Page 16 - World Airshow News Autumn 2024

...ROb HOLLAND.

Right: As intense as are the airshow sequences Rob flies, he says competition
aerobatics can actually be more punishing (photo by Jim Froneberger).
for competition flying. The one thing that airshow flying does
help in competition is with situational awareness and knowing
where you are in the aerobatic box at all times.”

buILDING A pERFORmANCE
For Rob, an airshow is a performance. It’s practiced and
honed to perfection and flown the same way every time. As
insane and complex as many of his show maneuvers may
seem, to Rob, they are routine.
“They are so practiced that I don’t even have to think about
them. I want my concentration to be on where the ground is,
where the crowd is, where is the wind coming from, and where
are the obstacles. Learning a figure can be difficult, but I won’t
put a figure into an airshow until flying it is like walking and I competition, just being exciting and safe aren’t sufficient. You need
don’t have to think about it.” an experienced aerobatic pilot outside the cockpit who sees what
So, how does a maneuver go from concept to execution? the judges will see with the same critical eye.
And where do his ideas come from? Rob says it starts with a “A coach can do a couple things. First, they can actually help
lot of thinking outside of the box. you fly better figures by telling you where to put the stick,” explains
“I always want to try to do something that hasn’t been done Rob. “But in the upper levels of competition, we already know how
before,” he says. “Sometimes I might wake up with an idea for to fly the figures, so helping with presentation becomes the bigger
a new maneuver and I will think about it for months. What concern. In the cockpit, you can’t see the big picture of how a figure
are the aerodynamics, what are the failure modes, what are the or sequence is being seen by the judges. A good coach will help you
inputs to make it work? Eventually, I try it in the airplane, and figure out how to present a figure or sequence that will best appeal
usually I will know pretty quickly if it will actually work or not. to the judges.”
Then I will take whatever time is required until I don’t have to For several years now, Rob has relied on Claude “Coco” Bessière,
think about it anymore. Only then will I put it in a sequence.” a former World Aerobatic Champion and long-time coach of
Rob says he always wondered why airplanes tumbled in the formidable French national team. That second set of eyes
the negative motion and never in the positive. He spent about has benefits beyond just success in competition. Indeed, flying
two-and-a-half years working on a positive tumble before he in that crucible of competition and under the watchful eye of an
was able to put it into his airshow. experienced coach yields improvements one can really acquire no
It may be hard to see patience and refinement in a maneuver other way.
as manic and unhinged as the inside tumble, but therein lies “I’m definitely a safer pilot because of competition flying,” says
Rob’s genius. Rob’s primary goal is to produce a sequence that, Rob. “Competition is a culture of critique and coaching. You can
whether for judges or fans, is coherent and compelling. only really do that with input from people watching. I carry that all
“My real joy is the entire sequence,” he admits. “It’s solving over to my airshows.”
the puzzle of piecing all the elements together into a great Having now amassed countless medals and accolades in
entertaining show for an airshow or into a perfect sequence international competition, Rob is now in demand himself as a
for the judges in competition.” competition coach, a role he’s played more and more over the last
Watch Rob fly and this focus on the entire sequence becomes several years. “When I coach people I try to figure out what their
apparent. There is a flow to the way Rob flies; a rhythm to the style is and help them grow and maximize that style,” he explains.
way each maneuver is presented that demands continuous “If they need help with the figure, I will try to help them learn how
attention. His show is very much composed, much the way to fly it, but I also put a strong emphasis on presentation.”
a musician writes a song. And that is not by accident. When In entertainment circles, performers often joke that it took them
asked about his sources of inspiration, Rob declines to name twenty years to become an overnight success. The truth within that
anyone specifically, but clearly music is a key source. joke is that an audience sees only what is in front of them, not the
“I take inspiration from a lot of different people for different years of preparation that lead to that performance. We as audience
reasons,” he says. “It’s hard to nail it down to just one or two. I members should never forget what it takes to perform at the highest
think there is something to be learned from everybody. Music possible level.
and rhythm inspire me. I feel that every sequence needs to To do what Rob Holland does, week after week, safely and
have a certain cadence, almost like a beat to music.” consistently, requires more than just talent – more than just the
ability to thrill audiences. Rob Holland’s art is a perfection of
COACHING FOR pERFECtION that original barnstormer’s spirit. He captures the excitement of a
When it comes to crafting his airshow performance, Rob is flying circus but subtracts the danger. His show is raw and visceral,
a solo artist. His performances reflect Rob’s unique vision on yet as artfully constructed as a musical competition – matched
how an airshow performance should be flown. But when flying to a rigorous precision forged in the heat of competition at the
at competitions under the watchful eye of judges looking for highest possible level. Creativity and innovation don’t usually live
even the smallest of imperfections, Rob is aided by the help comfortably in the same mind with patience and consistency, but
of a coach. For an airshow, if it’s exciting for fans to watch Rob Holland has managed to merge these parallel tracks into a
and safe for Rob to fly, Rob’s goals are largely met, but in singular expression of aerobatic art.

www.airshowmag.com 16 Quarter 4, 2024