New Hampshire aerobatic pilot killed in crash remembered as humble man who loved his craft
NEVER FORGOT WHERE HE CAME FROM. WE HAVE A FLIGHT UNIFORM THAT ROB DONATED TO US IN STORAGE AT THE AVIATION MUSEUM OF NEW HAMPSHIRE ARE MOMENTS OF ROB HOLLAND’S PAST. THIS IS WHAT HE WOULD WEAR WHILE FLYING IN COMPETITION, OR JUST DOING AEROBATIC FLYING. YESTERDAY, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND HIS PLANE AT LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE IN VIRGINIA FOR AN AIR SHOW THIS WEEKEND, HIS PLANE CRASHED, KILLING HIM. WE ALL HAVE TO COPE WITH IT IN OUR OWN WAY. HOLLAND LOVED AVIATION FROM A YOUNG AGE. HIS INSPIRATION FUELED BY TRICKS IN THE SKY. THOSE DREAMS BECOMING HIS REALITY. AFTER GRADUATING FROM DANIEL WEBSTER COLLEGE IN 1997, HIS FLYING CAREER TAKING HIM ACROSS THE WORLD AND BACK RIGHT HERE TO HIS HOME STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. HIS CAREER, CAPTURED IN A 2019 VIRTUAL REALITY EXHIBIT AT THE STATE’S AVIATION MUSEUM. HE WAS A REGULAR GUY, AND HE CHASED HIS DREAM IN A WAY THAT WAS UNUSUAL, I THINK, FOR PEOPLE TO TO HAVE THEIR CHILDHOOD DREAMS COME TRUE THE WAY HIS DID. THE MUSEUM HOPES THAT DOWN THE ROAD, THEY CAN MAKE THE EXHIBIT PERMANENT FOR PEOPLE TO HONOR A CAREER THAT WAS BIGGER THAN THE SKY. HE WAS ONE OF THE GREATS, AND HIS LOSS IS A REALLY, REALLY BIG
New Hampshire aerobatic pilot killed in crash remembered as humble man who loved his craft
Updated: 12:38 PM EDT Apr 25, 2025
People across New Hampshire are remembering a well-known aerobatic pilot from the Granite State who died Thursday in a plane crash in Virginia.Those who knew him said Rob Holland was a humble person who loved to fly, and even when his name became well-known across the world, he never forgot where he came from. In storage at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire are moments from Holland’s past.”This is what he would wear while flying in competition or just doing aerobatic flying,” said museum executive director Jeff Rapsis as he held a helmet.>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<Holland was killed Thursday when his plane crashed as he was landing at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for an air show this weekend. The crash is under investigation.”We all have to cope with it in our own way,” Rapsis said.Holland loved aviation from a young age, his inspiration fueled by tricks in the sky. Those dreams became his reality after graduating from Daniel Webster College in 1997.His flying career took him across the world and back to his home state of New Hampshire. His career was honored in 2019 with a virtual reality exhibit at the state’s aviation museum.”He was a regular guy, and he chased his dream in a way that was unusual, I think, for people to have their childhood dreams come true the way his did,” Rapsis said.Rapsis said he hopes to make a permanent exhibit at the museum to honor a career that was bigger than the sky.”He was one of the greats,” Rapsis said. “And his loss is a really, really big one.”
LONDONDERRY, N.H. —People across New Hampshire are remembering a well-known aerobatic pilot from the Granite State who died Thursday in a plane crash in Virginia.
Those who knew him said Rob Holland was a humble person who loved to fly, and even when his name became well-known across the world, he never forgot where he came from.
In storage at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire are moments from Holland’s past.
“This is what he would wear while flying in competition or just doing aerobatic flying,” said museum executive director Jeff Rapsis as he held a helmet.
>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<
Holland was killed Thursday when his plane crashed as he was landing at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for an air show this weekend. The crash is under investigation.
“We all have to cope with it in our own way,” Rapsis said.
Holland loved aviation from a young age, his inspiration fueled by tricks in the sky. Those dreams became his reality after graduating from Daniel Webster College in 1997.
His flying career took him across the world and back to his home state of New Hampshire. His career was honored in 2019 with a virtual reality exhibit at the state’s aviation museum.
“He was a regular guy, and he chased his dream in a way that was unusual, I think, for people to have their childhood dreams come true the way his did,” Rapsis said.
Rapsis said he hopes to make a permanent exhibit at the museum to honor a career that was bigger than the sky.
“He was one of the greats,” Rapsis said. “And his loss is a really, really big one.”
