Matt Hall enlisted in the RAAF through the direct entry scheme in 1991. After officer training he learned to fly on the CT4 aircraft at Point Cook. It was then onto Macchi trainers, followed by the Hornet. He served on a number of squadrons and was working as an instructor on the FA 18A before being posted to the USAF as an instructor on the F15 Strike Eagle. In 2003 he was sent to the Middle East as a strike pilot operating with the USAF in the operations against Iraq. Matt retired from the RAAF in 2008 with the rank of Wing Commander.