Aerobatics Server      

President's Year End Message

[International Aerobatic Club] [Articles etc] [Communications] [Contest and Patch Information] [Aviation Organizations] [Other Aerobatics Info] [Aerobatics Images] [Other Aerobatics Links] [Other Aviation Info (including weather)] [Search ACRO Website]

Disclaimer: These aerobatics pages are developed by individual IAC members and do not represent official IAC policy or opinion.


President's Year End Message


DATE: December, 1995

FROM: Linda Hamer
IAC President

The following memo was sent to all IAC Chapter Presidents, Progarm Chairman, and IAC Board this week:

REFLECTIONS ON 1995

The Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Year for IAC is quickly coming to and end and we soon will be entering 1996. Founders, IAC Past Presidents, and early supporters were honored for their work in the formation and ongoing growth of IAC. In keeping with that age old saying, "Out with the Old and In with the New!", expectations for IAC in 1996 are very good.

Reflecting on this past year, we have seen our contest activity grow and membership has grown to the highest ever. With the increased growth the financial cost of the organization has increased; however, the financial picture for the year is greatly improved over last, and is showing positive results. Weather plagued both IAC sponsored contests this year and also affected many of the Regional contests. SPORT AEROBATICS publication has endured long delays and is slowly catching up. Members use of electronic communication from e-mail to Internet has increased.

Following the resignation of Iris Birdsong as our Executive Director, an emergency session of the IAC Board convened to determine the best location for the Executive Office and to hire an Executive Director. Doug McConnell kindly stepped in to fulfill the Executive Director responsibilities while Mike Heuer agreed to handle the editorship of SPORT AEROBATICS in the interim. The Board has taken positive steps to address many of the problems which occurred in 1995 and is very optimistic in looking to 1996. A synopsis of our Fall IAC Board meeting follows along with other pertinent news:

IAC BOARD MEETS IN OSHKOSH

The IAC Board of Directors met at the EAA Aviation Center in Oshkosh, November 10th and 11th. Following our meeting we participated in a joint session with all of the EAA Divisions, EAA and EAA Foundation Board members.

Eleven IAC Board members were in attendance and three proxies were registered. Board members welcomed our new Executive Director, Sharon Heuer. Sharon's office hours will be 8:15 am to 5:00 pm daily with phone, 414/426-6574. Sharon has signed on with Compuserve, 103203.2314@Compuserve.com.

Tom Poberezny addressed the Directors during the meeting. He covered the Editor position for SPORT AEROBATICS, policy guidelines regarding content of our magazine, and what the Board expected of the Editor. He further addressed our IAC sponsored competitions and announced EAA's hiring of a new Director of Operations, David Hunter. Tom also expressed his desire to communicate with the IAC Board on any problems pertaining to EAA Administration. A letter of agreement will be formulated outlining IAC and EAA's role for the new executive office and director.

The Board concurred that an interview committee would be set up to select an Editor for SPORT AEROBATICS. I am pleased to announce we have contracted with Karen Diamond of K.Diamond Communications in Omaha, Nebraska to be our new Editor. Karen brings a wide variety of talent with her which I know will be well utilized in our magazine. Karen's first issue will be the February, 1996 issue of SPORT AEROBATICS. She will work with Managing Editor, Sharon Heuer to formulate a strategic plan for the next 12-18 months for SPORT AEROBATICS. It was further agreed that Sharon will write the "Update" column for the magazine since the most current information will be crossing her desk first on a daily basis.

IAC FINANCIAL POSITION

Treasurer, Doug McConnell, reported to the Board that the financial status of the Club is showing positive results. A budget was approved for 1996. Doug presented the Board with a new streamlined and easier to read format of financial reporting which we are hopeful will be available to us by the first of the year. To keep you more up to date on finances, Doug plans to report to you from time to time in SPORT AEROBATICS on various financial information.

