark-1 X-Racer for Team Leading Edge™. Racing a liquid-fueled rocket-powered airplane will be challenging and exciting!” he says. “I’m looking forward to bringing the skills, spirit and conviction of a fighter pilot into a completely new venue. The average American never gets to see us in action, pitting our skills against other pilots. Now, they can!”
Leading Edge is the Rocket Racing League®’s first team and founders Robert "Bobaloo" Rickard and Don A. "Dagger" Grantham, Jr., themselves both F-16 pilots, are committed to making their team into a totally professional championship-winning organization. With that as the prime directive, they decided their entrepreneurial and organizational talents would be better utilized in getting team operations ramped up as quickly as possible.
“Axe's ability to push the envelope of his aircraft as well as his dedication and enthusiasm for new projects were the deciding factors for his selection as chief pilot,” says Rickard.
Grantham adds, “We’ve literally had a bird’s eye view of his awesome development in the skies above Arizona each week. He’s smart, he’s daring and most importantly, he’s competitive. Axe will be the 'flying' force behind our championship team.”
Korey Amundson, whose radio call sign is “Axe”, comes from a rich history of aviation and cutting edge development; his uncle was instrumental in the launching of the U2 and SR-71 programs. After graduating in 1994 from the United States Air Force Academy with a BS in Civil/ Environmental Engineering, he served for three years as a Civil Engineer on active duty before he began a military flying career.
In the last nine years, Korey has accumulated over 1,600 flying hours in military aircraft, including the T-38, F-15, and the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Included in this flying time are 600 hours of instruction, evaluation, and combat. During his career, Mr. Amundson has accepted every opportunity to take his military flying experience to new levels.
As a result, he has developed a repertoire of acrobatic and precision flying skills through both incentive rides and various film projects. For example, he worked with veteran filming pilots and IMAX to film aerial flyby scenes for the IMAX production entitled “NASCAR, THE IMAX EXPERIENCE 3D”, which hit theaters in early 2004.
About Leading Edge Rocket Racing
Leading Edge Rocket Racing™, LLC is The Rocket Racing League®’s™ first independent race team. The premier Rocket Racing team is co-founded by F-16 pilots Robert "Bobaloo" Rickard and Don A. "Dagger" Grantham, Jr.
Rickard served in the active duty Air Force for more than 13 years piloting the F-16. He was awarded "Instructor Pilot of the Year" for two separate Fighter Wings while on active duty. Rickard is a graduate of the US Air Force Fighter Weapons School, the most challenging and prestigious doctorate-level flying course in the world. He currently leads the Rickard Consulting Group, Inc., which provides technical expertise on a wide range of tactical flying programs in the public and private sectors.
Grantham is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and served for 16 years as an Air Force F-16 Instructor/Evaluator Pilot as well as an Advance Agent for Air Force One. In 2002, Grantham became one of only three officers in the history of the Air Force One Advance Agent program to be decorated for outstanding achievement as an Advance Agent.
Team Leading Edge™ will take possession of their first rocket powered Mark-1 X-Racer later this year.
www.leadingedgerocketracing.com
www.rmcginc.com
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