Dues Increase and Aerosports Insights

Dues Increase

The big news to share is that the IAC Board recently approved a much-needed dues increase. The IAC has been charging $45/year for memberships since 2001. In constant inflation-adjusted dollars, that would be $75 in today’s money. After some debate about the various approaches, the IAC’s finance committee recommended an increase that splits the difference. Starting in October, dues will be $60 annually.

This is obviously a big jump, and I’m sure there will be questions from some concerned members. But our costs are rising along with everything else in an inflationary economy, and this move is important for the IAC’s future financial health.

Rather than increase the dues to a level that would simply allow us to survive, I’m pleased the board agreed to an increase that will also allow us to finally update our web site. Our web site is an amazing resource created and maintained by our volunteer IT team. They do a great job, but volunteers simply cannot find the time between money-making endeavors to upgrade the site as often as our members would like. Consequently, our site is not the best to look at on mobile devices, and it lags behind the other EAA divisions in aesthetic appeal. Superstar IAC volunteer DJ Molny stepped up to the plate, sourced a list of potential vendors, interviewed them, and made a recommendation to the board. The new site is currently being developed and will hopefully be rolled out around the end of the year.

I know that dues increases are not fun for everyone, and we might lose some members over the extra $15, but I hope we can all agree that in the real world, where we buy things with money that is constantly inflating, adjustments like this must happen from time to time. If there are any questions please send them my way.

Aerosports Conference

It’s a shame that more IACers do not know Greg Principato. Greg is the President of the National Aeronautic Association, more commonly abbreviated as NAA. As President of the NAA, which governs all USA Aerosports awards and records, Greg has a seat on the IAC board. He is a calm, professional person who stays silent most of the time, but gives great advice when the board needs it most.

Recently, Greg invited me and the leaders of several other Aerosports groups to Dallas, Texas, for some information sharing. At first you might think that the world of aerobatic competition doesn’t have much in common with the world of model airplanes, or ballooning, or powered parachutes. But it turns out we have plenty in common. In fact, the various Aerosports groups Greg interfaces with are more alike than different.

For example, I was fascinated to learn that in every aerosport, there is a similar percentage of competitors to members. In the IAC we have about 400 competitors and about 4,000 total members, so about 10% of our members compete. Sometimes I hear arguments about how that percentage is too high or too low. It turns out that it matches well with several other groups. The USPA (parachutes) has 42,000 members, about 3,000 of them compete. The SSA (sailplanes) has 10,000 members, about 1,000 of whom compete. It seems after much discussion that the IAC is in a normal range. Whether 10% is the “right” number is still a matter of debate, but at least we know we aren’t an outlier.

I learned a lot of other things that I won’t have space to explain here, but obviously we are all facing inflation and are contemplating or are in the middle of enacting dues increases, we all seem to have the same troubles dealing with our government, and everyone is trying to decide what to do with their magazine vs social media.

After some great roundtable discussion, I came up with a list of the products we all have in common. Every aerosport organization has a web site, social media, and a magazine. They all maintain standings. They all advocate for safety and help people find training. They are responsible for sanctioning contests. They provide insurance. They work with the government on behalf of their members. They provide community and help people share knowledge.

I have to say it was the most informative discussion I’ve enjoyed in a while and I look forward to more opportunities to connect with this group.

Trip to the Pitts Museum

It seems like about once a week someone tells me I should trade my monoplane for a Pitts so I like to remind people every so often that I love all airplanes. In fact, I had an adorable Pitts S-1 until recently when a local pilot convinced me to part ways with it. They are such great handling airplanes that I think every aerobatic pilot could use some time in one.

Recently I visited the Pitts Flying Museum. I took some pictures and I understand we are working on a full write up. This is definitely worth going to if you are in the Phoenix area!

Also in biplane news, I see that Tony Horvath and Josh Pruzek’s Pitts S-1-11b project is being covered in this month’s issue. I am not often jealous of someone else’s airplane, but the beauty of this plane can’t be captured in a photograph. Tony always does great work, so I’m delighted to see him and Josh get some limelight.

That’s all for me this month, please contact me at president@iac.org.