Civilian Test Pilots, Military Combat Veterans Among Latest Flyers

The playing field of the Rocket Racing League doubles in size Friday, and goes international as three new teams announce their acceptance into the League -- bringing a total of six teams primed to compete in the Rocket Racing League's inaugural season. Rocket Star Racing, Team Extreme Rocket Racing and Canada-based Beyond Gravity Rocket Racing join existing teams Bridenstine Rocket Racing, Santa Fe Racing and Thunderhawk Rocket Racing. 

"Our goal has been to bring diverse international teams to the League with highly skilled world-class pilots and flight crews coming from both civilian and military backgrounds," said company co-founder and CEO Granger Whitelaw. "These guys will be competing with each other even on their drive to the quarterly League picnic."

Rocket Star Racing is lead by Todd White, a former Navy Test Pilot and Internet entrepreneur. With Todd’s 3,000-plus flight hours in 30 different types of aircraft including the F-4, F-15, F-16, F-18, T-38, T-A4, T-2 and P-51, he’s well qualified to pilot his own Rocket Racer.

"I didn’t see it coming. Who would have thought I’d be strapping a rocket on my back in competitive rocket racing, pushing the state-of-the-art and being part of an industry first," said White. Todd is a graduate of the US Navy Test Pilot School and received a Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Naval Post Graduate School. Todd was named Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Zero (VX-20) Test Pilot of the year in 1996.

Team Extreme Rocket Racing is the brainchild of LT Bryan Schwartz, currently on active service as an aviator for the US Navy. A native of Pensacola, FL, Bryan’s life has always revolved around aviation. In 2000 he received his Bachelor’s degree from Auburn University in Aviation Management. His eight-year military career has resulted in 1600 hours of flight time, including over 125 carrier landings. Bryan has experience flying a variety of aircraft including the T-34C Turbo Mentor, T-44A Pegasus, T-2C Buckeye, E-2C Hawkeye, and T-45C Goshawk. Bryan is also a proficient aerobatic flight instructor.

"Rocket Racing combines the skills that I have obtained through my military training and takes my abilities to the next level while creating a new industry for the next generation of dreamers," said Schwartz. In precision formation flying, Bryan instructs pilot teams, flying $25 million dollar fighter jets at distances as close as 4 feet, on how to conduct precise aerobatic maneuvers in both daytime and nighttime scenarios.

Beyond Gravity Rocket Racing is lead by Canadian team owner Brian Feeney, founder of the 1996 Da Vinci Project... which was a leading contender in the inaugural Ansari X Prize Competition. More recently, Brian launched the DreamSpace Group whose focused activities include manned spaceflight technology development, space tourism and rocket based sports and entertainment events.

"The launch of Beyond Gravity affirms that anything is possible with vision, determination and ingenuity. We hope to be an inspiration to people and to show that there is no greater power than the will of the individual, that there is freedom in exploration and joy in discovery. The important discoveries for a society seldom come at the points where the path is smooth and straight. It is the curves in that path to adventure that make the trip interesting and worthwhile," said Feeney.

"Flying a Rocket Racer will be an unprecedented one-of-a-kind experience unavailable anywhere else in the world. Maintaining a very high standard for pilots commensurate with the experience itself is reinforced with the latest team additions," said Whitelaw. "Gentlemen, light your rockets!"

FMI: www.rocketracingleague.com, www.rocketstarracing.com