Bob’s interest in airplanes and aviation started at a young age and was inspired by his Dad.  As part of a model airplane club trip with his Dad and friends, his 1st exposure to “real airplanes” and aerobatics was a weekend camping trip to the Antique Association Fly In held at Ottumwa, Iowa, where he saw Art Scholl demonstrate the Lomcevak to the amazement of all.  At that time, he commented “who in their right mind would do such a thing?”. 
Little did he realize at that point, how he would later become so passionate about  aerobatics.

Dave Freeman, Bob’s dad, got his private license when Bob was in Junior High School.  Bob started lessons at age 17 and earned his private license at 18.  He now has about 4600 hours of flying time, roughly half of which is aerobatic. 

Bob graduated from the University of  Missouri @ Rolla in 1978 (now Missouri School of Science and Technology), Summa Cum Laude, with a BS in Mechanical Engineering.  He has worked in the field of data storage technology for most of his career and now is and Executive Director, managing a group of electrical and mechanical engineers in the design and development of servo/mechanical systems for Hard Disc Drives at Seagate Technology in Longmont, CO.

Bob is married to Pam Freeman and has two teenage boys, Ted and Sam.   Bob’s great fortune is the great love and support provided by his family in his passion of flying aerobatics.  Pam is a pilot as well, and both boys express interest in aviation.

Bob is rated as an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) with CFI, CFII ratings.  He took a 3 year sabbatical from the storage industry to work for SkyWest Airlines as a regional airline pilot in the early 90’s.

Bob was in high school in 1972 when the US Aerobatic team (team members Mary Gaffney, Charlie Hillard Gene Soucy) won the World Championship in France.  From those early days, Bob was inspired by the idea of someday flying as a representative of the USA in a world championship. 

In 1985, Bob entered his 1st competition in Eloy, Arizona,  finishing 3rd in Sportsman and earning the high scoring 1st time Sportsman trophy with just 3 hours (on the way home) from purchasing an AcroDuster II.  He flew that AcroDuster II for 12 years before selling the airplane to get the money to finish the Giles G200 that he flies now.

In January 2000, just prior to completion of the G200, Bob was diagnosed with Leukemia.   This was a life changing event.  Bob’s view and actions since his diagnosis reflect his strong belief that a cancer diagnosis does not mean the end of your dreams.  It is a wake up call that you can’t afford to put your dreams on a waiting list, to get around to when it is convenient.  Bob’s airplane carries the “LiveStrong” message in reference to the Lance Armstrong Cancer Awareness organization.  It is Bob’s desire to convey a message of hope and inspiration for cancer patients and their families. 

In July of 2000 the G200 was completed and Bob began serious efforts to qualify for the US Advanced Aerobatic team, which he did in 2001.   In 2002, he flew at the World Championships in Murska – Sobota, Slovenia where he finished 4th overall out of 56 world class pilots representing the likes of Russia, France, Great Britain, RSA, etc…  He was the highest scoring US Pilot at the 2002 AWAC.  Upon return from AWAC, he underwent chemo-therapy for the Leukemia and enjoyed a 6+ year remission.    Since qualifying for the 2010 US AWAC team in September, Bob has started a new round of chemo-therapy with an expectation of another excellent response and remission.  He is looking forward to his opportunity to represent the US again, this time in Poland.  

Bob is one of 4 US AWAC team veterans on the 2010 US AWAC team.  He finished 2nd at the US Nationals in 2004.  He has numerous wins in Advanced and Unlimited regional contests over the past 5 years.  He was the South Central Regional Advanced Champion in 2004 and finished 2nd Place in the South Central Region in Unlimited in 2006.

Bob has accumulated  9 years of experience flying the Giles G200.  The aircraft has an intense 500 deg/second roll rate and vertical performance that is truly astounding. 

It has been a long running goal and dream of Bob to represent the US as a member of the US Aerobatic Team.  The 2002 AWAC experience was infinitely challenging and rewarding and was a life changing experience.  He is looking forward to another great experience and a superior performance over his 4th place finish in Slovenia.  He intends to be a significant contributor in the US team defending the Gold in Poland next summer.