Rob Holland, a Nashua resident and Daniel Webster College graduate, placed second at the World Aerobatic Championship this month.

Rob Holland didn’t waste any time getting back in the air. Just days after returning from Radom, Poland, where Holland finished second in one of the most prestigious flying competitions in the world, he took off for an air show in Lancaster, Pa., where he flew this past weekend.

“I just can’t remember not wanting to fly,” Holland said in a phone interview from the air show, one of about 20 he will do this year.

The competition in Poland, the 2006 Advanced World Aerobatic Championship, included more than 60 pilots from 21 different countries.

A member of the U.S. national team, the 32-year-old Nashua man took second place overall. The competition is held every two years. In the 2004 event, Holland placed 10th overall.

Holland has been flying for 14 years. He graduated from Daniel Webster College in 1997, and in 2002 opened Aerial Advantage Aviation, along with fellow Daniel Webster grad Kathy Hogan-Bouchie.

Friends and coworkers aren’t surprised by Holland’s impressive showing, considering his natural ability.

“He understands the physics and the mechanical aspects behind the maneuvers,” said Ryan Retelle, a flight instructor at Holland’s school. Retelle also went to Daniel Webster.

“He’s just a superb pilot,” added Retelle. “He’s a natural.”

The competition in Poland was made up of three different events: a sequence provided well in advance that all of the pilots must complete; a freestyle; and the “unknown sequence,” which is provided only 18 hours before the event, meaning little time for practice.

Holland, who grew up in Norton, Mass., said he enjoys the planned-out programs more because they are a true test of skills.

“It has a lot to do with precision,” he said.

Retelle compared the competition to cycling’s Tour de France and soccer’s World Cup. “Multinational competitors come together in one location,” he said.

Like in figure skating, a panel of judges determines which pilots performed best. Retelle said while some may see it as stunt flying, it is anything but.

Going into the competition, Holland said he was at a disadvantage, given that most of the other pilots were flying their own planes. Holland had to borrow a plane from a friend who lived on the other side of the pond.

“It’s just too expensive to bring an airplane over the Atlantic,” he said.

For his finish, Holland received a trophy and a medal. Three members of the U.S. team finished in the top five and the team finished second, just behind Russia.

The U.S. team was made up of eight pilots who qualified for the team, Holland said.

“My goal is to compete in it again,” he said.