Over the years at Reno, we've all met absolutely BRILLIANT people with sometimes out of this world ideas.. I'm not going to mention names of others who have been drawn to RENO with that very genius.
I think some of you will remember Sam and a few of his earlier projects, I'm just too damn lazy to do proper article research to dig them out of the archives... but he's been there a LONG time with some great, not so great ideas.
The thing about Sam, is.. he truly is stand up brilliant! About two years prior to the birth of "Red Bull Air Racing" I got an excited call from "Sammy" he had a brainstorm and asked if I'd be willing to sign a non disclosure agreement (NDA) I faxed him one and he proceeded to describe something that would help GROW RENO air racing...
He invented racing already ground level waivered aerobatic pilots to race around inflatable Coke cans, Pepsi.... Bud Light..Whatever!
He pitched a national campaign to be waged at airshows across the world, culminating with, the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AIR RACES...
His idea was a COMPLIMENT not competition to RARA!
SO, trying to make a short story less long.. one day I saw an ad for RBAR..
Called Sammy to congratulate him for "selling" the ide to Red Bull...
"Well, not so fast, I pitched the idea to them.. But" Sam went on to tell me how they had told him not interested, they waited I think less than two years, got by Sam's trademark by changing one simple detail, where the pilots would do an acro manuver between pylons..
Stole it right out from under him..
SOOO, getting to the point of all this.. Sam has been working on a folding wing three wheeled "flying car" for a bunch of years! A lot of investors, myself and Beer Nazi have a bunch of "sweat equity" in the company.. (BN has her own money, she's likely a cash investor) trying to say... think of the pshaw that has gone down for EVERY new out of the box idea.. until it works!
I'll be serious, there's one side of me that always tends to write Sam off on this car thing my hard nose race crew buddies have given me many aerodynamic explanations, somewhat over my head, theories but I've not ignored them.. But the Sampson team, they keep pressing forward.. I don't watch them that close but it seems as I scan the updates, EVERY SINGLE TIME there's an obstacle, the engineering team and Sam's innovative ideas seem to come up with a solution..
Truly hope this thing flies successfully !!!
It should be fun watching the progress from this point on!
I think some of you will remember Sam and a few of his earlier projects, I'm just too damn lazy to do proper article research to dig them out of the archives... but he's been there a LONG time with some great, not so great ideas.
The thing about Sam, is.. he truly is stand up brilliant! About two years prior to the birth of "Red Bull Air Racing" I got an excited call from "Sammy" he had a brainstorm and asked if I'd be willing to sign a non disclosure agreement (NDA) I faxed him one and he proceeded to describe something that would help GROW RENO air racing...
He invented racing already ground level waivered aerobatic pilots to race around inflatable Coke cans, Pepsi.... Bud Light..Whatever!
He pitched a national campaign to be waged at airshows across the world, culminating with, the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AIR RACES...
His idea was a COMPLIMENT not competition to RARA!
SO, trying to make a short story less long.. one day I saw an ad for RBAR..
Called Sammy to congratulate him for "selling" the ide to Red Bull...
"Well, not so fast, I pitched the idea to them.. But" Sam went on to tell me how they had told him not interested, they waited I think less than two years, got by Sam's trademark by changing one simple detail, where the pilots would do an acro manuver between pylons..
Stole it right out from under him..
SOOO, getting to the point of all this.. Sam has been working on a folding wing three wheeled "flying car" for a bunch of years! A lot of investors, myself and Beer Nazi have a bunch of "sweat equity" in the company.. (BN has her own money, she's likely a cash investor) trying to say... think of the pshaw that has gone down for EVERY new out of the box idea.. until it works!
I'll be serious, there's one side of me that always tends to write Sam off on this car thing my hard nose race crew buddies have given me many aerodynamic explanations, somewhat over my head, theories but I've not ignored them.. But the Sampson team, they keep pressing forward.. I don't watch them that close but it seems as I scan the updates, EVERY SINGLE TIME there's an obstacle, the engineering team and Sam's innovative ideas seem to come up with a solution..
Truly hope this thing flies successfully !!!
It should be fun watching the progress from this point on!
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