Steve Hinton Sr.

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. He won four consecutive Unlimited races in one year. He retired from racing in 1990. On August 14, 1979, Hinton set the piston-driven aircraft 3-kilometer world speed record at 499.018 mph in the highly-modified RB51 Red Baron at Tonopah, Nevada, making Hinton, age 27, the youngest person ever to capture the speed record.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.Hinton became the chief test pilot for the Tsunami Racer in 1987.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, TsunamiHinton is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and charter member of the Motion Picture Pilots Association. 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.