Steve Hinton

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:

Hinton is a member of the Screen Actors Guild[10] and charter member of the Motion Picture Pilots Association.[11] 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.

In 1980, Hinton married Karen Maloney. Karen is the daughter of Steve's friend, American aviation legendary historian Ed Maloney.