From the very beginning, the aviation industry has attracted strong characters - men and women who are passionate about what they do, who accept the inherent risks and thrive on the simple pleasure of taking to the skies

You would need to search far and wide, to find a more passionate and enthusiastic aviator than Richard G "Smokey" Young, who also happens to be one of the most knowledgeable and active pillars of the air racing industry

With over 25 years of flying and 7,700 flight hours under his belt, Smokey began his career in the U.S. Air Force flying the F-111 tactical strike bomber on operational tours and as a flight instructor and examiner

After the military, Smokey became a pilot for a major U.S. airline, commanding Boeing 727s and 757s, then turned his attention to air racing full time in 2003, when he won the "Rookie of the Year" award

Smokey is the President of the International Formula 1 Air Racing association, which has been the leading governing body in the sport of air racing for over 60 years

In this role, Smokey and his staff are responsible for international coordination of racing policies, procedures, rules, technical standards, pilot training and qualifications, as well as liasing directly with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on regulatory and safety matters

Smokey also manages and pilots a top team, Sly Air Racing, at the Reno Air Races National Championships in the F1 class, where he raced in the Gold Race last year in aircraft #3 'Sly Dog'

Here's Smokey with the 'Sly Dog', photographed on 14th August 2009, just before it was dismantled to be shipped over to Reno for the 46th National Championship Air Races

In addition to air racing, Smokey spent several years as an air combat instructor at America's leading civilian air combat training and experience centre, flying Extra 300s and Marchetti SF-260s in a broad range of tactical dog fighting maneuvers and aerobatics

His additional instruction experience continues - not only as a flight instructor - but in the classroom, at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, where he teaches university level courses covering aerodynamics, regulations, air transport and aircraft systems. He is also a graduate of Norwich University