Australian race pilot Matt Hall has announced a partnership with aviation technology company lockr.aero.
The partnership with the Canberra-based lockr.aero, to be formally unveiled at the upcoming Wings Over Illawarra airshow, will involve the company joining Hall’s team as a domestic level sponsor and as a personal sponsor of the Novocastrian in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship Series.
Hall is a three-time air race world championship runner up and currently sits fifth in the 2019 standings after one race. The agreement with lockr.aero, a new solution specifically for aviators created by the 2014-founded Lockr Life company, comes ahead of the second race of this year’s air race series in Kazan, Russia from June 15-16.
The lockr.aero system takes the pain out of paperwork for aviators. It simplifies the process of recording flight times and other aspects for pilots and aircraft owners by making every logbook available on any internet connected device, even if it is offline. It has never been easier to accurately record what happens every time a pilot or aircraft goes flying.
Importantly for pilots such as Hall, who run multiple aircraft of varying type, lockr.aero can manage all pilots and aircraft in one location. Founder and chief executive of Lockr Life Michael Monck said that the agreement with Matt Hall Racing for their Australian-based operation and as a personal sponsor of Hall internationally was a huge vote of confidence in lockr.aero.
“To have Matt and his team adopt our product for use in the day to day business as well as the high-pressure environment of the Red Bull Air Race is outstanding for us. We couldn’t be happier that we have earned the confidence of one of the world’s most respected aviators as it highlights how quickly lockr.aero has reached maturity in the market,” Monck said.
“The Matt Hall Racing business has provided feedback that is already shaping the product and I’m looking forward to working with them to make the system even better. We have a pipeline of ideas that will be rolled out over the coming months and are excited to be using Matt to develop, refine and test concepts. This will enable us to make the best products possible for all of our users.”
Meanwhile, Hall said that an agreement with lockr.aero made sense from day one for he and his business, especially considering how many differing aircraft are in use from race planes, scenic and aerobatic joy flight aircraft and larger airplanes for charter operations.
“The Matt Hall Racing business has undergone significant growth over the past 18 months and after meeting with Michael and learning about his company, it simply made sense for us to be involved,” Hall said.
“While we’re mostly known for being competitors in the Red Bull Air Race, our business has become increasingly diversified. Each year we have more than 400 people jump in our two-seater plane for aerobatic joy rides, and now we’re also working in the charter aircraft market for business customers and those seeking private leisure trips. Of course, I still enjoy going for a fly in my own time too!
“We have multiple aircraft and our pilots jump between them from time to time, lockr.aero allows us to manage our aircraft in one spot. For our pilots, they can also easily manage their logbooks as they hop between different planes. It’s an essential step for us to achieve efficiency as a business.
“For me, it’s now going to be easier than ever to stay up to date with the hours spent overseas in my race plane and also in the planes I fly at home. On a personal note, we are now working with another company created in Australia and I am looking forward to working with the team at lockr.aero to move both of our organisations forward.”
Hall and lockr.aero will debut their new partnership at the Wings Over Illawarra airshow being held at Illawarra Regional Airport at Albion Park over the weekend of May 4-5.
Information on tickets and directions, as well as the full flying program, can be found on the Wings Over Illawarra website.
