Your Passion and Ideas — Put Them to Work

As I type this, I’m a couple of days away from assuming the position of IAC President. My thanks to everyone who participated in the election regardless of who you voted for. Voter turnout was especially high this year which is fantastic news.

I’m delighted to report that contest activity has started up. I think aerobatics is a great way to pass the time during a pandemic. I can’t think of a sport that offers more social isolation than solo aerobatics. So hopefully you are all getting some great practice time in even if there are no contests near you. I bet your rivals are putting the time to good use.

The widespread shutdowns across the nation have of course impacted our operations in a number of ways. The cancellation of our U.S. National Aerobatic Championships is a hard blow to many of us, but absolutely necessary due to the logistical challenges we would have faced. The board met and discussed the pros and cons and decided it simply couldn’t happen this year. This decision has some side effects such as the qualifications for the prestigious L. Paul Soucy award, which includes a requirement that one of the scores used for the total be taken from the U.S. Nationals. Another side effect is a hit to our pocketbook. The IAC thankfully has a large reserve due to the careful planning of past administrations, but this year we will be dipping into it at a level we never dreamed. I will be working with the finance committee to reduce our losses as much as possible in 2020 and to plan for a lean 2021 as well. While the situation around the country may seem pretty dim, frustrating, and overly politicized at times, the future for aerobatics is bright and vibrant. We will get through this and come out the other side with a new found vigor for our passions. There is always good news to be found if we look for it, so take heart and maintain a balanced media diet.

During my trip to France last year as part of the U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic Team attending the World Aerobatic Championships, I took some time to visit with one of France’s flying clubs near Amiens. France’s focus on flying clubs is a proven solution to the problems many of us face in the United States as we struggle to independently acquire, insure, and maintain our aircraft. This month Bruce Mamont shares with us Part 2 of his article on flying clubs. Flying clubs and partnerships make so much sense for aerobatic enthusiasts because of the way we use our planes: There aren’t going to be any scheduling conflicts to worry about if you and your partners are mostly flying 20 minutes at a time. I think flying clubs will only grow in popularity, so now is a great time to learn all about this exciting option. EAA has a Flying Club Resource Center on its website that will give you all of the details Bruce couldn’t fit into the space we gave him.

Another exciting development for the IAC is the new Mastery of Flight Achievement Award. Our Achievement Award co-chairs, Dave Watson and Brittanee Lincoln, came up with a real winner of an idea. They wrote up a proposal, submitted it to the board, and patiently worked out improvements in committee before gaining the board’s approval. They’ve shown everyone that positive change happens when you are willing to roll up your sleeves and dig in! The Mastery of Flight award adds a new award at the highest level of the Achievement Award tier, accessible only to those who have successfully mastered both powered aircraft and gliders. I am a big fan of glider aerobatics having just received my glider rating this spring, and I hope to be one of the first to obtain this new award!

IAC Director Bob Freeman also approached the board with an idea, creating a new award that will sit in the IAC trophy case at our pavilion in Oshkosh. The National Championship Point Series, nicknamed the Leo Award, is a new award named after Leo Loudenslager, with his family’s permission, that will encourage our members to travel outside of their region to earn points. This is a great way to reward people for spending the time and money it takes to campaign across the nation with their aircraft. I expect it to become a highly competitive award.

Let me close by saying that the IAC needs you. It needs your passion. It needs your ideas. It needs your vision. It needs your labor. It needs you no matter what your income or skill level. This is an organization built by and for you. The IAC will change and grow with your help. If you have an interest in pitching in to preserve us, change us, or build something new, please reach out to me at president@iac.org. I’d love to hear from you.