Pete McLeod

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Pete McLeod
Pete McLeod Profile Picture.jpg
Pete McLeod
Born (1984-02-23) 23 February 1984 (age 39)
Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada
Nationality Ontario, Canada
Years active1998-
Website www.petemcleodracing.com
2017 Red Bull Air Race of Chiba - C-GYRB 2017RedBullAirRaceChibaC-GYRB.jpg
2017 Red Bull Air Race of Chiba - C-GYRB

Pete McLeod (born February 23, 1984 in Kapuskasing, Ontario) is a Canadian professional aerobatic pilot whose first competitive flight was in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in 2009. [1]

Contents

Biography

Raised in Red Lake, a small town in Northwestern Ontario, McLeod grew up hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, boating, flying, and playing hockey. [2] He took his first flight in the family plane when he was 6 weeks old. [3] McLeod’s mother, Margaret, recalls that when he was six McLeod would sit on his father Dave’s lap during flights, hands on the control column. [4] He learned to fly float and ski planes, undergoing flight training at Harv's Air Service in Steinbach, Manitoba and qualifying for his private pilot’s licence at 16. He built up his flying hours over the next couple of years, earning his commercial licence and float endorsement when he was 18. McLeod spent the summers flying fishermen to remote outpost camps. [4]

He earned his aerobatic flight instructor rating when he was 18, and began flying competition aerobatics in a Pitts Special in 2003. He was undefeated in his first full competitive season in 2004, winning multiple awards in his class, a United States Regional Series Championship, and the 2004 North American Collegiate Aerobatic Championship.

After completing his Economics degree at the University of Western Ontario, he decided at the start of the 2006 season to join the air show circuit and focus all his energy on professional aerobatics. He finished the season with a second place advanced category finish at the United States National Aerobatic Championships. In 2007 he earned his unrestricted surface level aerobatic waiver, one of the youngest pilots in the world to hold such a waiver for high performance aerobatics.

Red Bull Air Race pilot

McLeod's 12th-place finish at the European Aerobatic Championships in the Czech Republic in 2008 earned him an invitation to attend the Red Bull Air Race qualification camp in Casarrubios, Spain, at the end of September 2008. Of the six pilots invited, five qualified for the ‘super’ licence required to compete in the world championship and McLeod was one of four rookies selected for active race status.

He joined the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in 2009, the youngest rookie ever to qualify for the Red Bull Air Race and the first Canadian. Prior to the start of the 2009 season, McLeod assembled a team of technicians and support staff for his first year on the circuit. He modified his new Zivko Edge 540 350 horsepower aerobatic airplane into a high performance racer. [4]

McLeod's goal was to become a strong presence in the top 5 pilots in his second and third seasons. "I would like to become world champion by the time I'm 30 years old", said McLeod. [5] "The setup is not going to be 100% for at least a year because it’s not just the pilot but the team that’s also learning. You don’t need the fastest airplane in the track in your first year because there’s so much to learn", he said. [6]

Achievements

2003

2004

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

McLeod performed air shows across Canada in his Edge 540 aircraft during the summer of 2011.

2012

McLeod performed at 15 air shows across Canada in his Edge 540 aircraft during the summer of 2012.

2014

Red Bull Air Race World Championship

2009-2010

Year12345678PointsWinsRank
2009 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
15th
Flag of the United States.svg
15th
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg
11th
Flag of Hungary.svg
13th
Flag of Portugal.svg
14th
Flag of Spain.svg
12th
1015th
2010 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
5th
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
5th
Flag of Brazil.svg
7th
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg
9th
Flag of the United States.svg
5th
Flag of Germany.svg
8th
Flag of Hungary.svg
CAN
Flag of Portugal.svg
CAN
3305th
Series not held between 2011 and 2013

2014-

Year12345678PointsWinsRank
2014 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
3rd
Flag of Croatia.svg
4th
Flag of Malaysia.svg
4th
Flag of Poland.svg
8th
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
11th
Flag of the United States.svg
3rd
Flag of the United States.svg
1st
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
8th
3815th
2015 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
3rd
Flag of Japan.svg
12th
Flag of Croatia.svg
7th
Flag of Hungary.svg
4th
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
13th
Flag of Austria.svg
5th
Flag of the United States.svg
8th
Flag of the United States.svg
11th
1908th
2016 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
6th
Flag of Austria.svg
4th
Flag of Japan.svg
12th
Flag of Hungary.svg
9th
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
13th
Flag of Germany.svg
3rd
Flag of the United States.svg
3rd
Flag of the United States.svg
CAN
30.509th
2017 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
3rd
Flag of the United States.svg
10th
Flag of Japan.svg
7th
Flag of Hungary.svg
2nd
Flag of Russia.svg
2nd
Flag of Portugal.svg
2nd
Flag of Germany.svg
5th
Flag of the United States.svg
11th
5603rd
2018 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
14th
Flag of France.svg
7th
Flag of Japan.svg
4th
Flag of Hungary.svg
12th
Flag of Russia.svg
11th
Flag of Austria.svg
7th
Flag of the United States.svg
2nd
Flag of the United States.svg
11th
2708th
2019 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
14th
9th10th4th4806th

Legend:

  • CAN: Cancelled
  • DNP: Did not participate
  • DNS: Did not show
  • DQ: Disqualified
  • NC: Not classified

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 McLeod, McLeod. "Pete McLeod Racing" . Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  2. "Canadian Rookie Youngest Ever Red Bull Air Race Pilot". Red Bull Air Race GmbH. 2008-11-24. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  3. Difalco, Salvatore (2008-12-09). "?". Toro. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  4. 1 2 3 Clayton, Reg (2008-12-09). "Red Lake bush pilot prepares to take on the Red Bull Air Race series by the horns". Lake Of The Woods Enterprise. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  5. "Introducing Pete McLeod". Red Bull Canada. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  6. Sheiban, Shakeri (2008-11-03). "An Hour With Pete McLeod Part II: Career, Early Ambitions, Tech and More!". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2008-12-12.