Paul Bonhomme - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Paul Bonhomme is an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

aerobatics

Aerobatics

Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...

and commercial airliner pilot

Aviator

An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...

and owner / race pilot of TEAM BONHOMME, the current World Champions of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship.

Racing career

Bonhomme was born into a family of aviators. His father was an airline pilot and his mother worked as a flight attendant

Flight attendant

Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...

. His brother is also a commercial pilot.

Bonhomme's flying career started in 1980 at White Waltham Airfield

White Waltham Airfield

White Waltham Airfield , is located at White Waltham, southwest of Maidenhead, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England...

as a general dogsbody

Dogsbody

A dogsbody, or less commonly dog robber in the Royal Navy, is a junior officer, or more generally someone who does drudge work. A rough American equivalent would be a "gofer" or a "grunt", a "lackey", or "toady".-History:...

by cleaning hangars, polishing aircraft and refuelling aircraft.
At age 18 he gained his Private Pilot License

Private Pilot License

A Private Pilot License or, in the United States of America, a Private Pilot Certificate, is a license that permits the holder to act as the pilot of an aircraft privately . The requirements to obtain the license are determined by the International Civil Aviation Authority , but the actual...

and subsequently became a flight instructor

Flight instructor

A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to fly aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate the knowledge and skill level of an aviator in pursuit...

. In 1985 he became an air taxi

Air charter

Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...

pilot and in 1987 joined Air Cymru, a Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

charter airline, flying the Boeing 737

Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...

. He now flies as a captain of Boeing 747

Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...

s for British Airways

British Airways

British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...

.

His aerobatics career started in 1986, flying an Ultimate Pitts

Pitts Special

The Pitts Special is a series of light aerobatic biplane designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944...

. He went on to fly the Yak-50

Yakovlev Yak-50

Yakovlev Yak-50 was an early turbojet interceptor aircraft designed by the Yakovlev OKB in USSR. The Yak-50 designation was later reused for a propeller-driven aerobatic and trainer aircraft:*Yakovlev Yak-50 *Yakovlev Yak-50...

, Extra 300 and then the Sukhoi Su-26

Sukhoi Su-26

|-See also:...

in 1991 for Richard Goode Aerobatics. He has flown over 650 public displays and also flies vintage fighters for "The Old Flying Machine Company" at Duxford Aerodrome

Duxford Aerodrome

Duxford Aerodrome is located south of Cambridge, within the Parish of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England and nearly west of the village.The airfield is owned jointly by the Imperial War Museum and Cambridgeshire County Council and it is the site of the Imperial War Museum Duxford and the American...

.

Aircraft types Bonhomme has flown include the Supermarine Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...

(MkV, MkIX, MkIXT and MkXIV), Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane

The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...

, P-40 Kittyhawk

Curtiss P-40

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...

, F4F Wildcat

F4F Wildcat

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940...

, F6F Hellcat

F6F Hellcat

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft developed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat in United States Navy service. Although the F6F resembled the Wildcat, it was a completely new design powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800. Some tagged it as the "Wildcat's big...

, F8F Bearcat

F8F Bearcat

The Grumman F8F Bearcat was an American single-engine naval fighter aircraft of the 1940s. It went on to serve into the mid-20th century in the United States Navy and other air forces, and would be the company's final piston engined fighter aircraft...

, P-47 Thunderbolt

P-47 Thunderbolt

Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...

, P-63 Kingcobra

P-63 Kingcobra

The Bell P-63 Kingcobra was a United States fighter aircraft developed in World War II from the Bell P-39 Airacobra in an attempt to correct that aircraft's deficiencies...

, P-51 Mustang

P-51 Mustang

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...

and AD-4 Skyraider

A-1 Skyraider

The Douglas A-1 Skyraider was an American single-seat attack aircraft that saw service between the late 1940s and early 1980s. It became a piston-powered, propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age, and was nicknamed "Spad", after a French World War I fighter...

.

