A Racer’s Edge

So 2017 shaped up as a season when the team might have a real shot at the championship – that is until issues emerged with the MXS that would call for it to be grounded for an extended period of time. The team’s years of development of the aircraft and Matt’s experience flying it were to be rendered null and void and preparations for the new season were turned on their head with the decision to transition to a new aircraft type – the Edge 540 V3.

Such a decision is a major step for any team as it is not simply a case of buying an aircraft off the shelf and going flying. In the first instance, any new aircraft has to be made compliant to the rules governing the RBAR. This process includes fitting race-specific equipment such as pylon cutters, camera housings, new engine mounts and a range of other modifications. Once completed, the aircraft then has to be scrutinised and certified for racing.

The extent of those changes meant it was obvious that the new Edge 540 could not be ready in time for the first race of the 2017 season, so an alternative plan needed to be put in place.

When the first race took place at Abu Dhabi, Matt lined up in a ‘loaner’. The aircraft was an older model Edge 540 that former Red Bull Air Racer Peter Besenyei had flown way back in 2008. Despite the challenge of flying a ‘new’ aircraft, Matt still managed to finish among the points to get his new season underway.

A new Edge

The choice of the new Edge 540 over another MXS was influenced by a number of factors, not the least including Edge’s higher level of factory support at the time. Another pragmatic consideration was the Edge’s extremely light steel tube airframe as opposed to the MXS’s one-piece carbon fibre structure. That makes repairing and developing the Edge simpler as fundamentally the team is dealing with components that are attached to an airframe that can be removed, modified, repaired or replaced with a greater degree of ease than is the case with working with carbon fibre.

Even so, a great deal of work needed to be done before the aircraft could be race-ready for the second round in San Diego. Beyond the RBAR certification, Matt needed to get in the cockpit and get comfortable with his new aircraft. Flying to the United States three weeks before the race, he subsequently ferried the aircraft from Zivko Aeronautics in Oklahoma to California where further engine diagnostics took place. Two days later the flight was made to San Diego and qualifying began. The results now show that Matt again finished with points for the race despite the challenges of flying a new aircraft.

Compared to the MXS, various aspects of the Edge 540 V3 handled differently. In general, Matt found the Edge more stable to fly and while around the same speed in straight and level flight, it possessed a higher rate of roll. Further, the rate of g-onset took a little getting used to. Being so used to the MXS and the control column position in relation to the pre-stall buffet, Matt had to re-learn exactly where that equivalent point was in the Edge and move to it quickly and with confidence.

‘Muscle memory’ is another aspect that Matt had to deal with in transitioning to the Edge 540. As any aviator can relate, one’s hands can be very tempted to move towards a switch or control position that was learned on a previous type but which is not to be found in the new aircraft. This tendency can be exacerbated under increased pressure and air racing is a pressure-cooker of the first degree. The MXS and Edge have opposing locations for their throttle and canopyrelease handle, for example, and one can imagine the outcome of confusing those two in the heat of an air race. Fortunately, this has not occurred but then again, nothing about the 2017 season was done off-the-cuff.

The long game

Achieving any worthwhile endeavour takes time and persistence and pursuing a Red Bull Air Race title is no different, particularly when you are forced to introduce a new aircraft type at the eleventh hour. And while the introduction of the Edge was further complicated with new team technicians settling in with the team during the early rounds of the season, from the outset Matt Hall Racing had commenced season 2017 with 2018 very much in its sights.

‘Nothing about the 2017 season was done offthe- cuff.’

The time involved for the Edge 540 to reach its fullest potential meant the team full well understood that race results would be impacted. So from the beginning of the season, one of the team’s goals was to embrace the change and work towards seeing results late in the season.

As if to script, Matt came third in the sixth round in Portugal, after quietly accumulating points in the preceding rounds. Even so, he rates the following race in Germany as the season’s highlight. After qualifying fastest, he finished second on the podium and the team had put sound performances together, back-to-back. After such an unsettled start, the consistency that Matt and his team were known for was visible once again.

Less visible was the process that led to those performances. By accepting that 2017 was going to be a challenging year, the team set out to test the Edge 540 to the fullest extent. Ongoing development took place after every race, tweaking this and adjusting that. Everything from the ailerons and pitch response to centre of gravity and seat position was tested and tested again until it was correct.

Interestingly, the team would test an element until the perceived sweet spot was found and then keep going out the other side of the envelope. Only through such thorough testing at both left and right of peak performance, could the true peak be found. This meant that in earlier rounds, performance may actually deteriorate after a new aspect of development was tried, but the team recognised that it could endure such setbacks early in the season as they were playing the long game. The team’s eyes were firmly set on the next Season.

‘The team set out to test the Edge 540 to the fullest extent.’

It called for patience in a very public domain, but the reward was an extremely thorough analysis of the aircraft. It was a form of ‘experimentation’ that may not have been viable if Matt was in the title race. Still, with all of the change that confronted the team, at season’s end Matt finished sixth on the table, which was testimony to the strategy the team had adopted before the first propeller had turned at Abu Dhabi way back in February.

Looking ahead

Unlike many of the other teams that are backed by major sponsors, Matt Hall Racing must find a way to combine the season with other aspects of its operation. From its base at Lake Macquarie Airport, its adventure flights in the Extra 300L continue to grow in popularity, while multiengine IFR charter flying has been added to the extent of Matt Hall Racing’s operations.

Central to this expansion is the recent approval to build a new terminal, offices, hangars and a restaurant at their home base. Backed by long-term supporters QBE, Massel and OzRunways, Matt can still be found flying at airshows and speaking at corporate events, while a favourite is the opportunity to fly the Temora Aviation Museum’s Spitfire.

Even the Edge 540 V3 is going through a state of change. Currently in the United States, its ‘Simply Cola’ paint scheme is set to be replaced in the near future by a Red Bull ‘Organics’ scheme. As always, beauty is more than skin deep and Matt will shortly be travelling to meet up with the aircraft again for more testing.

And so, even before 2017 had drawn to a close, the curtain was starting to rise on the Red Bull Air Race 2018 with a new venue in Cannes, France announced. And unlike the prelude to 2017, a stable and tested aircraft and team at Matt Hall Racing looks towards the first 2018 race, thanks to a year of patient development beyond the eyes of the crowds and the media.

That is not an easy process in a world of prize money and podiums, but the team has remained focused on its long-term goals with admirable discipline.

After all of the hard work and the waiting, Matt is quietly candid about the team’s goals for 2018. He still holds close the dream of a World Championship, but also states that it can only come by focusing on the race at hand and taking the season step by step. The key to Matt Hall Racing’s success and longevity in the competitive world of air racing seems to reflect the three pillars he aims for in the cockpit.

Fly clean, fly precise, fly consistent – the three tenets that give this Red Bull Air Racer his competitive edge.