C-130 loadmaster fulfills his yearning for speed and adventure - Round The Reserve

Citizen Airman, Oct, 2003 by Ann Peru Knabe

Tech. Sgt. Bill Knight believes he's the luckiest guy he knows. "I get to hang out in the back of C-130s and throw stuff out of planes, plus I've done 160 miles per hour ho a dragster," he said. "What more could you want for adventure?"

Knight, a loadmaster with the 905th Airlift Squadron at Gen. Mitchell International Airport Air Reserve Station, Wis., has yearned fur speed and adventure since he was a kid.

At age 30, he joined the military, fulfilling part of his quest for adventure by flying in the back of C-130s, performing airdrops and transport missions worldwide. Twelve years later, this past June, he achieved the ultimate in his quest to go fast when he earned a National Hot Rod Association dragster license at a special course offered in Indianapolis.

"This has been a lifelong goal," Knight said, referring to his new hot rod license that allows him to race in the "super comp" category on a drag racing team. "When 1 was 8 years old, I saw a picture of a top fuel dragster in a magazine, and I was hooked. I have never been able to get that picture out of my head, and it took me three decades to act on it."

Knight said he felt like he was flying as he raced down the quarter-mile track for the first lime, going from 0 to 60 mph in 1.5 seconds. The entire run took just 8.53 seconds.

"It's over before you know it," he said. "There's no room for mistakes or errors."

During the course, Knight completed three quarter-mile runs. He described his experience as phenomenal.

"When I did the quarter-mile runs, I felt three positive 'G's' on takeoff," Knight said. "My body felt like it weighed 600 pounds. It (the force of gravity) pushes you back that hard when you start."

At the 200-foot mark, he shifted into second gear.

"At that point, I felt like I was going to take off," Knight said. "I really felt like I was flying."

Seconds later, it was all over. But the experience remains burned in Knight's consciousness, whetting his appetite for more.

(Major Knabe is assigned to the 440th Airlift Wing Office of Public Affairs at Gen. Mitchell IAP ARS, Wis.)