Clear for Takeoff: Gumball Air from US-UK

Planes Paganis, and (Bag) Pipes for Gumball 3000

One of the wildest things in my career I’ve ever pulled off was Gumball 3000—specifically, Gumball Air. Two chartered planes. One for 200 people. Another for their cars, though calling them “cars” doesn’t quite cover it. We were flying Paganis, Aston Martins, McLarens, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, some of the most expensive and temperamental machines on wheels.

They flew out of JFK on full-size 747s, with their own branded check-in counters, signage, and a dedicated Gumball Air help desk. It was fully produced, fully designed, fully real. For 48 hours, we were an airline.

Gumball Air check-in desks at JFK in NYC

And because we were flying out of JFK and the energy was off the charts, let’s just say the plane became a full-blown party in the sky. Rappers, artists, CEOs, actors, writers, filmmakers, all onboard, all vibing at 30,000 feet. Eight hours of pure chaos and celebration.

Meanwhile, we shipped the cars 24 hours ahead, mid-rally, straight from New York to Scotland. The timing was razor-thin, but when the passengers landed, their supercars were already lined up on the tarmac like they’d never left their side.

The arrival scene was something else: Cars getting unloaded in formation. champagne, cameras, people losing it.

We had bagpipers in full Scottish outfits lined up on the runway as Gumballers came off the plane. A crowd had gathered outside the fence to watch. Then before anyone headed south to London, we opened up the airstrip—let them do a few laps, engines screaming, firetrucks trailing behind for the drama of it.

I spent most of those 48 hours trying to keep everything running smoothly and praying that nothing woiuld go wrong. Obviously there was no sleep on that flight... or during those 7 days for that matter. Worth it.