THE COURSE AND INSTRUCTORS

THE COURSE
The Viggen Flight Academy consists of 80% advanced handling exercises on specially constructed training tracks, and 20% classroom time. The advanced handling exercises include:

Skid Pad
This safe and controlled environment provides an opportunity to push the vehicle to the limits and learn how to control understeer (front) and oversteer (rear) skids with proper steering, throttle and brake responses. Students are able to develop their car control skills on a permanent, wet surface skid pad that duplicates rain, snow, ice and situations where the driver has exceeded the limits of the vehicle.

Threshold Braking
Students practice using 100% of the vehicle's straight line stopping ability - Panic Braking. By learning to find the limits of adhesion and avoiding lock-up, the shortest stopping distance is achieved. This difficult exercise teaches students how to "modulate" the brake instead of "pumping," how to initially apply the brake, and improves reaction time.

Trail Braking
The trail braking exercise consists of straight-line threshold braking and then turning while maintaining brake pressure. This involves eye, hand, and foot coordination in order to maintain control and to stay within the limits of the vehicle. When the limits are exceeded, lock-up occurs and the result is a loss of steering control. The procedure involves gradually releasing brake pressure as steering input is applied.

Lane Change
In this exercise students practice accident avoidance by maneuvering the vehicle to the correct lane indicated by the accident simulator. Reflexes and decision-making skills are improved, along with car control skills as the student manages the weight transfer of the vehicle and balanced threshold braking.

Slalom Course
The slalom course places an emphasis on maintaining smoothness, through the management of the weight transfer and by driving the correct line. This is accomplished by applying the correct amount of steering and timing of throttle adjustments.

Finesse Driving Course
Students can see first hand the degree of smoothness under braking, cornering and acceleration that they are applying. This innovative approach teaches weight management and stresses the proper transitions and applications of pedals. The object is to keep a ball in a large bowl attached to the vehicle. Though it sounds simple, it requires the practice of a smooth driving technique.

Precision Maneuvering Course
In this exercise, students must maneuver the vehicle through a low speed course that is driven in both forward and reverse. Backing and parking skills are practiced along with awareness of the vehicle size and steering limitations.

Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) and Off-Road Recovery Demonstration
Instructors take the mystery out of ABS brakes by explaining the correct procedure and what to expect in a panic situation. In the Off-Road Recovery Demonstration students will learn the correct method for maintaining control and returning back to the road in this often-occurring situation.

Autocross
The autocross is a scaled-down racetrack in which we use pylons to create a variety of turns. This course gives the student the opportunity to combine all the car control skills - cornering, use of proper line, braking and acceleration and skid control - into one smooth exercise that uses 100% of the car's potential.

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION*
In order to help Viggen owners get the most out of their unique high performance Saab, the Viggen Flight Academy offers an impressive list of experienced and qualified instructors. In addition, students will benefit from an Instructor to student ratio of 1:4. The Flight Academy's instructors include:

Joe Foster - Chief Driving Instructor
Joe's racing experience goes as far back as the age of 12, when he began racing carts. Since then, he has won 14 Formula Ford 1600 and Formula Russell Mazda races, and competed in the British Formula 3 Championship. He also competed in the inaugural Petit Le Mans and was the overall winner of the 1999 Moroso Longest Night 24-hour race.

Beaux Barfield - Lead Instructor
In 1990, Beaux won the SCCA Rookie of the Year and became an SCCA instructor. The following year, he won three National events and became the youngest ever Chief Instructor for the SCCA. Beaux has become one of the most sought after driving coaches in the business, with data acquisition as a special talent.

Chris Hall - Lead Instructor
Originally from England, Chris was named Most Improved Driver in the Goody's Dash, quite an honor for an "outsider" to the NASCAR fraternity. With vast experience racing and teaching all over the world, Chris brings a wealth of knowledge to his work at the Viggen Flight Academy.

Johnny O'Connell - Lead Instructor
As a lead driver of the Panoz GTR-1, and years of teaching and coaching experience, Johnny brings significant top level experience to the Viggen Flight Academy.

Tommy Byrne - Instructor
With a wealth of successful Formula 3 experience, as well as teaching and coaching experience, Tommy is an excellent resource for any student of the Viggen Flight Academy.

Nathan Liber - Instructor
Despite all of the karting experience on the Viggen Flight Academy staff, Nathan has probably done more karting miles and won more trophies than the rest combined. He represented the U.S. in a worldwide karting competition in Russia in 1992, and continues to pursue a career in open wheel racing.

Eric Foss - Instructor
A sedan racer from the beginning, Eric brings an abundance of Solo2 and Improved Touring experience to Viggen Flight Academy staff.

Johannes Viskil - Instructor
As a product of the Elf Winfield and Skip Barber systems, Johannes brings a mix of karting, open wheel, front-drive, and sedan experience to his teaching duties.