I Wanna Go Fast! - Around the air force - 24 March 2014

MSGT CRISTY ANDERSON, 1ST SERGEANT, 53RD TEST AND EVALUATION GROUP: "DECISIONS WE MAKE NOW COULD EFFECT SOMEONE LONG-TERM CAREER AND EVEN THE AIR FORCE CAREER AND THEIR LIFE AND ALL THE THINGS THAT PLAYED UP TO THAT MOMENT; IT HAD TO BE SAFE FOR THE MEMBER, THE UNIT, AND FOR THE AIR FORCE AT ALL TIMES. WE'RE NOT JUST AFFECTING OURSELVES. WE'RE AFFECTING MANY PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES." SSGT CHRIS PYLES: FIRST SERGEANT CRISTY ANDERSON TENDS TO THINK OF HER AIRMEN AS HER OWN CHILDREN. MSGT CRISTY ANDERSON, I HAVE TO... I THINK OF THEM AS... I MEAN I'M OLD ENOUGH TO BE THEIR MOTHER (LAUGHS) MOST OF THEM. SSGT CHRIS PYLES: LARGELY FOCUSED ON HER AIRMEN'S SAFETY, IT'S KIND OF IRONIC... SINCE HER OWN 17 YEAR OLD SON, IAN, COMPETES IN SOMETHING MOST OF OUR MOTHERS WOULDN'T EVEN DREAM OF LETTING US DO AS KIDS. AND MOST OF IAN'S FRIENDS DON'T EVEN KNOW HE DOES IT. IAN ANDERSON, RACE CAR DRIVER: I DRIVE A RACE CAR AND I'M A NATIONAL CHAMPION. YOU'RE NOT JUST GONNA WALK UP TO SOMEONE AND GO, "WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE-TIME?" "WELL, I'M A RACE CAR DRIVER!" WHO'S GONNA BELIEVE YOU IN THAT? IT'S NOT WHAT PEOPLE THINK IN VIDEO GAMES OR THAT YOU PASS THEM BECAUSE YOUR ENGINES SUPERCOOL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. MY DAD TEACHES ME A LOT JUST BY SAYING THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING THIS... AND, THE FACT THAT I'VE BEEN DRIVING THESE THINGS SINCE I WAS 5. THAT'S TWELVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. AND THEN I DIDN'T REALLY MATURE AS A DRIVER UNTIL LIKE TWELVE. I'VE DRIVEN GO-CARTS, AND LEGENDS CARS... BANDALEROS. YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT. YOU HAVE TO TIME YOUR APEX; YOU HAVE TO HIT THE GAS IN THE RIGHT SPOT. YOU HAVE TO FIND WHERE THEY'RE SLOW SO YOU CAN BE FASTER THEN THEM. YOU CAN'T JUST WILL YOURSELF THROUGH THEM. MSGT CRISTY ANDERSON: WHEN HE GOES ON THE TRACK, I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE I'M GONNA GET SICK. I MEAN, THAT'S THE FIRST THING I TELL HIS DAD, "I FEEL LIKE I'M GONNA THROW UP." I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO WRECK HIM, I DON'T WANT HIM TO GO UP OVER THE WALL. I DON'T WANT ANYTHING BAD TO HAPPEN. BUT I ALSO KNOW, IT'S WHO HE IS. IAN ANDERSON: THERE IS NOTHING TO COMPARE IT TO. IT'S A SPORT ON IT'S OWN. I JUST WANT TO BEST MYSELF. IT'S ALL ABOUT BEING BETTER THAN THE DAY AFTER YESTERDAY. SSGT CHRIS PYLES: MOTHERS CAN BE FORGIVING; WALLS ARE QUITE THE OPPOSITE. MSGT CRISTY ANDERSON:THERE HAS BEEN A MOMENT WHEN WE DIDN'T KNOW SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR THAT WE LET HIM GO ON THE TRACK AND IT PROBABLY WASN'T THE SAFEST THING TO DO BUT WE JUST DIDN'T KNOW. AND YOU'RE GOING OVER 100 MPH AND SOMETHING GIVES OUT... THAT'S NOT VERY SAFE. SO OCCASIONALLY THINGS SLIP BY. IT'S HUMAN NATURE. WE'RE NOT PERFECT. SSGT CHRIS PYLES: FOR IAN, RACING IN THE THUNDER ROADSTER CLASS ISN'T FOR FAME OR FORTUNE. IT'S FOR THE SPORTSMANSHIP. THIS YEAR IAN EARNED THE TITLE OF THUNDER CAR NATIONAL OVAL CHAMPION. AND THAT'S JUST SO FAR THIS YEAR... WITH ALL OF THOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, IAN STILL REMAINS A HUMBLE TEEN AND CHALKS THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE UP AS FAMILY TIME. IAN ANDERSON: IT'S THE MOMENTS THAT YOU GET THE TROPHIES MORE THAN THE TROPHIES. THE TROPHIES JUST REMIND YOU OF THE MOMENTS. I THINK THAT I GET TO KNOW MY PARENTS MORE BECAUSE OF THIS RACING. BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES FAMILIES CAN'T CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER AND THIS IS SOMETHING WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE WITH. WE ALL HELP SSGT CHRIS PYLES: DON'T EXPECT TO SEE IAN ANDERSON SHOW UP ON THE NASCAR CIRCUIT, OR EVEN IN THE AIR FORCE FOR THAT MATTER. HE HAS HIS MIND MADE UP. IAN ANDERSON: COLLEGE. I'M GONNA DO SOMETHING IN BUSINESS, THAT'S WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE. I MEAN, I MIGHT DO THIS IN MY SPARE TIME. I MIGHT NOT. IT'S FUN BUT IT'S NOT WHO I AM. IT'S NOT LIKE EVERYTHING THAT MAKES ME. MSGT CRISTY ANDERSON: IAN WOULD SAY I SHIRT HIM A LOT. WHICH I DON'T THINK THAT'S NECESSARILY A BAD THING. I WANT HIM TO BE SUCCESSFUL THE SAME WAY I WOULD GO OUT THERE AND WANT ALL MY AIRMEN TO BE SUCCESSFUL. YOU JUST HAVE TO HOPE YOU ARE DOING THE BEST YOU CAN AS A PARENT AND SUPPORT THEM IN WHATEVER IT IS THAT THEY LOVE; EVEN THOUGH IT SOMETIMES MAKES ME ILL. SSGT CHRIS PYLES: REPORTING FROM NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NEVADA. I'M STAFF SERGEANT CHRIS PYLES.