F1 vs F/A-18
Pilot swaps notes with Grand Prix hero

By CPL Simone Liebelt

FLTLT Aaron Ward, a pilot from No. 3 Squadron, meets his childhood hero, Rubens Barrichello, at the Australian Grand Prix.

A HORNET pilot from No. 3 Squadron has compared his high-powered machine with that of his long-time idol, Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello.

Flight Lieutenant Aaron Ward met his favourite racer after performing the F/A- 18 display on both days of the Melbourne Grand Prix on March 5 and 6. It was a dream come true for FLTLT Ward, who has been a loyal fan of the Ferrari star since childhood.

“After I met Rubens Barrichello, I told him that when I was little, I had pictures on my bedroom wall of F/A-18s flying around as well as pictures of him in his Formula One car,” he said.

“And there I was flying a Hornet at the Grand Prix! It was really bizarre.” After flying his first display, FLTLT Ward landed his aircraft at Tullamarine airport and returned to Albert Park with accompanying 3SQN pilot Squadron Leader Lindsay Williams (who flew the backup Hornet).

They toured the pit lane and met drivers and crew from some of the teams, including BMW Williams, McLaren and Ferrari. After spotting Barrichello in the Ferrari pits, FLTLT Ward introduced himself as a big fan and was instantly welcomed by the friendly driver.

“He showed me around for about an hour and I got to check out his car, which was great. But I was more amazed by the fact that that I was looking at his Ferrari while he was right there telling me about his car, his little boy and his life back in Brazil,” FLTLT Ward said.

They spoke about the G force of a jet compared to an F1 car and swapped notes on what fitness exercises worked best for them.

FLTLT Ward also spoke to the mechanics and engineers, who gave him a great insight into the GP world.

“F1 cars are more like fighter jets than cars, except that one’s got a massive engine that works on wheels and one’s got two massive engines that flies,” he said.

“Their aerodynamics are amazing.” The big GP fan said after putting his hand up to fly at the Melbourne race for more than four years, he was “absolutely rapt” to finally get the job at 3SQN.

“It was the first time I’d done a [public] flying display, and I had a few butterflies, but I was more excited about getting on the ground to see the cars and meet the drivers,” he said.

“The manoeuvres I did in the display were ones that we do all the time, but much closer to the ground, which made it a bit trickier.

When you do a turn at 500 feet, the ground is going past very quickly, so that’s one of the things you really notice.

“While I loved doing the flying for the race, the highlight of the weekend was Rubens saying he wanted me to keep in touch and send a signed photo of a Hornet for his little boy. All I wanted to do was meet him, so I wasn’t expecting that at all. It was just awesome.”

 

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