Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This episode is dedicated to Rob Holland.
There’s a ton of his #aerobatics and #airshow footage out there; however, my hope with this one is that it immerses the viewer into the less seen experience of participating in an aerobatic training camp. It is the non-glamorous behind the scenes grind that pilots like Rob are dedicated to tirelessly working on to perfect their craft. It was an honour to be invited to this camp and I spent a lot of time with Rob. I didn’t ever put a camera in his face though - I wanted to be present as a pilot, not a YouTubey / film guy, for the time I got to engage with him. He was a man of few words, but what he said was measured and carried weight and wisdom. I truly thought I’d get another chance in the future to work with him as a filmmaker, but I don’t regret that I spent this week with him as a fellow pilot.
As soon as I heard the news about his crash, I lost focus on what I was currently working on and found myself reliving this experience through my phone’s camera roll. Most of what I shot there was tall mode for quick and dirty Instagram stories (if sharing at all) as I was there to fly, not film.
But I saw there was something I could make out of this to share now, so I set aside a bunch of other post production projects to get this one done ASAP.
This was a very tough one to edit, I hope it helps share a part of the world that Rob loved so much.
To learn more about IAC visit their site - I’ve included the page they shared after Rob’s tragedy.
iac.org/news/2025-05-07-rob-holland-memorial-donations-obituary-website
DISCLAIMER:
Regarding the couple of vertical cloud busts that I shared in this video…. Being the only Sportsman level pilot at the camp, I had the highest floor (1500 AGL), and as a result, I needed the highest ceiling to fly my sequence. The day of the coached flight covered here had juuuuuust enough for me to make it work… mostly.
But as you’ll see I hit the ceiling twice, and called the end of the flight after the second bust attempting a hammerhead (which I turned into a sloppy humpty bump to get out of the cloud).
I appreciate Bose Aviation being a Flight Chops supporter for over 10 years!
boseaviation.com/experiences/first-solos-steve-thorne
Shout out to SiriusXM Aviation - Having access to weather data while flying is a game changer!
siriusxm.com/aviation
Canadian link:
siriusxm.ca/aviation
Thanks to EarthX Lithium Batteries, for building the best battery technology and for supporting all Flight Chops content creation!
earthxbatteries.com/flightchops
#Flying episodes like this wouldn't be sustainable without the involvement of Patrons.
I want to thank all of you for your ongoing support!
To become a part of the Flight Chops core community
and gain access to exclusive raw cuts, behind the scenes videos, and more, visit:
patreon.com/join/FlightChops
Follow FlightChops on Twitter:
twitter.com/flightchops
Follow FlightChops on Instagram:
instagram.com/flightchops
Follow FlightChops on Facebook:
facebook.com/flightchops
FlightChops Sponsors & Supporters:
flightchops.com/supporters
FLIGHT CHOPS DISCLAIMER:
I am a "weekend warrior" private pilot, I fly for fun with no intentions of going commercial. I have had my PPL for over 20 years, but still consider each flight a learning experience - I generally take detailed notes after each flight to remind myself what went well or what I could do to improve.... Having GoPro cameras to record flights like this is invaluable. I find these self analysis videos very helpful in my constant quest to improve, and am happy to share. Feedback is invited; however, please keep it positive.
This episode is dedicated to Rob Holland.
There’s a ton of his #aerobatics and #airshow footage out there; however, my hope with this one is that it immerses the viewer into the less seen experience of participating in an aerobatic training camp. It is the non-glamorous behind the scenes grind that pilots like Rob are dedicated to tirelessly working on to perfect their craft. It was an honour to be invited to this camp and I spent a lot of time with Rob. I didn’t ever put a camera in his face though - I wanted to be present as a pilot, not a YouTubey / film guy, for the time I got to engage with him. He was a man of few words, but what he said was measured and carried weight and wisdom. I truly thought I’d get another chance in the future to work with him as a filmmaker, but I don’t regret that I spent this week with him as a fellow pilot.
As soon as I heard the news about his crash, I lost focus on what I was currently working on and found myself reliving this experience through my phone’s camera roll. Most of what I shot there was tall mode for quick and dirty Instagram stories (if sharing at all) as I was there to fly, not film.
But I saw there was something I could make out of this to share now, so I set aside a bunch of other post production projects to get this one done ASAP.
This was a very tough one to edit, I hope it helps share a part of the world that Rob loved so much.
To learn more about IAC visit their site - I’ve included the page they shared after Rob’s tragedy.
iac.org/news/2025-05-07-rob-holland-memorial-donations-obituary-website
DISCLAIMER:
Regarding the couple of vertical cloud busts that I shared in this video…. Being the only Sportsman level pilot at the camp, I had the highest floor (1500 AGL), and as a result, I needed the highest ceiling to fly my sequence. The day of the coached flight covered here had juuuuuust enough for me to make it work… mostly.
But as you’ll see I hit the ceiling twice, and called the end of the flight after the second bust attempting a hammerhead (which I turned into a sloppy humpty bump to get out of the cloud).
I appreciate Bose Aviation being a Flight Chops supporter for over 10 years!
boseaviation.com/experiences/first-solos-steve-thorne
Shout out to SiriusXM Aviation - Having access to weather data while flying is a game changer!
siriusxm.com/aviation
Canadian link:
siriusxm.ca/aviation
Thanks to EarthX Lithium Batteries, for building the best battery technology and for supporting all Flight Chops content creation!
earthxbatteries.com/flightchops
#Flying episodes like this wouldn't be sustainable without the involvement of Patrons.
I want to thank all of you for your ongoing support!
To become a part of the Flight Chops core community
and gain access to exclusive raw cuts, behind the scenes videos, and more, visit:
patreon.com/join/FlightChops
Follow FlightChops on Twitter:
twitter.com/flightchops
Follow FlightChops on Instagram:
instagram.com/flightchops
Follow FlightChops on Facebook:
facebook.com/flightchops
FlightChops Sponsors & Supporters:
flightchops.com/supporters
FLIGHT CHOPS DISCLAIMER:
I am a "weekend warrior" private pilot, I fly for fun with no intentions of going commercial. I have had my PPL for over 20 years, but still consider each flight a learning experience - I generally take detailed notes after each flight to remind myself what went well or what I could do to improve.... Having GoPro cameras to record flights like this is invaluable. I find these self analysis videos very helpful in my constant quest to improve, and am happy to share. Feedback is invited; however, please keep it positive.
