Steve Hinton

Steve Hinton

Steve Hinton and son, Reno 2013
Born 1 April 1952
China Lake, California
Known for Air Racing
Children Steven Hinton, Jr.[1]

Steve Hinton is an American aviator who held a world speed record from 1979 to1989 and won six Unlimited-class air races, including two national championships.[2] He won four consecutive Unlimited races in one year, and remains the only pilot ever to do so.[3] He retired from racing in 1990. His son, Steven Hinton, Jr., became the youngest pilot to win the Reno Air Races Unlimited-class championship in 2009 at the age of 22.[4] Steve is the president of Planes of Fame Air Museum with locations in Chino, California and Valle-Grand Canyon, Arizona,[5] and owner of Fighter Rebuilders, a military aircraft restoration company.[6]

On August 14, 1979, Hinton set the piston-driven aircraft 3-kilometer world speed record at 499.018 mph[7][8] in the highly-modified RB51 Red Baron at Tonopah, Nevada, making Hinton, age 27, the youngest person ever to capture the speed record.[9]

On September 16, 1979, Hinton was racing the RB-51 in Reno when the plane suffered catastrophic engine failure. Hinton finished the race in second place, but crashed short of the runway. Although the plane's fuel erupted in a fireball, the cockpit was thrown away from the fire and Hinton survived with a broken back, leg, and ankle.[10][11]

Hinton became the chief test pilot for the Tsunami Racer in 1987.[12]

Some of Hinton's notable wins in air racing include:

Hinton is a member of the Screen Actors Guild[13] and charter member of the Motion Picture Pilots Association.[14] He has worked on more than 60 films. In 2002 he received a nomination from the World Stunt Awards for the Taurus Award, Best Aerial Work in Pearl Harbor.[15]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "The Rising Star of Steven Hilton Speed Racer". Sport Aviation. May 2012.
  2. ↑ acc.af.mil. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  3. ↑ mustangsmustangs.us. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  4. ↑ Hertfordshire Mercury. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  5. ↑ planesoffame.org. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  6. ↑ warbirdaeropress.com. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  7. ↑ Chicago Tribune, 19 Dec 1999.
  8. ↑ aviationandspacearts.com. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  9. ↑ enginehistory.org Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  10. ↑ Sports Illustrated, 29 Oct 1979.
  11. ↑ avweb.com Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  12. ↑ Gene Smith (September 1987). "Racer! the ultimate homebuit and its unique pilot". Air Progress.
  13. ↑ aerialcinematography.com Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  14. ↑ moviepilots.com Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  15. ↑ imdb.com Retrieved 12 July 2011.
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