Steve Hinton is an American aviator who held a world speed record from 1979 to 1989 and won six Unlimited-class air races, including two national championships.[4] He won four consecutive Unlimited races in one year, and remains the only pilot ever to do so.[5] He retired from racing in 1990. His son, Steven Hinton Jr., became the youngest pilot to win the Reno Air Races Unlimited-class championship in 2009 at the age of 22.[6] Steve is the president of Planes of Fame Air Museum with locations in Chino, California and Valle-Grand Canyon, Arizona,[7] and owner of Fighter Rebuilders, a military aircraft restoration company.[8]

Steve Hinton
Born	1 April 1952 China Lake, California
Known for	Air Racing
Spouse	Karen Hinton (née Maloney) ​ ​ (m. 1980)​ [1][2]
Children	Steven Hinton Jr.[3]

On August 14, 1979, Hinton set the piston-driven aircraft 3-kilometer world speed record at 499.018 mph[9][10] in the highly-modified RB51 Red Baron at Tonopah, Nevada, making Hinton, age 27, the youngest person ever to capture the speed record.[11]

On September 16, 1979, Hinton was racing the RB-51 in Reno when the plane suffered catastrophic engine failure. Hinton finished the race in second place, but crashed short of the runway. Although the plane's fuel erupted in a fireball, the cockpit was thrown away from the fire and Hinton survived with a broken back, leg, and ankle.[12][13]

In 1980, Hinton married Karen Maloney. Karen is the daughter of Steve's friend, air racing legend Ed Maloney.[1][2]

Hinton became the chief test pilot for the Tsunami Racer in 1987.[14]

Some of Hinton's notable wins in air racing include:

• 1978, Mojave, Red Baron
• 1978, Reno (Unlimited National Champion), Red Baron
• 1979, Miami, Red Baron
• 1979, Mojave, Red Baron
• 1985, Reno (Unlimited National Champion), Super Corsair
• 1990, Sherman, Texas, Tsunami

Hinton is a member of the Screen Actors Guild[15] and charter member of the Motion Picture Pilots Association.[16] He has worked on more than 60 films. In 2002 he received a nomination from the World Stunt Awards for the Taurus Award, Best Aerial Work in Pearl Harbor.[17]

See also

• Fastest propeller-driven aircraft

References

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