First Aussie pilot performs death-defying stunts at prestigious US airshow
Meet the aerobatic pilot who has just made history as the first Australian to ever perform at the world’s most prestigious, invite-only airshow in the United States.
Every time Paul Bennet goes to work, he knows he may never come home.
He kisses his wife, hugs his three kids and tells them all he loves them … literally to the stars.
The Newcastle 51-year-old is Australia’s top aerobatic pilot – his day in the office is doing death defying tricks in the sky, flying through the air at more than 400kmh, and able to withstand g-forces from +12 to -10.
For readers unsure of the sheer magnitude of that, let’s paint you a picture.
At +12gs, that would feel like you had the weight of 10 times your body crashing down on you. Your arms would be impossible to lift. You couldn’t turn your head and you’d find it incredibly hard to breathe. Blood rushes from your head and you could lose vision and consciousness.
At -10 (negative g-force) on the other hand, you would feel like you’re being violently thrown upwards with force unlike anything you’ve felt before. All your blood would rush to your head – think of the worst head rush you’ve ever had and multiply it by 10. Your face would swell and blood vessels in your eyes might burst.
Both are equally dangerous, and for the vast majority of us mere land lovers, something we hope to never experience.
For Bennet? It’s all in a day’s work.
“I get pretty focused. I just walk through the sequence and imagine what you’re gonna see at what times, and where to look and do a good job of it,” he says from Wisconsin, where he’s just made history as the first Australian to ever fly in the most prestigious, invite-only airshow in the world, the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
“I always give the kids and the wife a hug and a kiss – you never know what can happen. You might never come back.
“The main thing is that you’re in the right mind and you’re gonna do your best job.
“I’ve just learnt to be very good at getting myself in the right front of mind.
“There’s a bit of an art in it.
“When I close the canopy, the world changes.
“It’s just me in the aeroplane and that’s it.
“Nothing else outside matters.
“It’s about that.
“When you click on the canopy and close it, it’s full focus on what you’re about to do.”
This week, he did just that – this time, with theworld watching at Oshkosh. There, in front of some 600,000 aviation fanatics, he showcased his gravity-defying precision in his custom-built biplane, the famed red and yellow Wolf Pitts Pro – the only aircraft of its kind flying in the world.
“It has been an amazing experience,” he says, safely on the ground after performing the signature moves that make him the best at what he does – including an incredible 10 consecutive front flips. Yes – 10.
“The crowd is massive and the crowd line stretches for miles.
“My displays have been received very well by the crowd and they are so into the airshows. It is a relief that I have done it and it has been a success. I’m proud that I have shown the world what Australian airshow pilots can do.”
Despite it all, Bennet is dismissive of any fanfare. He’s there to get a job done, do it well and prepare for the next one.
He is laser focused. Always planning, preparing, practising. “We do our best,” he says when this risk-averse writer marvels at what he does every day.
“We put a lot of practice in doing the best job we can, that’s for sure. It’s great (to be here at Oshkosh) – it’s a massive show.
“It’s just so many people and so many aeroplanes, and so much infrastructure, and just it’s the biggest aviation event in the world, by a long way.
“It’s a massive deal and I guess (even more so because) Americans don’t need me – they do a great job on their own, but it’s nice to have a variety. It’s 80 years of the Pitts Special and I’m probably if not the best, certainly one of the best, Pitts Special pilots in the world at the moment.”
Sponsors EMO Trans Australia helped co-ordinate the huge job of shipping the Wolf Pitts Pro to the USA.
In the lead-up, Bennet was in the States for three weeks to beat jet lag and get in the zone. They put the aeroplane together just outside Atlanta and then flew it to Louisiana, where he did three flights a day for two weeks, getting as mentally and physically prepared as he could.
“I did the aerobatics display that you normally see in Australia, so it consists of a lot of very cool manoeuvres including long talk rolls, forward flips, double hammerheads, lot of tumbling stuff, pretty cool things that most people don’t really do in biplanes.
“I just respect all the opportunities I’ve had. It’s pretty cool to be able to say you’re flying the biggest airshow in the world here in US, the UK and China, South Korea – I’ve flown some of the best war birds in the world.
“A lot of people don’t get the opportunity to fly – Hurricanes, Spitfires, Mustangs, Kittyhawks, Avengers, Wirraways, Trojans … most people don’t get those opportunities.”
So does he get nervous? Well, he may be Australia’s very own Top Gun, but he’s only human, after all.
“I’ve been doing it for a long time, for 20 years, so obviously I don’t get as nervous as I used to with big crowds and stuff, but I mean I always get a little bit nervous – if you don’t get nervous, I think it’s probably time to give it away,” he admits.
