Airshow pilot Rob Holland's bio boasts that he has "never known
a time where he was not completely obsessed with Aviation and
Aerobatics. At a young age his Dad brought him to an airshow where
he saw an airplane flying upside down, and knew that was what he
HAD to do."
It's an age-old story... boy/girl sees planes, boy/girl falls in
love with planes, boy/girl becomes an airshow pilot. Holland is
proof that this age-old formula is alive and well... and thriving
in his home-state of New Hampshire. He notes that he has been
flying now since the age of 18 and has accumulated greater than
8500 hours of flight time in over 156 different types of aircraft
ranging from Piper Cubs to Regional Transport Aircraft, gliders to
high performance aerobatic machines.
Rated as an ATP with CFI, CFII, IGI, AGI ratings, Rob also holds
a glider rating. It's also been a diverse aviation career so
far: flight instructor, banner tow pilot, aircraft ferry pilot,
Pilatus PC-12 corporate pilot, and commuter airline pilot. He
currently works full time both domestically and abroad as an
professional airshow pilot and an aerobatic flight instructor.
His aerobatic bona fides are equally impressive. In 2008 Rob
Holland became the World Advanced Aerobatic Champion and helped
pave the way for team USA to earn the Gold at the 8th World
Advanced Aerobatic Championships. Rob is a three-time member of the
United States Advanced Aerobatic Team. He was the top placing
American at the 2004, 2006 and 2008 Advanced World Aerobatic
Championships (AWAC). Rob placed second over all in the world at
the 2006 AWAC held in Radom, Poland and helped the US Aerobatic
Team secure second place in the team standings. Rob Holland is also
the 2008 US National Unlimited Freestyle Champion.
Rob has a Level One Unrestricted Aerobatic Waiver for airshows.
"Solo Aerobatics", "Formation Aerobatics", "Circle Jumpers", and
"Wing Walking Pilot," along with numerous aircraft types, are
authorized on his Low Level Aerobatic Waiver. Rob was voted to the
Board of Directors of the International Aerobatic Club in 2006.
Rob flies an MX2 monoplane, built by MX Aircraft of North
Carolina. The MX2 is a 385+ horsepower brute powered by a Lycoming
AEIO-540 Aerobatic Engine, and boasts a structural profile that can
pull G-loads of plus/minus 16 G’s. Holland boasts that this
means, "tighter turns and loops and a whole variety of maneuvers
that will redefine the word 'aerobatic'." The MX2 rolls at a
breath-taking 400+ degrees per second and is constructed entirely
of pre-impregnated epoxy carbon fiber composite material.