Most athletes spend a lifetime trying to reach the top of one sport. Jackson “Jacko” Strong did that in freestyle motocross, then turned his focus to one of the most demanding worlds of all.

While the public knew Jacko for flying motorcycles, he was quietly learning to fly aircraft at an elite level. He earned his fixed-wing licence, then his helicopter licence, became an aerobatic pilot, acquired multiple aircraft and created an aviation base of his own, complete with his own airstrip and hangar.

One of his most ambitious projects was a Pitts Special aerobatic biplane. Jacko spent 5,000 hours across five years building the aeroplane before its first flight in May 2024. That’s a staggering commitment to something most of his FMX fans probably knew very little about.

Unbeknown to many FMX fans, Jacko has just achieved another massive milestone in aviation. Performing at the Pacific Airshow on the Gold Coast, he flew an aerobatic formation display in front of one of Australia’s largest aviation audiences. He was even flying rings around wingsuit skydivers as they fell through the sky.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Jacko’s story is his willingness to become a beginner again. After reaching the highest level of freestyle motocross, he entered a new field where every skill had to be studied, practised and earned. There were no X Games medals that could shortcut that process.

FMX NEWS

  • Success for Freestyle Kings LIVE inside Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena. The show featured a snowmobile among the field!
  • Ten-year-old Rocky Glynn is now the youngest backflipper.  The feat was completed at Nitro Circus in Annapolis, Maryland, with Glynn dedicating the achievement to his mentor, the late Jayo Archer.
  • Aussie FMX completes a nine-night Ekka run. The Aussie FMX team performed throughout EkkaNITES at Brisbane’s Royal Queensland Show from August 8–16.
  • Sea World’s Thunder Lake Stunt Show ends its seven-year run. The long-running Gold Coast attraction took its final bow on August 31.
  • Travis Pastrana injured before planned final Nitro Circus jump. Pastrana had intended the Annapolis event to be his final time riding at a Nitro Circus show, but broke his tibia and fibula while practising a double backflip on the morning of the event and required surgery.
  • Nitro Circus 2.0 completes North American tour. The relaunched production wrapped a 17-stop run completed across four weeks. FMX highlights included Adam Jones performing a Shaolin to Heel Clicker Backflip, a previously unseen combo.
  • José ‘Mincha’ Canosa wins Vigo’s Golden Helmet. The Galician rider claimed the FMX Golden Helmet at O Marisquiño in Vigo, Spain.
  • FMX becomes a permanent part of Monster Jam’s Freestyle Mania format. Freestyle Mania became a permanent series in 2026.
  • Clinton Moore quietly retires. At Freestyle Kings LIVE Melbourne, former Red Bull X-Fighters World Champion Moore retired. “I’ll still ride, maybe once in Europe, and then it will be just at home for fun.”
  • Freestyle Kings’ next confirmed appearance is alongside the AUSX Supercross season opener in Townsville on October 3.