Great Things Going On

There are too many great things going on with the IAC for me to cover in the space I have here, so make sure you are subscribed to our In the Loop email newsletter and check in at iac.org often.

The biggest news, as you may have heard, is that we are changing the publication schedule of Sport Aerobatics so we can use our resources to deliver more digital content. We’ve switched from 12 issues of 36 pages each year to 6 issues of 48 pages. This change will save the IAC significantly in paper and postage fees and free us up to do more with our online publications. You will get a little less printed information than before, but do not be alarmed: we will more than make up for it.

Now that 2021 has officially begun we can start talking about 2020 behind its back. Last year was ugly, for a bunch of reasons. I’ll go out on a limb here because I think 2021 is going to be our best year ever. Granted, I’m the guy who thought 2020 would be awesome, but there is nothing wrong letting your passions make a fool of you once in a while! Especially when you see how many amazing things our volunteers are up to! Let me share some of our successes.

New for the 2021 IAC Contest Season is a provisional award program for “Highest Scoring Biplane”. John Housley of IAC Chapter 61 came up with a great idea and followed through on it. There is no better way to get your name in a President’s Page column than to show a bit of chutzpah! Going far beyond the concept stage, he found a sponsor (Aviat), he designed medals, and he reached out to IAC Chapter Presidents to see how much enthusiasm was out there. Way to go, John!

The IAC has recently renewed its relationship with the National Aeronautic Association, the group through which we gain access to the outside world. This is a great time for us to reflect back on 50 years of the IAC fulfilling one of its important missions: to field teams in International competition. We are very grateful for the support of Greg Principato, whose presence on our board is deeply felt and appreciated. I’m happy to note that our partners at CIVA have recently approved IAC board member Peggy Riedinger as an international judge for next year’s European Aerobatic Championships. We congratulate Peggy on her success as a judge and thank her for her service to the aerobatic community.

On the subject of international competition, new for this year is a proposal to revamp the IAC Team selection process. The new proposal is a significant change which I think does a fantastic job of addressing often heard concerns about how we handle this important job. My thanks to Bob Freeman who assembled a Who’s Who of former and current US Aerobatic Team members and spent a lot of time listening to concerns and creating revisions before the board released it for member comment, posted online at iac.org. This collaborative technique is the right approach to get everyone on the same page.

The board selected the dates and the contest director for the 2021 IAC National Championships at their fall board meeting. The contest will be from September 19 to 24 and will take place once again in charming Salina, Kansas. I’m delighted to report that Doug Bartlett has agreed to take the reins this year. This is Doug’s second time as Nationals CD and I have heard absolutely nothing but rave reviews about his performance last time. Let’s wish him the best and offer him a helping hand.

IAC Editor Lorrie Penner has generously donated her free time to clean up our Policies and Procedures documents. The P&P Working Group was led by Lorrie and included help from Lynn Bowes, IAC Secretary Sara Arnold, and IAC Directors Peggy Riedinger and Bob Freeman. The team made a number of recommendations which Lorrie tracked, collated, spindled, and massaged into a complete overhaul. Thank you, Lorrie, keep at it!

Our new IAC Legal Counsel, Craig Fitzgerald, is helping out more than we have any right to expect. Among his many other contributions, I’ve asked Craig to review the IAC by-laws with me. I would like to see a provision that guarantees all of our IAC regions have board representation. This is an approach used by many organizations, including the Academy of Model Aeronautics. An update to the by-laws is not an easy thing to accomplish but if we work together we can do big things. Please reach out if you are interested in digging in.

I cannot talk about volunteers without showing gratitude for our government liaison, Bruce Ballew, who each month helps all of you with your contest waivers. I sometimes worry that the average IACer is not aware enough of the hard work Bruce does for everyone. I cannot overstate how vital this work is. Our sport is under constant assault and Bruce is holding the line for all of us. Thank you, Bruce!

I look forward to your comments on this column or any aspect of the sport of aerobatics.