Behind The Scenes

Jamie Little adds blimp ride to adrenaline rush bucket list

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Throughout her life, Jamie Little has enjoyed doing things that provide thrilling rushes.

The ESPN NASCAR, IndyCar and X Games reporter has raced dirt motorcycles. In recent years, she has bungee jumped from a tall building; ridden with both the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds; taken rides in small stunt planes; and done parachute jumps.

Before the recent NASCAR weekend in Fontana, Calif., Little added to her adrenaline rush resume with a one-hour ride in one of the famous Goodyear airships that was being used by ESPN for aerial shots during race coverage.

While taking flight in a blimp isn’t quite the same as a fighter jet ride, Little said the experience wasn’t at all what she expected.

“Honestly my first thought when we went up was this is a little scarier than I anticipated,” she said. “When you take off, you go straight up, and you’re totally exposed; the windows are wide open and you feel the air. It kind of feels like a roller coaster. You’re literally floating, and you hit some air and you jostle around a little bit.

“And then we flew at 1,500 feet,” she said. “You can really feel that depth perception, and that’s when it’s kind of unsettling. When you’re in a jet, you’re so high up that you don’t have that depth perception. So it was weird in that way.”

Little rode in Goodyear’s Spirit of America airship, based in Carson, Calif., with senior pilot David Bowling. They flew over Los Angeles at 30 mph. The same ship will be used for aerial coverage of upcoming ESPN NBA and MLB telecasts, including Lakers-Clippers and Giants-Dodgers on April 6.

Little became a mother two years ago but said her days of adventure aren’t over yet.

“Honestly, no,” she said. “I would jump off a building, or I would jump out of a plane again, that’s just part of who I am.

“It’s funny, since I have a little boy now, I’m actually craving getting a dirt bike again, as funny as it sounds,” she said. “Maybe I’ll think a little harder like when I’m up in a plane and ready to jump out than I would before, but as of yet, until I turn maybe 50 or 60, I don’t think I’d say no to those kinds of activities.”

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