Kirby Chambliss
Encyclopedia
Kirby Chambliss is an American
commercial pilot and a renowned world champion in aerobatics.
He was born in Corpus Christi
, Texas
, U.S.
. As a youngster, Chambliss wanted to be a pilot. His father taught him skydiving, and he loved the steep spiral in the sky the pilot put the plane into when bringing the skydivers back to the ground. During his high school years, he fueled aircraft to earn extra money. By December 1979 at the age of 20, Chambliss debuted in solo flying after formal flight training
, and earned his private license the following March. In the beginning, he earned his living as a certified flight instructor
and then as a night freight pilot.
His later job as a business jet
pilot enabled him in 1985 to take aerobatic flight training and to buy his own aerobatic plane. Winning top honors in his very first contest, Chambliss worked the way up to the elite "unlimited" level. In 1997, he became member and then captain of the US Aerobatic Team. He won four U.S. national championships and a number of medals at the world championships. He holds the title 2000 Men's Freestyle World Champion.
Chambliss enjoys performing in traditional airshow
s throughout the year when he is not training or competing. Since 2005, he takes part at the international aerobatic competition Red Bull Air Race World Series
as a member of the Red Bull Team along with his team mate Hungarian Péter Besenyei
. The champion of 2004, Chambliss finished the 2006 Series as the champion again with four wins of eight rounds on his Zivko Edge 540
aircraft. To stay in shape for enormous g-force
s and exact timing, he trains three times a day and four days a week in the sky.
A pilot with more than 24,000 logged hours of flying, Kirby Chambliss, his wife and fellow pilot, Kellie and their baby Karly Nicole live in a house in Flying Crown Ranch, Arizona
, USA, attached to his hangar.
Legend:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
commercial pilot and a renowned world champion in aerobatics.
He was born in Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As a youngster, Chambliss wanted to be a pilot. His father taught him skydiving, and he loved the steep spiral in the sky the pilot put the plane into when bringing the skydivers back to the ground. During his high school years, he fueled aircraft to earn extra money. By December 1979 at the age of 20, Chambliss debuted in solo flying after formal flight training
Flight training
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills....
, and earned his private license the following March. In the beginning, he earned his living as a certified flight instructor
Pilot certification in the United States
Pilot certification in the United States is required for an individual to act as a pilot of an aircraft. It is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration , a branch of the Department of Transportation...
and then as a night freight pilot.
His later job as a business jet
Business jet
Business jet, private jet or, colloquially, bizjet is a term describing a jet aircraft, usually of smaller size, designed for transporting groups of up to 19 business people or wealthy individuals...
pilot enabled him in 1985 to take aerobatic flight training and to buy his own aerobatic plane. Winning top honors in his very first contest, Chambliss worked the way up to the elite "unlimited" level. In 1997, he became member and then captain of the US Aerobatic Team. He won four U.S. national championships and a number of medals at the world championships. He holds the title 2000 Men's Freestyle World Champion.
Airshow
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
s throughout the year when he is not training or competing. Since 2005, he takes part at the international aerobatic competition Red Bull Air Race World Series
Red Bull Air Race World Series
The Red Bull Air Race, established in 2003 and created by Red Bull, is an international series of air races in which competitors have to navigate a challenging obstacle course in the fastest time. Pilots fly individually against the clock and have to complete tight turns through a slalom course...
as a member of the Red Bull Team along with his team mate Hungarian Péter Besenyei
Peter Besenyei
Péter Besenyei is a renowned Hungarian aerobatics pilot and world champion air racer. He was born on June 8, 1956 in Körmend, Hungary. He lived near the airport of Budapest and became interested in flying when he was a child. From watching 1962 World Aerobatic Championships he decided to become a...
