While visiting Wright-Patterson AFB, Daly toured the Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing, where he experienced new performance and sensory technologies in the Signature Tracking for Optimized Nutrition and Training (STRONG) lab.
He also observed the Department of Defense’s only human-rated centrifuge, which trains pilots to endure up to 9 Gs, or nine times the force of gravity. While watching the centrifuge swing into motion, Daly connected racecar training to aircrew training, commenting that his training requires him to withstand over 3 Gs during a race.
Daly then explored the Navy Medical Research Unit, where he saw a demonstration of the GL-6000 Disorientation Research Device, known as the Kraken. The Kraken induces spatial disorientation and trains pilots to resist the impacts of acceleration and motion during flight. The device can rotate on six axes simultaneously and accelerate up to 3 Gs in five seconds.
After Daly tried his hand at controlling the Kraken, he toured a C-17 at the 445th Airlift Wing. He concluded the day with a presentation from the 88th Air Base Wing Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, where he learned some of the methods they use to detect and dispose of weapons and explosives. They even fitted Daly in an 80-pound bomb suit used by EOD technicians during disposal missions.
This is the second year that the Air Force has sponsored Daly and its first year as an associate sponsor of Andretti Autosports.
Daly placed 10th in the 103rd Indy 500. He drove the No. 25 U.S. Air Force Honda. The car’s livery was painted with the historic Air Force shark tooth design, which originated during World War II with the Flying Tigers.
“It’s the second year of our partnership, and this year is even stronger,” Daly said. “A lot of people that I see at the track – veterans of the Air Force and service members in general – are super proud to see the car out there, and it’s an honor for me to represent them.”
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