Meet the star pilots: Pacific Airshow Gold Coast
Liftoff! The 2024 Gold Coast Pacific Airshow is underway - meet the pilots and performers tumbling in the sky above the Surfers beachfront - and see the Day 1 highlights
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Meet some of the pilots and performers who will be tumbling through the sky for the Pacific Airshow Gold Coast 2024 during Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Emma McDonald - flying the Extra 330L and the Extra 300L
A role model for all girls wanting to pursue aviation as a career, Emma McDonald has spoken openly about her experiences ahead of the 2024 Pacific Airshow.
First starting as a diesel fitter working on mining machinery, she is no stranger to working in male-dominated fields.
“On my very first day as an apprentice, I was actually singled out and pointed at and said, ‘You don’t belong here’.
“That was a very pivotal point in my career where I could have got really upset and how dare you say those things to me, or I could accept that’s his opinion. He doesn’t know any different.
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE PACIFIC AIRSHOW
“I thought ‘I’m the first woman there. I’m going to show you what I’m made of’ and that’s exactly what I did and went all the way through to Apprentice of the Year and won that for the Asia Pacific region,” she said.
Ms McDonald said the reason she then became a race stunt pilot was to inspire the next generation.
“It’s really important that you’ve got to be passionate about what you want to do, you’ve got to believe in yourself.
“You’ve got to have a supportive team around you to help you achieve whatever it is that you want to set yourself out to go do, and doing the display on the weekend, that’s what I’m showcasing.
“Don’t let anyone tell you can’t do it, and especially anyone around you who’s saying, ‘That’s a silly dream’, or ‘That’s way too, like, hard for you to do’.
“Don’t listen to it, if you want to do it, go hard,” she said.
She is a multi-disciplined pilot with credentials in aerobatics, displays, charter and racing, she performs solo and formation aerobatic displays.
McDonald was also selected as one of eight in the world to participate in the Air Race Academy in order to be selected to compete in the new look world series.
Matt Hall - flying the Extra 300L
Known for his daredevil attitude, Matt Hall has wowed audiences around the world and now, returns for his second Gold Coast Pacific Airshow.
Hall said Gold Coast is one of the best places to fly and the atmosphere is electric.
“It’s a party atmosphere, everyone’s super excited so it’s really nice to turn up to the Gold Coast, to be so welcomed here by all the locals,” he said.
Thrilling crowds with barrel rolls, loops, upside down flying, stall turns and multi-tumbles, Hall has demonstrated at Formula One, V8 Supercars, Red Bull Cliff Diving, Summer of Surf and more.
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE PACIFIC AIRSHOW
Hall said looking at what other pilots and performers have achieved is amazing.
“I’ve had a great career, but looking at everyone else’s achievements and what they’re doing, you know that you’re part of an amazing team doing something like this.
“In the end, you know my Air Force background, it’s working with a team, which is the inspiring thing and now this is a great team we’re working with,” he said.
Hall flies with Emma McDonald in the Extra 300L aircraft, the fastest, most powerful and manoeuvrable two-seat aerobatic aircraft in the country.
“[Emma and I] have been building this show up now for about three or four years, and obviously I have to have total confidence in her, because she’s leading me around at low level, pulling a lot of G.
“We’ve put a few new things in the performance this year as well so some things I don’t think have been seen in the world before, so some really cool stuff to be able to watch,” he said.
Hall will be performing every day of the Airshow with McDonald.
Jeff Boerboon - flying the Yak 110
Ideator and pilot of the most unique aircraft at the Pacific Airshow, Jeff Boerboon, will be returning to the Pacific Airshow for a second year with the Yak 110.
The Yak-110 is a one-off design constructed by joining two Yak-55 fuselages and a jet engine mounted in between.
Citing the beach view and unbeatable atmosphere, Mr Boerboon said the Gold Coast was his favourite place to fly his creation.
“No doubt, my favourite venue that I’ve ever flown, I have my favourite picture of the aeroplane too, is come the tail, looking at coming towards show centre, and this beautiful skyline, it’s very, very special place to fly,” he said.
Mr Boerboon said the Yak 110 was a “super unique aeroplane” and the design is one that has never been done before.
“It’s the first time in the history of aviation that two separate aeroplanes were put together with a common centre section and then add a jet engine.
“Yak 55, Yak 55 we combined together to make the Yak 110. Now we have an aeroplane with three engines and a total of 6000 pounds of thrust.
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE PACIFIC AIRSHOW
“With me in it, [it] weighs 4800 pounds, so right from the beginning of my show, I can cover the aeroplane right next show centre and then accelerate the climb straight up,” he said.
Boerboon became inspired to fly aerobatics when he was only seven-years-old after attending the EAA convention in Oshkosh.
He is now a two-time Advanced National Aerobatic Champion, was a member of both the U.S. Advanced and Unlimited aerobatic teams, and is the 2010 U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic Champion.
