UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Jeff Boerboon, Team Captain
As a student at the University of North Dakota, Jeff acquired all of his flying ratings including his first opportunity to fly aerobatics. While at UND, Boerboon was an aerobatic flight instructor and a member of the 1989 and 1990 NIFA National Championship teams.
Since 1999, Jeff has flown for Delta Air Lines as an Airbus 320 captain. Before joining Delta, he flew for Grand Canyon Air Tours and American Eagle Airlines between 1992 and 1999.
Jeff won the U.S. National Aerobatic Championship in 2003 and 2007 in the Advanced Category, as well as in 2010 in the Unlimited Category. He has been a member of both the U.S. Advanced and Unlimited Aerobatic teams, having flown in multiple World Aerobatic Championships, receiving numerous awards and accolades.
In recent years, Jeff has flown airshow performances in the Jack Link’s Jet Waco, the “Screamin’ Sasquatch”. He has also flown the YAK-110, a one-off design that was constructed by joining two Yak-55 fuselages and a jet engine mounted in between. He became inspired to fly aerobatics when he was only seven years old after attending the EAA AirVenture Fly-in and Convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Craig Gifford
Craig has been flying general aviation aircraft his entire life and has over 4500 hours in dozens of different types of aircraft.
He is a returning member of the 2017 US Unlimited Aerobatic Team that won Bronze in South Africa, and the 2019 US Unlimited Aerobatic Team that won Silver at Chateauroux, France. He is also a three-time member of the US Advanced team, having won numerous team and flight medals, as well as placing in the top 10 worldwide twice.
Craig flies an Extra 330SC, which he has flown for 5 years. Originally from Texas, he now lives and works in Onieda, Tennessee. He is a past member of the IAC board of directors and a current national aerobatic judge.
A.J. WIlder
A.J. Wilder is an avid aerobatic competitor with over 25 years of flying experience. He can be found flying his EXTRA 330-SC in aerobatic competitions throughout the U.S. and Europe.
With multiple ratings in nearly every type of flying machine, his passion for flying is unmatched. A.J. is a five-time US team member, one as a US Advanced aerobatic team member finishing 12th overall and ranking as one of the top three scoring pilots for the US that received a 2nd Place Silver team medal in 2018, and as a member of the US Unlimited aerobatic team in 2019.
A.J. co-founded the Figure 1 Foundation in 2015, a nonprofit organization dedicated to granting aviation scholarships to young adults. A.J. is a registered architect and the President of Wolcott Architecture, a successful design firm located in Los Angeles, California.
“I’m honored to be on the US Unlimited aerobatic team again, and I look forward to competing in New York this summer,” said A.J.
Aaron McCartan
Aaron has been an active competitor with the IAC since 2007 and is based in Northern Iowa. He has consistently proven himself as a strong competitor with US National Championship titles in 2013 in Intermediate and back-to-back Advanced National Championship wins for 2016 and 2017. The career highlight to date was a Gold Medal performance on the US Advanced Team during WAAC 2018 in Romania and being part of the trio that brought the USA Silver Medal in the overall standings.
Except for the computer scoring system, Aaron has served the IAC in every volunteer role during his career. This includes service as Contest Director for the 2012 U.S. National Championships.
Aaron transitioned from the Panzl S-330 to the Extra 330SC for his competitive pursuits. He has nearly 3,000 hours total time, over 1,500 hours in tailwheel and aerobatic variants. At WAC this year, he will be flying his XtremeAir XA41.
“My father and I began attending contests in 1991 as non-flying volunteers and in 1992 we helped at a regional contest where the U.S. Unlimited Team was competing in preparation for WAC in France. Seeing the Team dynamic and meeting my heroes as I actively followed the sport was really inspirational. It's a true honor to finally reach this level!' said Aaron.
