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American stunt pilot Rob Holland recently lost his life in an accident at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia, on Thursday, April 24, at the age of 50. Over the weekend, he was scheduled to perform at an air show at the base.
For the unversed, Rob Holland was an American aerobatic pilot with numerous championship wins and pioneering developments in the realm of aerobatics.
The news of his demise was made public on his official Facebook account on Thursday. The post read:
"It is with the heaviest of hearts that I am sharing that Rob Holland lost his life today, 24 April 2025, in an accident at Langley AFB, VA. Rob was one of the most respected and inspiring aerobatic pilots in aviation history.”
The caption further read:
“Even with an absolutely impressive list of accomplishments, both in classical competition aerobatics and within the air show world, Rob was the most humble person with a singular goal to simply be better than he was yesterday. We would greatly appreciate your respect to the privacy of his family and friends.”
Rob Holland was an experienced pilot with many awards and achievements under his belt
Rob Holland was born in New England on May 30, 1974. As per his eulogy uploaded on E3 Aviation Association, Rob had more than 15,000 flight hours in more than 180 different types of aircraft. He also participated in a variety of air shows and aerobatic competition in his career.
He used to fly his specially designed MXS-RH. In his eulogy, his performances were described as "not just displays of skill but expressions of artistry."
According to The New York Times, Rob Holland followed his passion for flying and enrolled at Daniel Webster College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management and Flight Operations. He received his Pilot's Ratings from the same institute. He started actively studying aerobatics shortly after receiving his pilot's licence.
Holland accumulated a wealth of expertise in a variety of aviation positions throughout the course of his career, including flight instructor, corporate pilot, commuter pilot, flag tower, and ferry pilot. He even started his own school for aerobatic flight.
Rob Holland started participating in airshows from 2002 onwards. He gained recognition for his distinctive style of presenting "groundbreaking maneuvers."
Holland's accomplishments with the Firebirds Xtreme team and the 4CE (Force) aerobatic team demonstrated his formation abilities. He won the World Advanced Aerobatic Championship in 2008. He then received the coveted Art Scholl Award for Showmanship from the International Council of AirShows in 2012. In 2019, he was awarded the Eric Müller Trophy. In addition, he bagged six World Freestyle Aerobatic Champion titles.
Furthermore, he was the U.S. National Aerobatic Champion for 13 years in a row. He clinched the U.S. National Freestyle Aerobatic Championship title 14 times. In 2019, he was appointed as an Honorary Blue Angel and an honorary member of the First Flight Society.
Moreover, Rob Holland won the Charlie Hillard Trophy five times. Additionally, he took home gold in the World Air Games Aerobatic Freestyle in 2015 and the Sky Grand Prix Aerobatic Freestyle in 2016.
According to the Facebook post announcing Holland's death. the cause of plane crash is not known yet. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and Department of Defence (DOD) are currently conducting an investigation into the incident.
