By Zinnia Kilkenny, IAC 437244
BL: Thank you so much! So this was the second competition I flew in. My first was in 2019 when I bought my airplane before Covid-19 put everything on hold. Back then, I competed in Primary for the first time at Foxy Figures in Lancaster, Calif. Now, I don’t mean to brag, but for my first time, I pretty much swept the ground with the competition. I placed first in all three of my flights and went on to win first place overall. I was hailed as a prodigy, and from then on, I pretty much levitated whenever I would walk. Now, I was also the only competitor flying in Primary, so that couldn't hurt, but that’s also beside the point.
The 2022 Open West Championship was quite the contrast to my first time in Foxy Figures. First of all, I jumped up to Sportsman compared to flying in Primary. Secondly, the entire lineup was stacked with great pilots, and I'm not joking this time. We probably had about 30 pilots competing at the event, with a dozen in Sportsman alone. And just so you get an idea of how tight the competition was, I placed second in my first flight, three points away from first! And in my final flight, I placed third, literally less than a point away from second place! It was crazy to think that just one “out” or a slightly lower-than-average presentation score could be the deciding factor. However, that also made everyone fly their very best, making the entire competition exciting! It was pretty much anyone’s race right up until the final scores were revealed, which was great and made for a memorable contest.
In terms of preparation, I actually did quite a bit of flying/practicing. More importantly, I did so while someone was critiquing me from the ground. My coach watched me fly the Sportsman sequence for the first time. And this was only after we spent time flying and critiquing each maneuver individually. This ensured that I didn’t develop any bad habits early on and kept me safe. I also had my brother Daniel critique my flying from the ground whenever my coach wasn't available. Daniel and I both completed judges school back in 2019, specifically for him to be able to critique me correctly, so I trust what he says… to a degree. Therefore, it was very much a team effort. I have no idea what I look like from the outside when flying the sequence, so that’s where ground critiquing comes in. Luckily our perspectives lined up with the judges’, and our work paid off.
ZK: Describe that energizing moment you received the aerobatic call.
BL: So, believe it or not, I didn't know anyone in aviation growing up. Nobody in my family was a pilot, and I didn’t know any pilots. But we grew up next to Mather Airport in Sacramento, Calif., home to the California Capital Airshow (CCA). Growing up there, I witnessed the very first California Capital Airshow, and I haven’t missed one since. I remember my brother and I would watch in awe as the Blue Angels flew around our house. Something about it made us realize that we, too, can become pilots when we grow up. So really, it was the CCA that gave me the “bug”; from then on everything I did was geared toward becoming a pilot. But I didn’t want to become any old pilot; I wanted to be an aerobatic pilot (at least I thought I did). At that time, I hadn't even been on a roller coaster, let alone upside down in an airplane. So I was quite worried that I wouldn’t like the feeling. However, luckily, I met a gentleman who took me up in his RV-8 when I was 17. I was a little nervous, but the first time we did a roll and saw the world upside down, I felt like I was in heaven! It was a dream come true, and it was a relief knowing that I truly love aerobatics, and can pursue this dream full force.
ZK: What has been your proudest moment?
BL: So definitely, the coolest thing that I’ve ever done was go to North Carolina, *buy a little airplane, and then fly it back home to California. This was a true coast-to-coast, in a Pitts S-1S, with my iPhone being my primary navigation source! There are a lot of things that made this flight unique and challenging, starting with the fact that this airplane doesn't even have an alternator! But without getting into all of those details here in this interview I’ll just say that the views were extraordinary, the experience was magical, and seeing the Earth slowly change beneath me in my new airplane was something I’ll remember till the day I die. Definitely my proudest moment to date.
* See Ben's YouTube video of flying his new Pitts back home from North Carolina: https://youtu.be/fPiX9FIiryg
ZK: What is your Everest?
BL: From the get-go, my goal has always been to be an airshow pilot. It’s crazy to think that we live in a country where you can get paid to fly aerobatics. I know it’s not that simple, but still, it’s a crazy concept and has always been my goal. However, since then, I’ve added to that goal somewhat. I realized that I want to help push, grow, and develop aviation. Taking inspiration from the likes of Rob Holland and Skip Stewart, I would love to innovate the game and do things that haven't been done before. Just as importantly, I’d love to share those moments with as many people as possible through various social media avenues. Doing so correctly would only help grow the sport.
Now in terms of competition, I want to push myself as far as I can go. I love the competition stuff. I’m competitive by nature, so we’ll just have to see what happens. And that’s true for all of my goals. These are my “Everest." They’re big, perhaps even unrealistic. But they’re mine, and so we’ll just have to see what happens.