“It’s more about what I do and concentration, making sure that you do the best job you possibly can.”
Bennet was born for this, you see.The sonof a pilot, grandson of a pilot and husband of former Qantas hostie Rachael, he always wanted to fly like his dad and took his first flight as a toddler. He got his pilot’s licence at 20 and went on to win prestigious aviation championships. He was the Australian Freestyle Aerobatic Champion in 2016 and continues to hold this title.
Today, Paul Bennet Airshows has performed at hundreds of airshows worldwide, showing off what they can do in their 24 aeroplanes – including the only one of its kind, the Wolf Pitts Pro and Wolf Pitts 360.
But if you think that’s impressive, you just have to look at Bennet’s aptly named son Jett, who got his licence at 15, giving him a five-year head start on his dad to become Australia’s youngest professional aerobatic pilot.
At 16, Jett was performing in an aerobatic plane, the Pitts Special S2A. But that’s not all – Bennet’s daughters are in on the act too.
“So obviously Jett flies with me now all the time. He loves it and my middle daughter Summa, she’s just started flying lessons at our flight school in Cessnock. Daughter Milani wants to be a helicopter pilot, so it’s all pretty cool.
“It’s a family business so I guess they always worry to a certain extent,” he says of the risk to him.
“But I think they’ve got used to handling it. They know how much practise I do to make it perfect and yeah, things can go wrong, but I think the chances are pretty slim.”
There was a moment this year that shook Bennet for the first time though.
A time when he questioned everything. And that was at 5.15pm on March 28 when one of his pilots, Glenn Collins, crashed his Pitts Special stunt plane to the ground during an aerobatic display at an Avalon airshow in Victoria. The four-time champion was flying at 300kmh when his plane crashed.
Today, almost five months later, Bennet says Collins is doing well.
“That was probably the moment that has been the worst for me,” he says.
“I’ve had 20 engine fires but I guess that one was the one that you’ve gotta have a bit of a rethink and reset – but Glenn is doing pretty well for the injuries that he sustained.
“He’s going really well.
“It’s something that you always worry about, that’s for sure – but with so much practise and preparation … you can’t help it if you have a technical problem, but we train for those sort of things.
“What happened to Glenn was something that I feel was pretty left field and really shouldn’t happen, and so I guess I hope Jett takes a lesson out of that to make sure that doesn’t happen to him.”
Like his father, Jett’s been flying with hisdad since he could walk. He’d spend days crawling over planes at the airport and wanted a go as soon as he could reach the pedals.
At 15, he did his first solo flight and hasn’t looked back.
“Jett went solo at 15 so he’s just luckier than me because I had to make a few bucks before I could do it – in his case, he was lucky because his old man was in the business, so that worked out pretty good for him I guess,” Bennet laughs.
“But what’s really nice about it is it’s special to have that father-son relationship.
“(My dad) introduced me to aviation in the first place so he loves the fact that it’s three generations.
“To share your passion with your kids and be able to do that type of thing with them – a lot of parents don’t get that opportunity, and the kids go down a different path or whatever, and I’m just lucky that it’s working out really well for me.
“Now he’s living his best life.
“He’s living his dream and competing in aerobatic championships and winning, and then flying on my wing and the formation team – that’s pretty cool – and I’m gonna have him doing some solo stuff at some Australian airshows very shortly so he’s definitely living his dream, that’s for sure.
“He’s got good hands and feet and a good head – to do what we do you need the right mindset, and he’s got all that and is pretty level-headed. – I think he’ll do really well.”
Back home in Newcastle, when they’re not performing in airshows across the country, life isn’t all just in the sky.
They’re adrenaline-junkies on the ground too.
“We back on to the beach so we take our quad bikes to the beach and take our dog out there and ride quad bikes in the sand dunesm and do cool stuff as a family. It’s not always about flying,” continues Bennet, who will next take to the skies at the Australian Aerobatic Club National and Freestyle Championships in Narromine, NSW, in October.
“Go-karts or racing cars or motorbikes or any of that stuff I’d do it for sure – any petrol head type stuff I’ll be into.
“It’s nice having family holidays away from flying to be honest … although I’m always ready to get up the front (to the cockpit), don’t you worry.”
For many, twists, turns and joy rides in the sky can feel anything but joy – but as Bennet explains, facing fears can take the stress away, leaving room for just that.
“You’ll love it, and that’s what happens when you come for a ride with us,” he says.
“It’s about giving you the experience of a lifetime.
“It’s not about making you sick or scaring you – it’s about giving you the best experience you can ever have. That’s what we are trying to.”
So for the man who can do anything, is there anything he won’t do?
“Honestly, I’m not keen on bungee jumping,” he laughs.
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