Orphan: date=February 2009

Inflight is a Melbourne-based Australian Christian band, established in 1999 in Warrnambool, Victoria. Band members O'Reilly (singer, songwriter and guitarist), Benjamin Norman (bassist), Ryan McLerie (lead guitarist) and Benni Knop (drummer).

History

O'Reilly and Norman played together in another band called Empty Tomb (1995 - 1999) before starting Inflight. They also began a podcasting radio network in April 2005, UCA Radio.

Inflight's first performance was at the Warrnambool Baptist youth group on 4 March 2000. This was followed by a gig in Geelong, then a short tour with USA bands All Star United and Wishful Thinking in April 2000. Inflight's first year included the release of an EP, Volume 3, which included crowd favourites "No Superman", "Cereal", and "Made My Day". The following year, Inflight recorded a "live" unplugged concert in Queensland during the Australian Gospel Music Festival QLD, which became a feature broadcast on the 62-station ABC local radio network around Australia.

During 2001, Inflight performed at Songfest in Ballarat, the Forest Edge Festival, Youth Alive in Horsham, Australian Gospel Music Festival, Warrnambool Church of Christ, Mill Park COC, and Hearthton Christian College. During Inflight's first USA tour in late 2002, they released their first full-length album, Entertainment.

Inflight's entertaining, passionate and energetic shows have been seen and experienced by tens of thousands of people while touring several times through the USA, New Zealand, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales. Highlights include two independent USA tours, performances at New Zealand's largest music festival which boasts over 20,000 attendees, playing Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne in front of 14,000 people, and headlining at ETSA Stadium Adelaide entertaining 5,000 people. The band has just returned from its second very successful headlining tour of Western Australia, performing to over 7,000 enthusiastic WA youth.

Inflight's new album, So This is Love, reflects five years of global songwriting and touring excellence. The album is a combination of energetic rock, bouncing pop and reflective ballads. So This is Love was produced by O'Reilly and Norman, and was engineered and mixed by multi-ARIA award nominated producer and engineer Peter 'Reggie' Bowman. The album has been a Top 20 best seller Independent Australasian Christian album for 6 months (2005/2006). The first radio single, "Number One", remained in the Top 20 most played Australasian Christian Artists for a few months (TRAA). The band was nominated for Best New Gospel Artist and Best Rock Gospel Song ("Number One") at the Australian Gospel Music Awards, held at the end of 2005.

Inflight is involved in the Hurricane Healing project that will donate money towards The Salvation Army (USA) National Headquarters to provide relief efforts and ongoing support to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. A donation from each download of "Number One" goes to the Salvation Army. O'Reilly explains that "Hurricane Healing is so much more than just giving money to those stricken by natural disasters. It is the beginning of the whole world re-learning the ability to give as much as they can to one another... a giving that knows no religion, no creed, no race and no colour. Let this be the beginning of a giving that never ends, and from it may we see the whole world blessed for the better." Norman states, "In such tragic events, we must find mercy to help victims through a time of hopelessness. Inflight is more than honoured to donate and help the Salvation Army bring hope to the Hurricane victims."