Matt Hall (born 16 September 1971 in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

) is a third-generation pilot, a former

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF) fighter combat instructor, international unlimited

aerobatic Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...

competitor and the first

n to be selected to compete in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, starting in 2009. He won the championship in the final season of Red Bull Air Race in 2019.

Flying history

Hall has a long flying history, having started flying with his father at an early age. He is a third-generation pilot, his grandfather having flown in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Hall's first solo flight was at age 15 in a

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

, and he gained his aircraft pilot's licence at the age of 18. He is licensed in gliders, ultra-lights and

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

s, and has had one

parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...

jump. He has more than 4,000 hours in various aircraft types, including over 700 in light aircraft and over 500 doing aerobatics. As these flights are often only 20–30 minutes, he has many more takeoffs and landings. Hall has over 300 hours in his airshow display aircraft, the

Giles G-202 The Giles G-202 is an unlimited-level aerobatic airplane designed by Richard Giles. This carbon fiber composite monoplane was manufactured by AkroTech Aviation in Troutdale, Oregon. The tandem two-seater was based upon the single-seater Giles G ...

. A Mustang

P-51D Over twenty variants of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter were produced from 1940, when it first flew, to after World War II, some of which were employed also in the Korean War and in several other conflicts. Allison-engined Mustangs NA ...

is his fifth aircraft (the others were a

Vans RV-4 The Van's RV-4 is an American light homebuilt aircraft supplied in kit form by Van's Aircraft of Aurora, Oregon. It seats two people in a tandem seating configuration with the pilot accommodated in the front seat.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''20 ...

, Acrosport II biplane,

Piper Cherokee The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of two-seat or four-seat light aircraft built by Piper Aircraft and designed for flight training, air taxi and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 62–64. Werner & Werner Corp, ...

180C and the

). He raced a
MXS-R
during the first five seasons of his Red Bull Air Race World Championship career (2009–2010, 2014–2016), switching to his current race plane, the

Zivko Edge 540 The Zivko Edge 540 manufactured by Zivko Aeronautics is a highly aerobatic aircraft. Capable of a 420 degree per second roll rate and a 3,700 foot per minute climb rate, it has been flown to victory on the international Unlimited aerobatics ci ...

V3, for the beginning of the 2017 Red Bull Air Race World Championship. He also flies an EXTRA300L in which he performs domestic displays and conducts more than 400 joy flight experiences per year.

Military career

As a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter pilot, Hall logged over 1,500

F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...

hours. As a Fighter Combat Instructor, in 2006 he completed a tour as the chief instructor for this demanding course. He has received many awards during his military career, including

Dux ''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, '' ...

of Pilot, F/A-18 Hornet and Fighter Combat Instructor courses, the 1997 Fighter Pilot of the Year, and he was awarded a Chief of Air Force commendation for his performance as the Chief Instructor of the 2006 Fighter Combat Instructor course. Hall spent three years in the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

on a

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

exchange programme, flying over 500 hours in the

F-15E Strike Eagle The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high-speed interdiction without rely ...

, including combat. For his efforts, he was awarded combat decorations by both the US and Australia. He resigned from the RAAF to allow him to become a full-time race pilot.

Aerobatic history

Hall has flown aerobatics for many years, becoming more serious about competition and display aerobatics whilst on his military exchange in the USA. He travelled widely to

air show An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air show m ...

fly-in A fly-in is a pre-arranged gathering of aircraft, pilots and passengers for recreational and social purposes. Fly-ins may be formally or informally organised, members of the public may or may not be invited, the gathering may be at an airport or ...

s and aerobatic competitions, and was inspired by performances at the 2003 World Aerobatic Championships (WAC) in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Through involvement at competitions and as a member of the

International Aerobatic Club The International Aerobatic Club (IAC) is a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and the National Aeronautics Association (NAA). It promotes aerobatics and governs the sport of competition aerobatics in the United States under ...

, he was able to be coached and mentored by many of the top US competitors and performers. Initially competing in his Acrosport II biplane, he won the US East Coast Aerobatic Championship at the Sportsman level. He soon reached the limits of the aircraft's capabilities, and moved up to the

, which he brought back to Australia, as the first of type. He won the

NSW ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

State Aerobatic Championships at Intermediate level in the Giles G-202 in October 2005. In April 2006 Hall won the Australian Aerobatic Championships at the Advanced level, his first Nationals and Advanced competition. In April 2007 he moved up to Unlimited, and competed at the Australian National Aerobatic Championships, placing second overall, but first in Freestyle. He then went on to compete in the US Nationals in September, using Rob Holland'
MX-2
achieving 10th place overall, and 5th in the Freestyle competition. In November 2007, the Red Bull Air Race offered him the chance to participate in a series of Training Camps under former world champion Patrick Paris, as a lead up to the 2008 European Aerobatic Championships. During the lead up, he competed in the World Aerobatics Cup in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, finishing 8th, then achieved the required top half finish in the European Championships, finishing his eligibility requirements for selection for a Red Bull Air Race Qualification Camp. Racing aside, he aims to be aerobatic World Champion in the future. In September 2008, he successfully completed the Red Bull Air Race Qualification Camp, becoming the first Australian to be awarded the coveted Red Bull Air Race Super Licence. Finally, in November 2008 he heard the news that he was selected to join Red Bull Air Race World Championship circuit in 2009. In June 2010 while qualifying for first session in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

for the Red Bull Air Race his plane touched the water of the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively refe ...

due to aerodynamic wing stall but he recovered and landed safely. The plane received "superficial damage", mainly to the right

aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...

."Hall’s plane touches water in Detroit River but Aussie recovers"
,
matthallracing.com
'. Retrieved 6 June 2010. Competition aside, Hall also spends a significant amount of his aerobatic flying working on his high energy display flying. This is a new style of "freestyle" flying, in which the pilot uses the aircraft surfaces in novel ways to develop new manoeuvres such as end-over-end tumbling. He is based at

Belmont Airport Lake Macquarie Airport (formerly Belmont Airport – ICAO: YPEC) is an airfield located in the Lake Macquarie suburb of Marks Point, south of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The airport is located on a narrow peninsula between the ...

, near his hometown of Newcastle, having purchased the site with other investors including a skydiving company in July 2014.

Achievements

Red Bull Air Race

Media

Image:Matt Hall001.jpg, Competing in the 2010 Abu Dhabi event Image:In Flight.jpg, In flight Image:2017RedBullAirRaceChibaN540MH.jpg, 2017 Red Bull Air Race of Chiba – N540MH

References

External links

Matt Hall Racing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Matt 1971 births Living people Australian aviators Australian air racers Aerobatic pilots Red Bull Air Race World Championship pilots Red Bull Air Race World Championship winners Royal Australian Air Force officers Sportspeople from Newcastle, New South Wales