HALL HONOURED BY GLOBAL COMPANY OF AIR PILOTS

Decorated former RAAF fighter pilot and Australia’s only ever competitor in the elite Red Bull Air Race World Championships, Matt Hall, has been recognised for his outstanding career in aviation by the Honourable Company of Air Pilots.

The Australian Regional Committee of the organisation recommended to the Court of the Company that Hall be awarded the Australian Bi-Centennial Award for 2015 and that recommendation was accepted.

To find out more about the Honourable Company of Air Pilots and the awards, click here.

The honour is awarded as an ongoing commemoration of the Bi-centenary to recognise outstanding individual contribution to Australian aviation.

The annual awards event will be held in London at the end of October however other commitments will prevent Hall from attending, the pilot to instead be presented with his award in Brisbane in November.

Hall said he was both shocked and honoured to receive the award.

“I am truly humbled to firstly be recommended and secondly to actually be recognised and receive this award,” Hall said.

“I have dedicated my life to aviation but it is a passion and winning an honour like this is certainly not something I have ever really thought about.

“An achievement like this is just the icing on the cake and I am very grateful to the Australian Regional Committee and Honourable Company of Air Pilots for recognising me.”

Founded in London in 1929 as the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, the Honourable Company of Air Pilots has as one of its aims the promotion of the highest standards of flight safety – something Hall preaches in his many key note speeches to aviation organisations and in his role as ambassador for the QBE Insurance Airmanship Program.

“I am very fortunate to be able to use my profile as a Red Bull Air Race pilot and as an ambassador for QBE’s Airmanship Program to encourage pilots to pursue safe and smart decision making practices and it makes this award that much more special that the Company of Air Pilots have similar values,” Hall said.