Who Will Be the Red Bull Air Race Rookie for 2009?

The Red Bull Air Race is a new sport and has created a lot of interest for both the layperson and the aviation enthusiast.

As this is a new sport, a feeder series has not been created yet and pilots are chosen based on how they fare in a qualification camp.

The camp is not for all pilots, but for those who have European or World Aerobatic Championship credentials and have passed the first round: the applications process!

Once that is done, there is the qualification camp where pilots bring their planes and go through tough and rigorous training and testing.

If one passes the camp, they receive the Red Bull Air Race Super License, which basically grants them the privilege of flying at low altitudes and at high speeds. But this is not the end of the tunnel; the pilot must be selected as a Red Bull Air Race rookie pilot, a wild card entry race pilot, or a standby race pilot. Having the license doesn't mean being the race pilot!

This year's candidates for the coveted license came from Australia, France, Finland, Canada, Germany, and Japan and converged on Casarrubios, Spain.

Matt Hall—Australia

The Aussie from Newcastle is a former RAAF pilot, has military experience, and thus shares something in common with some other current Red Bull Air Race pilots like Mike Mangold, Sergei Rakhmanin and Glen Dell.

Hall, 37, has been publicized quite a bit from the Australian media and has the hopes of the island nation resting on his shoulders. He has 23 years of flying experience and is currently a top gun flight instructor back home.

Pete McLeod—Canada

Finally a Canadian! Pete is the youngest man in the qualification camp. While current Red Bull Air Race pilots are in their 40s and 50s, Pete is a very tender 24 years of age. Many of the Red Bull Air Race pilots are old enough to be his father!

One might assume that his experience might be very limited, but Pete has a stellar record for his age.

Pete's experience is all aerobatics. He has posted high averages, netted many first places and championships in various US Aerobatic Championships and has won awards for his skilled flying.

Pete has the potential of becoming the youngest Red Bull Air Race pilot ever, but there are five other men, each of whom is qualified and very able to take part.

Sami Kontio—Finland

A Finn in aerosports? It's only natural after witnessing their competitiveness on the racetrack. Finns have ruled in Formula One, Rallying, and other motorsport series, but the Red Bull Air Race has never had a Finn doing the flying.

Kontio, 36, is an aerobatic pilot in his native Finland and does aerobatic competitions in Europe. He took the gold medal in the national championships in 2007, and came in 10th overall in Europe. He took the silver medal in the team competition.

Should Kontio make it, he will be following in the footsteps of other Finnish compatriots who have taken the world by storm in motorsports.

Yoshihide Muroya—Japan

Another first for the Red Bull Air Race is a Japanese pilot—the 35-year-old Muroya.

Muroda's career in aerobatic flying began in 1998, when he started flying airshows in Japan.

Not a lot is known about his career thus far, but as time goes on, more information will be available about him. Expect him to make some interesting leaps and bounds.

Matthias Dolderer—Germany

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his now-retired compatriot, Klaus Schrodt, Dolderer intends on becoming only the second German Red Bull Air Race pilot.

This year, he was able to place himself in the top 50 percent, 19th out of 45 overall, of the European Aerobatic Championships in order to get the golden ticket to go to the qualification camp.

The 38-year-old took second place overall in the World Aerobatics Cup in 2008 and won the German championship, as well.

Indeed, Dolderer has big goals to better his countryman, and with a record like this, it will be difficult for him to not make an impact.

Francois Le Vot—France

Le Vot is another air force man. After a tenure as a fighter pilot in the French Air Force, he took on a job as a professional aerobatic pilot with them.

The 38-year-old's military career has not left a whole lot in terms of international aerobatic competitions, but he is a formidable flyer and one that might take a place with his flying compatriot, Nicolas Ivanoff.

Overall, we are watching the new set of pilots take on the skies and next year, we will have at least one pilot for the 2009 series of the Red Bull Air Race.