Since 1994 he has been flying formation displays around the world with his colleague former Air Race pilot and Television commentator Steve Jones

Steve Jones (aviator)

Steve Jones is a British airline pilot and an aerobatics pilot competing in the Red Bull Air Race World Series, flying a Zivko Edge 540....

as "The Matadors". They won three gold medals and one silver medal in the FAI

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...

series. He has competed in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship since its inception in 2003 achieving an unsurpassed record of 30 podium finishes out of 44 races that includes 11 race wins.

Awards

In 2010 Paul was awarded the Guild Sword of Honour by the prestigious Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators

Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators

The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Guild was established in 1929 and was granted the status of a Livery Company in 1956...

.

Bonhomme was the 2009 recipient of the Segrave Trophy

Segrave Trophy

The Segrave Trophy is awarded to the British national who accomplishes the most outstanding demonstration of the possibilities of transport by land, sea, air, or water. The trophy is named in honour of Sir Henry Segrave, and has been awarded in most years since 1930.A subsidiary award, the Segrave...

Personal life

Bonhomme's main hobbies include flying Robinson 44

Robinson R44

|-See also:-External links:* * * * * *...

s. He recently gained his helicopter licence, after being instructed by 'Q'. He is married with a stepson and two daughters, living in South Cambridgeshire, England.

Paul Bonhomme at the Red Bull Air Race World Series Red Bull Air Race World Series The Red Bull Air Race, established in 2003 and created by Red Bull, is an international series of air races in which competitors have to navigate a challenging obstacle course in the fastest time. Pilots fly individually against the clock and have to complete tight turns through a slalom course...
Year	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Points	Wins	Rank
2003 2003 Red Bull Air Race World Series season The 2003 Red Bull Air Race World Series season was the 1st Red Bull Air Race World Series season. It started on June 28, 2003 and ended on August 20.In the 2003 season, there were two air race venues only, Zeltweg in Austria and Budapest in Hungary....	3rd	NC											0	0	NC
2004 2004 Red Bull Air Race World Series season The 2004 Red Bull Air Race World Series season was the 2nd Red Bull Air Race World Series season. It debuted on June 20, 2004 and ended on September 18.In the 2004 season, the number of air race venues increased from 2 to 3 locations...	6th	7th	6th										2	0	8th
2005 2005 Red Bull Air Race World Series season The 2005 Red Bull Air Race World Series season was the 3rd Red Bull Air Race World Series season. It began on April 8, 2005 and ended on October 8....	6th	7th	3rd	3rd	5th	3rd	5th						17	0	5th
2006 2006 Red Bull Air Race World Series season The 2006 Red Bull Air Race World Series season was the fourth Red Bull Air Race World Series season. It began on March 18, 2006 and ended on November 19....	7th	8th	6th	CAN	2nd	2nd	1st	3rd	2nd				26	1	4th
2007 2007 Red Bull Air Race World Series season The 2007 Red Bull Air Race World Series season was the fifth Red Bull Air Race World Series season.-New pilots:Sergei Rakhmanin of Russia and Austrian Hannes Arch were chosen to join the 2007 series after completing a qualification course in October 2006, held in Arizona, USA...	3rd	1st	2nd	2nd	CAN	1st	2nd	3rd	3rd	1st	CAN	5th	47	3	2nd
2008 2008 Red Bull Air Race World Series season The 2008 Red Bull Air Race World Series season was the sixth Red Bull Air Race World Series season. The 2008 champion was Hannes Arch, who won the series for the first time.-Aircraft and pilots:-New pilots:...	1st	1st	2nd	CAN	1st	7th	3rd	10th	CAN	1st			54	4	2nd
2009	2nd	2nd	1st	2nd	1st	1st							67	3	1st
2010 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship The 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship was the eighth official Red Bull Air Race World Championship series. Paul Bonhomme became champion for the second successive year, finishing each of the six rounds of the championship in the top three placings, two of which were victories...	1st	3rd	3rd	2nd	1st	2nd	CAN	POR					64	2	1st