Airborne Ranger

Airborne Ranger "Marauder" (or simply Airborne Ranger) is a Chevrolet monster truck owned and driven by Joe Cypher out of Reno, Nevada since 1995. The truck is one of a kind in that the steering and throttle/brake are used by hand controls, as driver Joe Cypher, a former airborne ranger himself, was paralyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle accident in 1988. Although Joe's biggest successes came from his days during the TNN Era, he still competes in various events to this day. It is currently unknown if this truck will ever return to Monster Jam.

History[]

1995[]

Brian Bellini's Bounty Hunter is sold to Joe Cypher, which he turns into the first Airborne Ranger.

1999[]

Joe Cypher gets a new chassis and calls it Bravo.

2000[]

Joe Cypher gave one of his best televised freestyle performances for Airborne Ranger at the second show in Anaheim by logging a score of 30 and tying Tom Meents in Goldberg. The truck then receives an invitation to compete in the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas. During the first round of racing against Madusa, Cypher crashed Airborne Ranger into the wall, which resulted in heavy damage. As a result, the truck was unable to compete in freestyle in its only World Finals appearance as a competitor.

2001[]

Cypher would compete in the 2nd of the Minneapolis shows in the 2001 where, he would be knocked out in racing, but he finished 3rd in freestyle by logging a score of 27.

2002[]

Joe Cypher gets a new chassis and calls it Charlie. The truck also gets a new body style of a GMC Sierra and a new paint scheme.

2003[]

Cypher would win in his hometown of Reno, during the freestyle event for the second show.

2004[]

Cypher and the Airborne Ranger would compete in the Vancouver show, where he would be eliminated in racing, and would finish 3rd in the freestyle event with a score of 22 in a 3 way tie with High Roller and Dragon Slayer.

2005[]

Joe Cypher competed in the event in his hometown of Reno, Nevada. He would win freestyle during the first, second and fourth shows.

2008[]

Joe Cypher gets a new chassis and calls it Charlie 2. A ride truck is also built called Airborne Ranger Too.

2010[]

Charlie 2 gets updated with a new cradle and engine placement.

2021[]

The truck runs as V8 Bomber for Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania.

2022[]

The truck runs as Race Ace & V8 Bomber for Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live.

2023[]

It competes as Tiger Shark in Las Vegas & Palm Desert, California.

2024[]

The truck runs as 5 Alarm.

World Finals appearances[]

Year	Driver	Results
2000	Joe Cypher	Qualifying: n/a	Racing: eliminated in Round 1 by Madusa (DNF)	Freestyle: DNC¹
2002	N/A	Display only
2004	N/A	Display only
2005	N/A	Display only
2008	N/A	Display only
2009	N/A	Display only
2010	N/A	Display only
2011	N/A	Display only
2012	N/A	Display only
2013	N/A	Display only
2014	N/A	Display only
2016	N/A	Display only
2017	N/A	Display only
2018	N/A	Display only

Notes[]

¹Did not freestyle due to damage sustained in racing.

Video game appearances[]

Trivia[]

Each of the chassis has been nicknamed after a military call. It is unknown which chassis is currently being used.
- Chassis 1 was named "Alpha".
- Chassis 2 was named "Bravo".
- Chassis 3 was "Charlie".
- Chassis 4 was named "Charlie 2"
- Chassis 5 is/was named ''Delta''.
- Chassis 6 will be named "Echo".
Joe was President & founder of Ranger Marketing Airborne Ranger Motorsports Team.
Cypher was a member of the USA/ASD Gold Cup wheelchair basketball team from 1990-1992.
Joe is able to walk, but with leg braces.
Travis Ybarra first started driving Airborne Ranger before moving to Straight Up Racing.
The truck's website was airbornerangermonster.com, but has since went offline, around 2017.
With the truck running as 5 Alarm, it is unknown when it will run as Airborne Ranger again.