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1997
Charlie then began concentrating solely on precision aerobatic flying and in the same year he made headlines with his free-fall baton pass, he began amazing audiences at air shows. He won the National Aerobatic Championship in 1967 and represented the United States in four world championships. In 1972, Charlie made America proud as the first American ever to win the world aerobatic title.
Through the years and the more than 1,000 awe-inspiring exhibitions, the Eagles became synonymous with precision aerobatic perfection. These three men, the team that made up the Eagles, flew together for more than 25 years, and to this day hold the record for the longest running aerobatic team - both civilian and military - in the history of the world.
Throughout his life, Charlie was recognized many times for his aerobatic excellence, including the ICAS Wilkinson Sword of Excellence Award and induction into the International Aerobatics Hall of Fame. While Charlie was truly key to the advancement of precision aerobatics, he was also a significant contributor to his community. Charlie was at the helm of the expansion of a single Ford franchise to one of the most successful auto parks in the U.S., winning virtually every customer satisfaction award in the industry. Serving on various boards and committees, Charlie was particularly devoted to family causes, such as the Texas Motor Speedway Children's Charities. To the people who knew and loved Charlie R. Hillard, this was no surprise, as it was well understood that at the very core of this remarkable man, who regularly soared to heights not often reached or even imagined by others, was his limitless love and dedication to home and family.
Charlie Hillard's biography and
list of aviation achievements
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Charlie R. Hillard had the mark of a
highly determined individual very early in life. Charlie was
born on March 22, 1938 in Fort Worth, Texas. At ten years old,
he went to work for his dad, "King" Charlie Hillard,
dusting cars on the family car lot for $10 a week. Young Charlie
Hillard had a plan. By the age of 16, his plan was turning into
reality as he had saved enough money to secretly learn to fly,
making his first solo flight that year. Then, as a freshman at
Georgia Tech, Charlie purchased his first airplane, a Piper Cub.
At 18, he mastered skydiving and again proving his fierce
determination, earned a place on the U.S. Skydiving team just
two years later, in 1958. That year, he placed second at the "Coupe
du Monde" in Paris. That same summer, Charlie began
building his list of "firsts," as he became the very
first person in the U.S. to pass a baton in free-fall.
In 1971, Charlie partnered with Gene
Soucy and Tom Poberezny to form the Red Devils Aerobatic Team,
flying Pitts Specials. They flew their first show at the National
Aerobatic Championships that year, with Charlie flying the Spinks
Akromaster, a plane he had designed and built. That performance
was the beginning of a world-class formation team that would take
precision aerobatic flight to new and amazing heights. Each year
the Red Devils became more popular and requests for performances
grew. In 1979, Charlie, Gene and Tom made their debut as the
Eagles Aerobatic Flight Team, with Charlie as lead pilot.
In 1996, with more than 15,000 flying hours to his
credit, Charlie made the decision to embark on the next exciting phase
of his incredible career. With his Hawker Fury, a high-performance,
fixed-wing monoplane producing upwards of 2600 horsepower, Charlie would
take to the skies as a solo stunt pilot.
