Steve Jones (born 5 January 1960) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

airline and aerobatics pilot who competed in the

Red Bull Air Race World Series The World Championship Air Race is a series of air races sanctioned by the World Air Sports Federation (FAI). Originally established in 2003 as the Red Bull Air Race, and created by Red Bull GmbH, the event involves competitors navigating a ...

, flying a Zivko Edge 540. He is now the championship's head judge. Jones had his first flying lesson at just five years old, in 1965, in a

Cessna Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufactu ...

, on the knee of a family friend. He became a pilot both commercially and competitively. Commercially, Jones was formerly a captain for

British Airways British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...

, flying a

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...

. He spends his off-season working on and racing vintage cars. His company is also rebuilding two vintage wooden racing aircraft. Since 1994, Jones has flown competitively and as a display pilot with Paul Bonhomme in their Red Bull Matadors Team. They have taken their show around the world from the UAE to Japan. Jones flies as the wingman. Jones was a competitive Red Bull Air Race pilot from the first UK race which took place in Kemble UK in 2004. In the Red Bull Air Race series of 2007, he won in

Porto, Portugal Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

, defeating Mike Mangold. Jones retired from Airrace as a competitor at the end of the 2008 season. He spent the next two seasons as technical commentator for TV and Internet coverage. Red Bull Air Race took a 3-year break, returning in 2014. Jones came back as race director and head of training. On 16 November 2021 Steve Jones became the record holder for electrically powered planes over a 3km course, with a speed of 559.9km/h (345.4mph) in the Spirit of innovation, built for Rolls Royce buy the now defunct Electroflight. Jones is not to be confused with Steve Jones, glider pilot, who was winner of the 2001 and 2014

World Gliding Championships The World Gliding Championships (WGC) is a gliding competitions, gliding competition held roughly every two years by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are always held in the sum ...

1995 British Aerobatics Champion

* 1995 UK Freestyle Aerobatics Champion * FAI WGP Championships – three 1st place medals, one 2nd place medal * All FAI WGP results in the formation team category as the Sukhoi Duo/Matadors

Flying achievements

* 2000 FAI World Grand Prix, Gold Medal, Japan * 2001 FAI WGP, Silver, Japan * 2002 FAI WGP, Silver, Czech Republic; Gold, Japan * 2004 FAI WGP, Gold, U.A.E. * 2005 FAI WGP, Gold, Switzerland * 2005 FAI WGP, Bronze, U.A.E.; Gold, Switzerland Legend: * CAN: Cancelled * DNP: Did not participate * DNS: Did not show * DQ: Disqualified * NC: Not classified

External links

Red Bull Air Race World Series websiteSteve Jones websiteAerobatics maneuver and videos website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Steve 1960 births Living people British aviators British air racers Red Bull Air Race World Championship pilots Aerobatic pilots Commercial aviators

1995 British Aerobatics Champion

Flying achievements

See also

External links