‘I started lessons when I could reach the pedals’

Australian Aviation: Paul Bennet Airshows is like the travelling circus of aviation. How did you get into the family game?

Jett Bennet: Well, I suppose I was born into it. I’ve been around aviation my whole life, jumping in and out of aeroplanes since I could walk. Dad took me for a ride on my first birthday in an aerobatic Eagle 150 and we did a loop and a roll. From that day onwards, I hung out at the airport daily, being around aeroplanes and itching to get my license.

I started the lessons as soon as I could reach the pedals in a plane. From then on, I started progressing to go solo and then into the Wolf Pitts and competition aerobatics. I’ve been winning a lot of them, which is great. Being part of the SkyAces team is a dream come true.

AA: How cool is it to be at school and your dad be a stunt pilot?

JB: No one believed me! I had to take an excursion to the airport so everyone could see it!

AA: How long did it take for this to go from being a dream to a reality? And what did your mum think?

JB: She was very terrified! I went solo on my 15th birthday. Until I was 16, I started flying taildraggers. So, with Dad in the front, I started my endorsements: aerobatics, constant speed, retractable, and spinning. I did a lot of flying in the Pitts until I was 16, and then I went solo in the Pitts on my 16th birthday. Afterwards, I did aerobatics, and I started training for competitions.

AA: What is the most remarkable thing you can do with an aircraft? If you were to show off, what’s the best thing you can do?

JB: Well, it’s cool to me. I like doing shoulder rolls. It’s like tumbling aeroplanes! It’s really fun. When you’re strapped to an aeroplane, it feels incredible. It’s awesome fun.

AA: What’s the adrenaline like when you’re doing these things? Do you still get nervous now, or is it second nature?

JB: I still get nervous. If I’m flying in front of all the people, I get nervous. It’s hard for me to block that vision, as I’m still new to it. I just try to have 15 minutes before I get on the plane to calm down.

AA: What will you be performing this weekend?

JB: I’ll be performing in the SkyAces because I’ll be flying number two to Dad, so I’ll be in the bright red Wolf 360.

AA: We’re behind the Wolf Pitts Pro. Talk me through this amazing aircraft.

JB: I’ve got to be honest – I have never actually flown this one. Only Dad flies it, and it’s very special to him. There’s only one in the world. It’s like the highest-performing biplane in the world. It’s an animal!

AA: Do you think he loves the plane more than you?

JB: I hope he loves me more than the plane! But that aircraft is his baby.

AA: What do you fly? Talk me through it.

JB: I fly a miniature, scaled-down Wolf Pitt called a Wolf 360. It’s a four-cylinder Wolf Pitt. It flies great and rolls unbelievably. From what I’ve heard, it flies better than Dad’s. Don’t tell him!

Paul Bennet

Australian Aviation: We’ve just seen you on the ground preparing for your practice session. Talk us through what you’re doing.

Paul Bennet: That was our first four-ship practice for the SkyAces at this venue. And so we’ve just got to get the timing perfect. You have to do it a couple of times just to get the spacing for the head-to-head cross. That one was a bit out, but we’ll get the next one better. We know what to change, so we’ll do that for another half an hour or so.

AA: We saw you kind of like having a bit of a chat beforehand and a bit of a debrief after. What are you discussing? Is that going through the finer details of what you’re going to do?

PB: Yes. You’ve got to be critical. You’ve got to be able to take constructive criticism. It’s really important to make yourself get better in a hurry. And it’s a bit of a trait of good aerobatic pilots. You’ve got to be able to accept positive feedback. And so we’re critical of ourselves. We’re lucky that we’ve got five in the four-ship team, so Jesse [Jury, another member of the SkyAces] can critique us. He flies with us and has done so up to now. This is the first four-ship show that my son Jett has been flying in. And so we got Jesse on the ground critiquing us, which is really good and very helpful.

AA: What difference does it make when you’re in a new venue?

PB: It depends on where and when you go. Avalon is pretty good because the crowds are in the centre of the runway section that you’re using. At this venue at Cessnock, we’re right down the southern end. It makes it a bit harder to set up for the crosses because we have to tape to the start so that we can get back down that end. I guess it just makes it a bit more complicated.

AA: Could you talk us through what you’re going to be performing tomorrow?

PB: Well, I’ll be doing that display there, the four-ship SkyAces. I’ll be flying the Wolf Pitts Pro solo. I’ll be circling the parachuter in the morning. I’ll also be flying the Hawker Sea Fury. So that’ll be a solo aerobatic display with the wingtip smoke. I’ll be flying formation with two Mustangs. I’ll be flying formation and solo with a P-40 Kittyhawk and a Spitfire. I’ll be in the Kitty while Cameron [Reynolds, a flight instructor] will be in the Spitfire.

AA: After all these years, do you still get nervous?

PB: No, I guess maybe there’s something that you do. I just get good at concentrating and focusing, you know, 100 per cent on it. I think the trick is to be current in all the aeroplanes, and I’m lucky to be able to fly some cool aeroplanes regularly. And you know, the Wolf Pitt Pro, I fly that almost every day, so it’s pretty good. I’ve got to be on it.

AA: You’ve got your son in the game now. How did that come about? Are you proud or terrified of him?

PB: Look, it’s fantastic having him flying with us. I know it’s been his dream since he was a little kid. He’s been watching me competing and flying at air shows since he was born. He’s been at nearly every one of them. He went for his first loop in a role at one in a car seat! He grew up when we worked in the hangar on aeroplanes. He’s sitting in the seat, making aeroplane noises and practising moving the stick, trying to reach the rudder pedals, and so on. And now he’s doing it.

So yeah, it’s sensational. Both Rachael [his wife] and I are very proud of him, his sisters, his grandma, and his grandfather, and the whole family is proud of what he’s achieved. But if you would like to fly with us in the skies, you have to be an advanced winner in competition. I won’t fly with anyone who hasn’t made the grade. He’s won advanced twice. I’m the current unlimited champion. Glenn Graham was last year’s unlimited champion. Glen Collins is a previous advanced champion, and so is Jesse. To fly to our standard, you’ve got to be at the top level.

AA: Finally … is he as good as you yet?

PB: Well … not yet! But that day is coming. That day’s coming. He hasn’t got the experience yet. I’m 51, and he’s 19, so there will come a day when he’ll make it in all facets of aviation. He’s now getting pretty good in a Pitts Special. Then there’s a fair bit of another step. I took him flying in the Wirraway a few weeks ago, and when he got out, he said, “I got a lot more respect for war bird pilots now!” So it’ll all happen in good time. You don’t get experience overnight. That’s why I’ve been in the game for a long time.