Smoke On …2015!

This season, 14 pilots are battling for honours and the promotion of the two new pilots has not seen any other pilots removed from the line-up. Undoubtedly the Challenger Cup ‘young guns’ knocking on the door of the top grade will be heard loud and clear by the pilots of the Master Class. Matt relates that while no pilot was relegated this season, he can see a time where it could take place and consistent performances through the RBAR season will be the only sure way of retaining a position in the fourteen.

On the track in 2014, the pylons were made 5 metres higher, the high-G 270-degree ‘quattro’ turn through a set of four pylons waseliminated and turns were limited to 10Gs on entry. The aircraft were all equipped with a standardised race-tuned Lycoming Thunderbolt 300hp (225kW) engine with a standard propeller. The success of season 2014 proved that none of the changes detracted from the spectacle and they have been retained for this year’s races.

2015 will comprise eight races with the first race already completed in Abu Dhabi and RBAR debutant Japan, hosting the next race at Chiba in May.

The individual race formats have changed with two knock-out rounds compared to one. In past seasons, only the first round saw pilots going head-to-head in elimination bouts. Now with an additional two pilots and totalling 14, the first round allows the seven winning pilots to advance to the second round. They are joined by the fastest loser of their head-to-head battles to make up the eight remaining pilots. After four more ‘duels’, the final four pilots then compete based on times for the treasured places on the podium.

Ultimately, the aim of RBAR is to grow from eight races to 12. It is something that Matt welcomes as the increased frequency of competition will allow the support team as well as the pilot to remain current in the specific skills required for competing in the RBAR. This year, during the European winter break, Matt was required to undergo a range of assessment exercises, including track flying, prior to thefirst race of the season. But there was still a great deal more work to be done.

Behind the scenes

A lot happened at Matt Hall Racing in those intervening months. Unlike most of his European counterparts, Matt does not receive the financial benefits of the team ownership arrangement seen in Formula One motor racing. He is assisted by the great work of sponsors such as Massel, QBE Insurance and the newly-partnered OzRunways, but remains pitted against the financial backing of teams such as Red Bull and Breitling.

For Matt, this disparity shows up in ways that are not immediately obvious. For instance, the European teams all maintain two aircraft while shipping his lone MXS-R to and from Australia between races is not particularly feasible or financially viable. This means that those pilots are able to fly their aircraft regularly, while Matt has to travel to the Northern Hemisphere to log any time in the MXS-R. As a consequence, his opportunities to fly the aircraft he will compete, in are extremely limited. The Chiba race in May will see Matt arriving in Japan on the Sunday, flying the MXS-R on Wednesday before hitting the track on Friday. It’s a tight schedule.

The months between the seasons were a hectic time for Matt. He flew numerous displays, made a number of keynote speeches, flew his signature high-energy joy flights and worked on the revitalisation of

The old muscle memory returned as he weaved about the pylons and through the chicane.

Lake Macquarie Airport in which he is a stakeholder. Season 2015 and the first race in Abu Dhabi seemed to loom large very quickly for the former RAAF fighter pilot. Against this backdrop, his near-miss on a Red Bull Air Race victory is all the more impressive.

What’s in a winglet?

The off-season saw development of the race aircraft and the MXS-R debuted in Abu Dhabi with new winglets. It had been an interesting process to evaluate and fit the new aerodynamic devices and ultimately weigh up the pros and cons.

Well before the winglets were ever fitted, the team had analysed the data from racing in 2014. They considered the speeds flown and the G-loads sustained and the percentage of time spent in the various flight regimes; that is to say how much time was spent turning versus relatively straight and level. Michael Harms from DG Gliders in Germany was integral in the process and the findings were interesting. Overall, the winglets increased the aeroplane’s lift/drag efficiency, reduced its stall speeds and led to less bleeding of speed under high G forces. Conversely, the winglets slowed the roll rate and reduced the top end speed of the MXS-R.

Matt headed over to Abu Dhabi early, not having seen the aircraft for a number of weeks and began preparing for the first race. He first flew the aircraft without the winglets to establish some baseline data and then fitted the winglets for some comparative data. The numbers were incredibly close to those forecast by Michael Harms and the next step was for Matt to simulate race conditions with the winglets. Commencing at a higher altitude, Matt progressively flew the sequences at increasingly lower levels.

While the winglets performed as predicted, they felt different for Matt through the controls. The aircraft was slightly heavier in pitch, it had a more pronounced break at the stall, heavier ailerons and a slightly reduced roll rate. He adapted to the new feel and modified his muscle memory accordingly before deciding to take the MXS-R and winglets out on the track.

However, it was a different situation flying the MXS-R with a focus on the winglets and racing the MXS-R. With his focus now on racing, the old muscle memory returned as he weaved about the pylons and through the chicane. Consequently, the first run was not ideal, but fortunately Matt was able to recognise the issue and reset his mindset before the second run with the winglets. His results would suggest that by race day he had adapted well to the new devices.

Matt’s year?

The Red Bull Air Race season has just begun and Matt Hall has made an impressive start. Once again the sight of the yellow and blue MXS-R weaving between the pylons is set to excite crowds around the world and we here at home should be cheering louder than them all. His new look winglets are catching the eye and some of those pilots who were previously looking over their shoulder might just be watching his tail in 2015.

He maintains the balancing act of his numerous aviation undertakings and remains the same ‘good bloke’ that Australia warmed to when the RBAR first took to the skies. Still behind the smile is the unmistakable determination needed to reach the top in any field. And while you can only ever focus on the current race, you get the feeling that this might just be Matt Hall’s year.