Last week, aerobatic flight champ Rob Holland tied the record for the number of U.S. National Aerobatic Championships won. Holland won for the seventh consecutive year, the same number as the legendary Leo Loudenslager.
The Championships were held at the Whitman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where Leo Loudenslager won the World Championship in 1980. At the banquet on Friday night, International Aerobatic Club director Tim Just, who acted as the master of ceremonies, surprised Holland by bringing up Loudenslager’s two daughters, Kelly and Carolyn, who delivered the trophy.
Holland won gold in the overall Unlimited Final for powered airplanes, scoring 10,904 points, about 236 points more than the silver place contestant, Goody Thomas. Craig Gifford, who scored the most points in the Known segment, came in third.
In addition to winning the overall gold, Holland won the U.S. National Freestyle Championship for the eighth time, adding to his own record.
Holland was flying his MX Aircraft MXS airplane. He had recently arrived home from the FAI World Aerobatic Championships in Malelane, South Africa, where he scored a gold in the Freestyle competition, two silver medals and a 10th place overall flying a borrowed two-seat MX2 airplane.
There is still time to see Holland’s fast-paced airshow performance this year as he is flying at several airshows around the country in October and November. His schedule can be found at www.ultimateairshows.com.
