Martin Šonka

Martin Šonka is a Czech unlimited aerobatics pilot and former fighter pilot in the Czech Air Force, born on 26 March 1978 in Dvůr Králové nad Labem. He began flying gliders in 1997 and studied at the University of Defence in Brno, gained a private pilot licence in 1999 and later earned a master degree at the University of Pardubice. His military career began in 2000 and took him to Náměšť nad Oslavou and then to Čáslav, where he flew the L-159 Alca, and in 2012 he completed the type rating for the Saab JAS 39 Gripen. He left the army in 2014 because of his racing schedule. A member of the Czech national aerobatic team from 2005, he flew the Su-31 before switching to the Extra 300SR. After passing the Red Bull Air Race qualifying camps in 2009 he raced as a rookie from 2010 and became World Champion in the 2018 Red Bull Air Race World Championship season.