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ABC News
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Pilot Emma McDonald performs daredevil stunts at Old Station Air Show
Pilot Emma McDonald fires up the engine to her stunt plane, getting ready to take off from a narrow grass runway at a tiny country air show in Central Queensland. It might not look like a high-end airport, but her performance is something only high-flying pilots can manage. Her flips, rolls and dives are performed at a top speed of 350 kilometres an hour and at 400 degrees a second in her Extra EA-300 monoplane. "I love the freedom and it's a 3D space that you can experience in all angles, more so in the aerobatic space," Ms McDonald said. Flying at The Old Station Air Show in Raglan near Rockhampton is a personal moment for Ms McDonald, now 35, who grew up in a family of pilots. After getting her pilot's licence in 2016, she flew to The Old Station Air Show with her dad and some friends. There she saw an aerobatic display by Matt Hall Racing, one of Australia's most well-known high-performance companies, run by a former world champion. "I wanted to do what he was doing, doing displays and air racing. "I went and had a chat with Matt to ask him how he got into that type of flying and he gave me a list as long as my arm on how to do that sort of thing." The term aerobatic pilot comes from aeroplane and acrobatics. The skill-set involves manoeuvring an aircraft in precise and controlled ways such as loops, rolls, spins, dives and climbs, performed with calculated movements and g-forces (aviation acceleration and deceleration). Ms McDonald has made a name for herself in the aviation industry, working her way up from ground crew to aerobatic displays. In the past year, she has turned her to attention to air racing and represented Australia in the Japanese-based Air Race X, competing against seven male pilots and placing fifth. "I've certainly ticked off those items that I first asked about all those years back in 2016 and I'm still continuing to tick them off and follow those dreams that I've had," she said. The Old Station at Raglan is not a typical location for an air show. It is the only such event in Australia held on private property and takes place on a family cattle station. Cattle have been seconded to paddocks further afield to clear a grass area for a runway. The property has been in the Creed family since 1869. The late George Creed and his wife Leonie were plane enthusiasts, and aircraft became a regular fixture at the property. Pilots visiting the region and friends would fly in for smoko. It became a regular tradition. The Old Station Flying Club was formed and the first "air show" held in 1989 was more of a barbecue under the trees. All proceeds from the event go back into the local community. Half a million dollars has been raised since it began.
The Advertiser
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Daring stunts wow crowds at 'special' country air show
Third-generation aviator Emma McDonald grew up in the skies - watching, and sometimes going along for the ride, as her dad performed tumbles and tricks as an aerobatic pilot. But it wasn't until she was standing alongside her father watching an Old Station Air Show display that she considered turning the high-octane sport into a career. On Saturday, the 35-year-old returned to the iconic central Queensland show for the first time as a solo aerobatic pilot to wow an estimated 15,000 people with her loops, rolls, barrels and tumbles in a two-seat Extra 300L. "I pulled up to 10Gs, which is 10 times your body weight, with a roll rate of 400 degrees a second," Ms McDonald, Australia's only current female aerobatic pilot, told AAP. She trained as a diesel mechanic out of school and didn't get her pilot's licence until many years later after watching former RAAF fighter combat instructor-turned Red Bull Air Race world champion Matt Hall at the same event. "It was the first time I'd seen it as someone doing it for a living and I was like 'oh my god, I want to do what he does'," she said. "I went out and worked really hard, ticked off a heap of things ... and ended up with the job with Matt Hall Racing. "Six years later, working continuously hard, I was able to do my very first aerobatic display at the Old Station Air Show with Matt out on my wing." At the latest edition of the show, held at Raglan in Queensland's Gladstone region, Ms McDonald performed for the first time under her own brand, Beyond Gravity. "I'm here to inspire the next generation and anyone who wants to get into aviation," she said. The popular air show is a family affair, beginning as a gathering for members of the Old Station Flying Club, set up by the Creed family on their Raglan property in 1989. Thousands of people make the pilgrimage from across Australia to the property, where they were treated to a weekend of air shows - including a display of WWII "warbirds" - as well as other displays. Some arrive by car, but hundreds also fly in with special instructions on where to park their planes safely. "It started as a small club event with just a handful of members," said Samantha Creed, whose grandparents began the tradition as a fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. "Over the years, it's just grown and grown and evolved and we've become so big we need help to run it." Local community groups lend volunteers to help run the show and in return receive donations to their causes. At the last event, in 2022, more than $100,000 was raised. "We've helped put kitchens into local CWA halls, we've stocked libraries with books ... built a truck stop, upgraded sporting equipment," Ms Creed said. Ms McDonald has performed her stunts in front of millions in the US and hundreds of thousands on the Gold Coast, but the Old Station Air Show is still a favourite. "(The) Creeds have been absolutely phenomenal, giving me the opportunity to spread my wings and do what I need to do, so this air show is very special to me," she said. Third-generation aviator Emma McDonald grew up in the skies - watching, and sometimes going along for the ride, as her dad performed tumbles and tricks as an aerobatic pilot. But it wasn't until she was standing alongside her father watching an Old Station Air Show display that she considered turning the high-octane sport into a career. On Saturday, the 35-year-old returned to the iconic central Queensland show for the first time as a solo aerobatic pilot to wow an estimated 15,000 people with her loops, rolls, barrels and tumbles in a two-seat Extra 300L. "I pulled up to 10Gs, which is 10 times your body weight, with a roll rate of 400 degrees a second," Ms McDonald, Australia's only current female aerobatic pilot, told AAP. She trained as a diesel mechanic out of school and didn't get her pilot's licence until many years later after watching former RAAF fighter combat instructor-turned Red Bull Air Race world champion Matt Hall at the same event. "It was the first time I'd seen it as someone doing it for a living and I was like 'oh my god, I want to do what he does'," she said. "I went out and worked really hard, ticked off a heap of things ... and ended up with the job with Matt Hall Racing. "Six years later, working continuously hard, I was able to do my very first aerobatic display at the Old Station Air Show with Matt out on my wing." At the latest edition of the show, held at Raglan in Queensland's Gladstone region, Ms McDonald performed for the first time under her own brand, Beyond Gravity. "I'm here to inspire the next generation and anyone who wants to get into aviation," she said. The popular air show is a family affair, beginning as a gathering for members of the Old Station Flying Club, set up by the Creed family on their Raglan property in 1989. Thousands of people make the pilgrimage from across Australia to the property, where they were treated to a weekend of air shows - including a display of WWII "warbirds" - as well as other displays. Some arrive by car, but hundreds also fly in with special instructions on where to park their planes safely. "It started as a small club event with just a handful of members," said Samantha Creed, whose grandparents began the tradition as a fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. "Over the years, it's just grown and grown and evolved and we've become so big we need help to run it." Local community groups lend volunteers to help run the show and in return receive donations to their causes. At the last event, in 2022, more than $100,000 was raised. "We've helped put kitchens into local CWA halls, we've stocked libraries with books ... built a truck stop, upgraded sporting equipment," Ms Creed said. Ms McDonald has performed her stunts in front of millions in the US and hundreds of thousands on the Gold Coast, but the Old Station Air Show is still a favourite. "(The) Creeds have been absolutely phenomenal, giving me the opportunity to spread my wings and do what I need to do, so this air show is very special to me," she said. Third-generation aviator Emma McDonald grew up in the skies - watching, and sometimes going along for the ride, as her dad performed tumbles and tricks as an aerobatic pilot. But it wasn't until she was standing alongside her father watching an Old Station Air Show display that she considered turning the high-octane sport into a career. On Saturday, the 35-year-old returned to the iconic central Queensland show for the first time as a solo aerobatic pilot to wow an estimated 15,000 people with her loops, rolls, barrels and tumbles in a two-seat Extra 300L. "I pulled up to 10Gs, which is 10 times your body weight, with a roll rate of 400 degrees a second," Ms McDonald, Australia's only current female aerobatic pilot, told AAP. She trained as a diesel mechanic out of school and didn't get her pilot's licence until many years later after watching former RAAF fighter combat instructor-turned Red Bull Air Race world champion Matt Hall at the same event. "It was the first time I'd seen it as someone doing it for a living and I was like 'oh my god, I want to do what he does'," she said. "I went out and worked really hard, ticked off a heap of things ... and ended up with the job with Matt Hall Racing. "Six years later, working continuously hard, I was able to do my very first aerobatic display at the Old Station Air Show with Matt out on my wing." At the latest edition of the show, held at Raglan in Queensland's Gladstone region, Ms McDonald performed for the first time under her own brand, Beyond Gravity. "I'm here to inspire the next generation and anyone who wants to get into aviation," she said. The popular air show is a family affair, beginning as a gathering for members of the Old Station Flying Club, set up by the Creed family on their Raglan property in 1989. Thousands of people make the pilgrimage from across Australia to the property, where they were treated to a weekend of air shows - including a display of WWII "warbirds" - as well as other displays. Some arrive by car, but hundreds also fly in with special instructions on where to park their planes safely. "It started as a small club event with just a handful of members," said Samantha Creed, whose grandparents began the tradition as a fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. "Over the years, it's just grown and grown and evolved and we've become so big we need help to run it." Local community groups lend volunteers to help run the show and in return receive donations to their causes. At the last event, in 2022, more than $100,000 was raised. "We've helped put kitchens into local CWA halls, we've stocked libraries with books ... built a truck stop, upgraded sporting equipment," Ms Creed said. Ms McDonald has performed her stunts in front of millions in the US and hundreds of thousands on the Gold Coast, but the Old Station Air Show is still a favourite. "(The) Creeds have been absolutely phenomenal, giving me the opportunity to spread my wings and do what I need to do, so this air show is very special to me," she said. Third-generation aviator Emma McDonald grew up in the skies - watching, and sometimes