Australian Red Bull Air Race pilot Matt Hall will race an Edge 540 V3 in the 2017 air race series rather than the MXS-R he has flown for the past five seasons.
It is a huge change for Hall, given that the MXS-R carried him to second place in the championship in both of the last two series, and that he has limited experience flying the Edge.
"We are still trying to work out the details with the new aircraft, though it will definitely have an effect on us going into 2017," he explained to Red Bull media.
"We have learned a lot as a race team over the last nine years, using the MXS exclusively – some of our knowledge is transferrable, some is not. We expect to have some teething problems as we learn to operate the aircraft to the full potential that the other teams are already doing, though hoping by the end of the year we have the aircraft where we want it."
Hall admits he has flown an Edge only twice, in 2010 when he borrowed fellow racer Matthias Dolderer's aircraft for two 15-minute flights.
"I did like it," he said, "so I am hopeful when I get into my own Edge, we can be up there pretty quickly.
"I think a good team can transition between aircraft types without having to start from scratch. We have a good team, we are motivated to make this raceplane fast, and most importantly, have me flying it like I was flying the MXS, so I am part of the aircraft, not flying it through the track."
The 2017 Red Bull Air Race season kicks-off in Abu Dhabi 10-11 February, with Hall hoping his new plane will elevate him that one spot in the standings that will give him a maiden World Championship title.
"2016 was a pretty challenging year for us," he explained. "We were plagued with injury, illness and serviceability. We have sat down and tried to figure out what was causing all of this, and it probably came down to trying too hard. We are therefore taking 2017 as it comes, especially since we have a new raceplane.
"We are aiming to enjoy ourselves while consolidating the new aircraft and team, with the goal of having a race winning combination by the year's end."
Hall's 2016 season finished on a sour note after he was forced to withdraw from the Las Vegas final round due to a damaged wing. Hall had earlier won two races in a row, UK and Germany, to mount a serious challenge for the title, despite his performances being hampered by a recurring back problem.