SUFFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — Andrew Findlay, a local pilot, has a new title, National Champion.
Findlay won first place in the Sports Class at the Stihl National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada on Sunday, September 16.
If you've never seen an air race, Findlay says to just think of it like a NASCAR Race, but in the sky.
"It's an eight-mile course and there's eight of us out there at a time. It's like NASCAR in the sky. We are like battling for a position. We are staying really close to each other making sure you don't touch," explained Findlay.
He didn't just win a national championship, Findlay and his team set a record. They were the first airplane to complete a race at over 400 miles an hour.
PHOTOS: Andrew Findlay, wins Sports Class at the Stihl National Championship Air Race
Findlay, a mechanical engineer with Stihl, has been competing in the race for the last six years and it's even where he met his wife.
He says he'll now be the target at future races.
"At the awards banquet, they drew a target on my back so now everyone is going to be gunning for me," said Findlay. Last year we were chasing everyone and now they're going to be chasing us."
What's even more important is that Findlay loves what he does.
"Do what you love, and you'll find what you love," said Findlay of his passion for Air Racing. "It's the adrenaline the plane is named One Moment because to do it you have to be completely in the moment."
He credits the win to his amazing team and sponsors.