going along for the ride, as her dad performed tumbles and tricks as an aerobatic pilot. But it wasn't until she was standing alongside her father watching an Old Station Air Show display that she considered turning the high-octane sport into a career. On Saturday, the 35-year-old returned to the iconic central Queensland show for the first time as a solo aerobatic pilot to wow an estimated 15,000 people with her loops, rolls, barrels and tumbles in a two-seat Extra 300L. "I pulled up to 10Gs, which is 10 times your body weight, with a roll rate of 400 degrees a second," Ms McDonald, Australia's only current female aerobatic pilot, told AAP. She trained as a diesel mechanic out of school and didn't get her pilot's licence until many years later after watching former RAAF fighter combat instructor-turned Red Bull Air Race world champion Matt Hall at the same event. "It was the first time I'd seen it as someone doing it for a living and I was like 'oh my god, I want to do what he does'," she said. "I went out and worked really hard, ticked off a heap of things ... and ended up with the job with Matt Hall Racing. "Six years later, working continuously hard, I was able to do my very first aerobatic display at the Old Station Air Show with Matt out on my wing." At the latest edition of the show, held at Raglan in Queensland's Gladstone region, Ms McDonald performed for the first time under her own brand, Beyond Gravity. "I'm here to inspire the next generation and anyone who wants to get into aviation," she said. The popular air show is a family affair, beginning as a gathering for members of the Old Station Flying Club, set up by the Creed family on their Raglan property in 1989. Thousands of people make the pilgrimage from across Australia to the property, where they were treated to a weekend of air shows - including a display of WWII "warbirds" - as well as other displays. Some arrive by car, but hundreds also fly in with special instructions on where to park their planes safely. "It started as a small club event with just a handful of members," said Samantha Creed, whose grandparents began the tradition as a fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. "Over the years, it's just grown and grown and evolved and we've become so big we need help to run it." Local community groups lend volunteers to help run the show and in return receive donations to their causes. At the last event, in 2022, more than $100,000 was raised. "We've helped put kitchens into local CWA halls, we've stocked libraries with books ... built a truck stop, upgraded sporting equipment," Ms Creed said. Ms McDonald has performed her stunts in front of millions in the US and hundreds of thousands on the Gold Coast, but the Old Station Air Show is still a favourite. "(The) Creeds have been absolutely phenomenal, giving me the opportunity to spread my wings and do what I need to do, so this air show is very special to me," she said.
Perth Now
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Daring stunts wow crowds at 'special' country air show
Third-generation aviator Emma McDonald grew up in the skies - watching, and sometimes going along for the ride, as her dad performed tumbles and tricks as an aerobatic pilot. But it wasn't until she was standing alongside her father watching an Old Station Air Show display that she considered turning the high-octane sport into a career. On Saturday, the 35-year-old returned to the iconic central Queensland show for the first time as a solo aerobatic pilot to wow an estimated 15,000 people with her loops, rolls, barrels and tumbles in a two-seat Extra 300L. "I pulled up to 10Gs, which is 10 times your body weight, with a roll rate of 400 degrees a second," Ms McDonald, Australia's only current female aerobatic pilot, told AAP. She trained as a diesel mechanic out of school and didn't get her pilot's licence until many years later after watching former RAAF fighter combat instructor-turned Red Bull Air Race world champion Matt Hall at the same event. "It was the first time I'd seen it as someone doing it for a living and I was like 'oh my god, I want to do what he does'," she said. "I went out and worked really hard, ticked off a heap of things ... and ended up with the job with Matt Hall Racing. "Six years later, working continuously hard, I was able to do my very first aerobatic display at the Old Station Air Show with Matt out on my wing." At the latest edition of the show, held at Raglan in Queensland's Gladstone region, Ms McDonald performed for the first time under her own brand, Beyond Gravity. "I'm here to inspire the next generation and anyone who wants to get into aviation," she said. The popular air show is a family affair, beginning as a gathering for members of the Old Station Flying Club, set up by the Creed family on their Raglan property in 1989. Thousands of people make the pilgrimage from across Australia to the property, where they were treated to a weekend of air shows - including a display of WWII "warbirds" - as well as other displays. Some arrive by car, but hundreds also fly in with special instructions on where to park their planes safely. "It started as a small club event with just a handful of members," said Samantha Creed, whose grandparents began the tradition as a fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. "Over the years, it's just grown and grown and evolved and we've become so big we need help to run it." Local community groups lend volunteers to help run the show and in return receive donations to their causes. At the last event, in 2022, more than $100,000 was raised. "We've helped put kitchens into local CWA halls, we've stocked libraries with books ... built a truck stop, upgraded sporting equipment," Ms Creed said. Ms McDonald has performed her stunts in front of millions in the US and hundreds of thousands on the Gold Coast, but the Old Station Air Show is still a favourite. "(The) Creeds have been absolutely phenomenal, giving me the opportunity to spread my wings and do what I need to do, so this air show is very special to me," she said.
