The man behind the Coinforce Jet Car

By Marques Hunter on July 24, 2012

Jordan Haines wants kids to dream when he rolls out his one-of-a-kind CoinForce.com jet car.

Haines never imagined being involved in the air show industry, much less co-owning a vehicle that shoots flames and reaches speeds of 400 mph in less than nine seconds. But when you work hard and dream, things can happen, he said.

"It's going to bring a huge amount of entertainment," Haines said. "It's going to bring miles of smiles on kids' faces. The car inspires young kids to dream. It might inspire them to become a mechanic."

Watching the jet-car zip across the McChord runway at last weeken's JBLM Air Expo brings a heightened emotion to Haines. Although the land act performs at many other military bases, this past weekend's performance has special meaning because Haines became a C-141 flight engineer and retired a master sergeant out of the 4th Airlift Squadron at McChord.

He considers it a homecoming.

"This is our home turf," he said.  "We're excited our friends and family and troops can see the performance. It's kind of like giving back."

The Smoke-N-Thunder Jet Show performs on many other military bases around the U.S. But the McChord Field runway stands out above the others. The driver, Bill Braack, is a retired McChord Reservist and also a flight engineer. Steve Uhrich, the third co-owner, is a retired Army veteran.

In 1980, Haines chose to enlist in the Air Force at the tender age of 18, working his way up the ladder as an F-4 crew chief and later a crew chief on F-16 fighter aircraft.

There's no lack of exuberance at 49 knowing his jet-car is about to hit the runway.

"Anytime the team gets to perform in Washington state, we're excited," he said.

The opportunity presented itself a couple years back to be a co-owner, and Haines joined in the partnership as a sponsor. He and his wife Donna, also an Air Force retiree, opened CoinForce.com, a small business in Lakewood that specializes in designing military challenge coins and speciality promotional items. His building is just a stone's throw away from the McChord Field gate.