Will Make The Attempt Flying The Highly Modified P-51 Mustang 'Voodoo' August 27

Air racing champion Steve Hinton Jr. will take off in Idaho August 27 in his highly modified P-51 Mustang “Voodoo” with his sights set on breaking the 28-year-old world speed record of 528.3 MPH held by the late Lyle Shelton. He will fly the vintage fighter plane across a 3-kilometer (approx. 1.8 mile) course at an altitude of 100 meters (approx. 328 feet).

It was Hinton Jr.’s father, Steve Hinton Sr., who in 1979 set a record of 499.05 MPH in a highly modified RB51 Red Baron, only to see it broken by Shelton in 1989 in a super modified F8F-2. The National Aeronautic Association, the U.S. representative of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale which certifies all aviation and space records in the world, will be on-site in Idaho to witness the attempt at the record, which falls under the category of "World Speed Record For A Piston-Powered Aircraft Over 3 Kilometers.”

“This is an incredible opportunity and one that I have prepared very hard for over the last year,” said Hinton Jr., the Unlimited Gold winner at the 2016 National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nev. “I have a great team around me and a remarkable aircraft and am confident that we will make a strong run at this record. It’s awesome to have Pursuit Aviation along for the ride to film this flight so we can share this memorable experience with the world.”

Pursuit Aviation, a cutting edge aerial cinematography company, has partnered with Hinton Jr. to document the epic flight with a SHOTOVER F1 camera system. This state-of-the-art 6-axis gyro stabilized camera system and setup has been specifically customized for shooting objects at over 350 knots and under heavy G-loading. Aerial video and photos of Hinton Jr.’s test runs and record attempt will be posted on Pursuit Aviation's website and on Instagram at @pursuit.aviation.

“We are thrilled to document Steve’s record-breaking flight attempt using the SHOTOVER F1 camera system, which is truly groundbreaking technology in aerial cinematography,” said Dan Friedkin, founder of Pursuit Aviation. “It has taken multiple test flights and extensive engineering to create a system that can withstand the extreme speed and force required for Steve to break this record. The unique vantage points and quality of the video captured will be unlike anything that has been recorded at these speeds.”
 
“We are extremely excited to be alongside Steve and Pursuit Aviation working at the leading edge of aviation technology,” said SHOTOVER CEO Brad Hurndell.
 
Hinton Jr., 30, is no stranger to flying at high speeds and pushing the limits of his aircraft. He started flying lessons when he was only 15 and was checked out in the P-51 Mustang by the time he was 19. He has claimed the Unlimited Gold title at the National Championship Air Races seven times and last year set a personal best in the P-51 Mustang “Voodoo” with a speed of 475.027 MPH achieved during a qualifying heat for the event. In 2011 he set a qualifying record in Reno with a top speed of 499 MPH in his P-51 Mustang "Strega."
 
Just as Hinton Jr. has been training extensively for this record attempt, so too has Pursuit Aviation. The company, which provides innovative aerial cinematography services to major motion picture and television projects, has worked closely with SHOTOVER to ensure a setup that will allow its new camera system to perform under extreme speeds.
 
The event is sponsored by Joe Clark at Aviation Partners, which designed and manufactured the airfoil modification implemented on “Voodoo.” Aviation Partners’ advanced-technology winglet systems have been a part of numerous aviation speed records.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.pursuitaviation.com/world-speed-record