Mr Boerboon will be demonstrating in the Yak 110 on all three days of this year’s Airshow.
Aarron Deliu - flying the Cap 232
Award-winning pilot has announced his return to the Gold Coast Pacific Airshow, flying the Cap 232 aircraft.
Off the back of winning the 2024 Air Masters Cup Series Deliu said while the community is great at the Australian aerobatic competition, the bigger events in Europe and America is at a much higher level.
“The Air Masters Cup is a new series, which is like an F1 event, in the sense that there’s multiple events in multiple different locations around the world, and you have to do well in all of them.
“If you just do one event, you could have just had a good day and if you lose, you could have just rolled out of the bed the wrong way, right?
“By having multiple events, you kind of prove who was the best that year, consistently,” he said.
Mr Deliu also said that airshows have taken up a lot of his team’s time this year, demonstrating in shows on a global stage.
“We’ve done shows in three different continents. I think we’re the only ones doing multiple around the world,” he said.
Mr Deliu said the reason he and his team were doing shows globally was because he loved it.
”Having the desire to do it, the ability to do it, and then having assets spread around the globe to be able to do that.
“So I don’t have an aircraft [in Australia], I use a friend’s aircraft, and then in Europe, I have an aircraft, and USA too,” he said.
Mr Deliu is flying a Cap 232 on the weekend which he said was “awesome”.
“It’s a dark, black aircraft, it’s really cool and I don’t think anyone’s really displayed the Cap 232 in Queensland,” he said.
He will be flying on all three days of the Airshow this year.
Brodie Sweeney and the RAAF Roulettes
Gold Coaster, mum of three, and the only female on the RAAF Roulettes aerobatic display team, Brodie Sweeney said she was looking forward to being able to display in front of her family and friends on the Gold Coast.
“My sister’s coming, her and her family are coming to the Gold Coast and mum and dad are still here so it’s very much looking forward to performing.
“It’s always more nervous performing in front of family and friends than anything public, just looking forward to it, getting out there, and suppose just doing my best,” she said.
Despite being one of only four female pilots in this year’s Airshow, Ms Sweeney - who joined the team two months ago - said it was not something she dwells on often.
“It’s not something I consider on a daily basis to be honest, but having children and just being able to see people and what opportunities kind of they take from that, that part is kind of important.
“Just being out and about, I suppose, and being available to the public eye is probably important,” she said.
The Roulettes aerobatic display team will fly daily shows in their Pilatus PC-21 aircrafts.
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE PACIFIC AIRSHOW
Greg Colyer - flying the T-33 Shooting Star
Flying the T-33 Shooting Star in this year’s Airshow, the founder and owner of Ace Maker Aviation, Gregory ‘Wired’ Colyer has been in the aviation industry for over 40 years.
The T-33 is the only known aircraft of its kind in Australia and was shipped from the US and reassembled in Australia in time for Colyer to fly in in this weekend’s show.
Mr Colyer’s official pathway into aviation began in 1982 when he earned his pilot’s license while serving in the U.S. Army.
After serving in the military for five years, he transitioned to a role with the Federal Aviation Administration as an Air Traffic Controller at Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Centre where he worked for the next 27 years.
While working with the FAA, Mr Colyer continued flying as a hobby and participating in airshows.
His collection started with a Beech T-34 Mentor aircraft, followed by an imported Russian L-29 Delfin Jet in 2003, and later, an L-39 aircraft.
He holds an ATP pilot certificate, is type-rated in several aircraft including the L-29 Delfin, L-39 Albatros, and the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, and holds unrestricted aerobatic competencies.
Jennifer Littler and the RAF Falcons
For the first time in 10 years the Royal Air Force Falcons Skydiving team is back in Australia for a Gold Coast extravaganza.
Squad leader Flight Lieutenant Jennifer Littler said majority of the team - preparing for a Gold Coast Pacific Airshow demonstration - are physical training instructors who specialise in parachuting.
“Most of the team have wanted to do this their whole lives so it’s a huge privilege for us to be here, representing the Orient.
“We’re a team of 15, so it’s a combination of officers, commissions, ranks, and we have two engineers on the team as well that look after our parachute.
“We’ve got a lot of trust in them,” she said.
Lieutenant Littler said she and the team were very excited to bring the Falcons to Australia.
”It is such a big, huge privilege for us to be here. The team have been outside of Europe for about 10 years.
“The Falcons were over in Australia about 10 to 15 years ago, and they jumped out just by the Sydney Opera House, and they came over to the Gold Coast as well.”
This time around, they will make a special birthday jump for a WWII-era Royal Air Force veteran - and present her with a special card.
The RAF Falcons Skydiving team’s primary role is as parachute jump instructors back in the UK.
The team instructs all airborne forces from low-level parachuting to high-altitude parachuting.
Gold Coast Pacific Airshow runs for three days from this Friday at the Surfers Paradise beachfront.
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Originally published as Meet the star pilots: Pacific Airshow Gold Coast
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