. The champion of 2004, Chambliss finished the 2006 Series as the champion again with four wins of eight rounds on his Zivko Edge 540
Zivko Edge 540
The Zivko Edge 540 manufactured by Zivko Aeronautics is a highly aerobatic aircraft. Capable of a 420 degree per second roll rate and a 3,700 foot per minute climb rate, it has been flown to victory on the international Unlimited aerobatics circuit several times since the mid-1990s...
aircraft. To stay in shape for enormous g-force
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
s and exact timing, he trains three times a day and four days a week in the sky.
A pilot with more than 24,000 logged hours of flying, Kirby Chambliss, his wife and fellow pilot, Kellie and their baby Karly Nicole live in a house in Flying Crown Ranch, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, USA, attached to his hangar.
 Kirby Chamblissat the Red Bull Air Race World Series Red Bull Air Race World Series The Red Bull Air Race, established in 2003 and created by Red Bull, is an international series of air races in which competitors have to navigate a challenging obstacle course in the fastest time. Pilots fly individually against the clock and have to complete tight turns through a slalom course... |
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| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Points | Wins | Rank |
| 2003 2003 Red Bull Air Race World Series season The 2003 Red Bull Air Race World Series season was the 1st Red Bull Air Race World Series season. It started on June 28, 2003 and ended on August 20.In the 2003 season, there were two air race venues only, Zeltweg in Austria and Budapest in Hungary.... |
 DNP |
 3rd |
4 | 0 | 3rd | ||||||||||
| 2004 2004 Red Bull Air Race World Series season The 2004 Red Bull Air Race World Series season was the 2nd Red Bull Air Race World Series season. It debuted on June 20, 2004 and ended on September 18.In the 2004 season, the number of air race venues increased from 2 to 3 locations... |
 1st |
1st |
2nd |
17 | 2 | 1st | |||||||||
| 2005 2005 Red Bull Air Race World Series season The 2005 Red Bull Air Race World Series season was the 3rd Red Bull Air Race World Series season. It began on April 8, 2005 and ended on October 8.... |
 9th |
 4th |
4th |
 DNS |
2nd |
2nd |
2nd |
21 | 0 | 3rd | |||||
| 2006 2006 Red Bull Air Race World Series season The 2006 Red Bull Air Race World Series season was the fourth Red Bull Air Race World Series season. It began on March 18, 2006 and ended on November 19.... |
1st |
 3rd |
 1st |
 CAN |
 1st |
5th |
3rd |
1st |
 3rd |
38 | 4 | 1st | |||
| 2007 2007 Red Bull Air Race World Series season The 2007 Red Bull Air Race World Series season was the fifth Red Bull Air Race World Series season.-New pilots:Sergei Rakhmanin of Russia and Austrian Hannes Arch were chosen to join the 2007 series after completing a qualification course in October 2006, held in Arizona, USA... |
4th |
 6th |
4th |
3rd |
CAN |
 5th |
5th |
2nd |
 5th |
2nd |
 CAN |
6th |
28 | 0 | 4th |
| 2008 2008 Red Bull Air Race World Series season The 2008 Red Bull Air Race World Series season was the sixth Red Bull Air Race World Series season. The 2008 champion was Hannes Arch, who won the series for the first time.-Aircraft and pilots:-New pilots:... |
5th |
3rd |
1st |
 CAN |
4th |
1st |
12th |
2nd |
CAN |
8th |
46 | 1 | 4th | ||
| 2009 | 9th |
DQ |
 3rd |
3rd |
8th |
5th |
34 | 0 | 4th | ||||||
| 2010 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship The 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship was the eighth official Red Bull Air Race World Championship series. Paul Bonhomme became champion for the second successive year, finishing each of the six rounds of the championship in the top three placings, two of which were victories... |
6th |
8th |
5th |
3rd |
3rd |
|
CAN |
CAN |
17 | 0 | 6th | ||||
| Total | 167 | 8 | |||||||||||||
Legend:
- CAN: Cancelled
- DNP: Did not participate
- DNS: Did not show
- DQ: Disqualified
- NC: Not classified