US Unlimited Team Chosen at the
2025 US Nationals
Each year at the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships, competing pilots are selected for the official U.S. aerobatic teams based on their scores, with team selection alternating every year between the Advanced Team and the Unlimited Team.
2025 was a selection year for the U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic Team. The first-time competitors who made the team are Ekaterina “Kate” Volkova from Seattle, Washington, who flew an Extra 330SC; Brittanee “Britt” Lincoln from Rudyard, Montana/ Oneida, Tennessee, who flew her Extra 330SC (the same one she per formed in at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for the first time in July 2025); Marco Bouw from New Bern, South Carolina, who flew his yellow and purple Sukhoi Su-31 (he’d actually recently returned from flying his first air show in that airplane); and Francis Barros flying an Extra 330SC.
The returning Unlimited Team members are team captain Jeff Boerboon from Cave Creek, Arizona, who is on the team for the sixth time and is flying his Extra 330SC (which he flew with Britt Lincoln at AirVenture in July 2025); Craig Gifford from Oneida, Tennessee who is on the team for the fifth time and is flying his Extra 330SC; A.J. Wilder from California who is on the team for the fifth time and is flying his Extra 330SC; Aaron McCartan from Iowa who is on the team for the second time and is flying his XtremeAir XA41; Goody Thomas from Rock Hill, South Carolina, flying an Extra 330SC; John “Johnny” Wacker from Alabama, who is flying an Extra 330SC, and Steven “Steve” Groshmeyer, who is flying his MX Aircraft MXS.
L to R: John Wacker, Britt Lincoln, Goody Thomas, Aaron McCartan, Craig Gifford, Steve Grohsmeyer, Marco Bouw, Jeff Boerboon, A.J. Wilder, Francis Barros, and Kate Volkova.
33rd World Aerobatic Championships Awarded
to the Batavia, New York
The World Aerobatic Championship is headed back to the USA in 2026 after CIVA delegates attending the 2024 CIVA Plenary accepted a bid presented by U.S. CIVA representative Michael Gallaway.
The planning team consisting of CD Shad Coulson, Rob Holland, John Smutny, Pete Zeliff, Doreen Hillard-Zeliff, Jennifer Vukovic and Monique Hartmann selected Genesee County Airport, Batavia, New York (KGVQ) as the site for the championship.
The proposed schedule begins with an unofficial practice day on August 18th, the Opening Ceremony on August 22nd and official contest flights from August 22nd through August 31st. (Dates may change as the planning team is coordinating with the Wings over Batavia airshow which is scheduled for September 5-6, 2026.)
The airport is a proven location of the Wings Over Batavia airshow the last two years. KGVQ is a non-towered airfield surrounded by mostly farmland. There are four hangars available for use with a total of 20,800 square feet to hangar aircraft, provide office space and a hospitality area.
Batavia is blessed with an abundance of hotels within 1.5 miles of the contest site. Meals, transportation, shelter and dedicate team villages as well as Wi-Fi have been well thought out. Judges’ stations will grace the major points of the compass and all will include portable restrooms, hydration and snacks.
Prior to the contest, four New York locations have been identified for practice areas; Bethany Airpark (8NK4), Geneseo (D52), LeRoy (5G0) and Perry-Warsaw (01G).
Historically the weather is quite favorable for a successful contest with average temperatures at 70.3F with a wind speed of 7mph and average precipitation of .13 inches.
The planning team is proposing to Live Stream the contest, modeled after the U.S. Nationals experience for the last three years. The addition of the Live stream has many benefits including commercialization of the sport, benefits to the local economy, viewing access for friends and family of the competitors, additional sponsorship opportunities, and the video remains accessible online after the end of the event.
The last (Unlimited) world aerobatic championship to be held in the United States was in 2013 in Sherman/Denison, Texas.
READ the presentation. HERE