Ekaterina "Kate" Volkova
Brittanee "Britt" Lincoln
I was born and raised on a ranch in Montana where my grandfather, who was a crop duster, taught me to fly in the family Super Cub on our grass strip (12MT). I earned my private pilot certificate in November 2017. I experienced my first aerobatic flight and learned about the IAC and competition aerobatics in 2019. To say aerobatics has become a part of my life is an understatement. When I thought flying couldn’t get any more fun, I discovered what I refer to as “vitamin G”.
I vividly remember my first IAC contest in Borrego Springs, California, flying Primary in a Super Decathlon with a safety pilot. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at once. I recall feeling like I was flying with my hair on fire; everything seemed to happen so fast. I was in complete awe of the upper-category pilots. I could not fathom how they managed to stay in the box, maintain awareness of their positioning and direction, and fly seemingly impossible sequences. (With “flicks”! What was a “flick”? I didn’t even know.) And cleanly flying an Unknown seemed like something only superhumans could do. I was even more inspired when I attended the U.S. Nationals and first watched the Unknowns being flown. It was incredible to watch such beautiful flying and see some of the world’s best pilots fly through an Unknown flight like it was their Freestyle.
In 2022 I qualified for the team for the first time and was a member of the 2023 US Advanced Aerobatic Team. We competed at the World Advanced Aerobatic Championships (WAAC) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Being part of the team and competing together at the world level was an inspiring and motivating experience. I was proud to be on the podium at the WAAC as part of Team USA which earned a 3rd place medal.
In 2024, I again qualified for the Advanced team. The team competed at WAAC in Sármellék, Hungary. Team USA brought home bronze medals for our overall team result, with three of our pilots (Craig, Kyle, and me) finishing in the overall top 1/3. I was thrilled when I placed second in the Free Unknown II flight, earning an individual silver medal.
I am honored and excited to be a part of Team 2025 and continue this journey of learning and constant improvement with my teammates. I am grateful for my family and friends, who have supported me and believed in me in this journey — specifically, my grandparents, Roger and Mable, who taught me I can do anything, and Craig Gifford, who shares his knowledge and experience, helps refine my flying, and has always believed in me even when I doubted myself.
Marco Bouw
I first started flying at 17 and have progressed in my training all the way up to an airline transport pilot certificate with multiple type ratings. I started as a truck driver with my family company until I was able to achieve my ratings and become a full-time pilot. I am now a full-time pilot for a Part 91/135 company flying the Bombardier Global 5000/5500/6000.
Flying a Citabria back in 2010 got me started flying aerobatics before buying my own Pitts Special S-1S. A few years after acquiring my Pitts, I had an unfortunate accident and totaled the aircraft. A few years later, I bought a Laser Z200, which I flew for three years and used to qualify for the 2023 U.S. Advanced Aerobatic Team. After selling the Laser, I moved on to my dream airplane, the Sukhoi Su-31. This particular tail number is familiar to spectators at the world championships, as it has been associated with greats such as Mikhail Mamistov, who won a bronze medal at the 2013 WAC, and had completed many top 10 finishes with its previous owner, Michael Racy.
I believe that as you progress through your career, there are always people to inspire you at different times, but the person who inspired me to compete and fly a level above what I thought I could achieve was Hubie Tolson, a former U.S. team member in 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009. Because of him, I decided to fly a Sukhoi, and I developed a love for the aircraft.
This year’s WAC is fascinating not only because it is on our home soil, but also because we’ve assembled a diverse group that consists of both seasoned world competition pilots and some who will be attending their first world championship event. Looking to August, we have a lot of work to do to get ready.
Lastly, I would like to thank my wife, Megan Bouw, and my mum and dad, Martie and Marie Bouw, for their help in getting me to this point and the sacrifices they made to allow me to chase these dreams. I’d also like to thank the team, donors and sponsors, as well as the IAC for creating a great club for pilots where straight and level isn’t enough!
Francis Barros
Goody Thomas
Steve Grohsmeyer
John Wacker