IAC INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS - FOND DU LAC The IAC International Aerobatic Championships at Fond du Lac will undergo some changes for the coming year in order to dovetail with the EAA Fly-in and pay respect to everyone's personal time. Dates for the event will move to the Friday following the EAA Fly-in and go through Tuesday. Registration will begin on Thursday. An invitation to compete in the IAC International competition in Fond du Lac in 1996 will be extended to all the Team pilots from around the world who will be entering the WAC '96 in Oklahoma. The Board is considering the possibility of flying the Fond du Lac Cup in 1996 instead of the 4-minute program.

U.S. NATIONAL GLIDER AEROBATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

The U.S. National Glider Aerobatic Championships which in recent years have been held during the Fond du Lac competition, will be relocated to a regional contest in 1996. With the growth in glider competition, time constraints to get all flights complet- ed before the start of powered competition has become a real challenge, especially when weather has delayed flights. We hope this change will allow for better recognition of the U.S. Glider Aerobatic Championships.

IAC SPONSORED COMPETITIONS

There are two competitions sponsored annually by the IAC. The IAC International Aerobatic Championships in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and the U.S. Aerobatic Championships in Denison, Texas. The event held at Fond du Lac offers IAC members worldwide an opportunity to vie for trophies and titles of IAC Aerobatic Champion in all powered categories.

SEARCH FOR CONTEST DIRECTORS

Contest Directors and Assistant Contest Directors for both the IAC Championships at Fond du Lac and the U.S. Aerobatic Championships in Denison, Texas are being sought. An Assistant Director would help with contest preparations and will gain valuable first hand experience and knowledge. It is desirable to have the Assistant Contest Director move into the Contest Director position the following year.

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION COUNCIL

One of the most exciting outcomes of our Board meeting was approval for the establishment of an Aerobatic Accident Investigation Council. Your IAC Board has been monitoring aerobatic accident and incident occurrences and feels the establishment of this council will be a great benefit in helping to increase the safety of our sport, to enhance our ongoing safety programs and help to curb the accident rate in our sport. The program will somewhat mirror the EAA's Aeromedical and Legal Councils. I would like to see this Council be set up with a group of the most knowledgeable individuals in accident investigation and aerobatic knowledge across the country.

U.S. AEROBATIC FOUNDATION

TEAM ADMINISTRATION                  TEAM PERSONNEL
Trainer         John Morrissey       Robert Armstrong     
Manager         Fred Peters          Matthew Chapman   
Chief Judge     Alan Geringer        Ellen Dean           
Assistant Judge Howard Stock         Michael Goulian
Chief Mechanic  Richard Miller       Diane Hakala   
Mechanic        Gary Monckton        Phillip Knight    
Line Person     Paul West            John Lillberg
Video           Lew Shattuck         Linda Meyers Morrissey
                                     Debby Rihn-Harvey
                                     Patty Wagstaff    
The U.S. Aerobatic Foundation reports training by the U.S. Team for the 1996 World Aerobatic Championships is underway. Each pilot has been allocated a specific sum to hire a training coach for this coming year. The Team is unified and focused on winning the Gold in 1996!

SUMMARY - CIVA DELEGATE REPORT

CIVA Delegate, Bob Davis, attended the November 1995 CIVA meeting in Colmar, France. The U.S. delegation attending was represented by Mike Heuer, President; Bob Davis, US Delegate; Veva Becker, CIVA Secretary and member of the CIVA Bureau. John Morrissey, US Team Trainer attended as an Observer. Fourteen countries have indicated they would attend the 1996 WAC in Oklahoma City. This would indicate a possible 60 plus pilots. John Gaillard was selected to be Chief Judge for the 1996 WAC. The 1996 Unlimited, which was submitted by Russia, was chosen from a possible list of 5 proposals, including the U.S. proposal. Monty Barrett from Tulsa, OK will be heading the Tech Committee. CIVA will pay entry fees for Assistant Judges listed on the FAI International Judges List at the World Championships in Oklahoma City. The All Sports Association of Oklahoma City will sponsor the contest in 1996. Dates are will be August 18-30, 1996.

The 1997 World Air Games to be held in Antyla, Turkey will include the World Glider Aerobatic Championships. Dates for this event are September 12-21, 1997. This means the U.S. proposal to host World Glider competition here in the U.S. will be moved to 1999.

CIVA will purchase height measuring devices that have been developed and tested at glider championships by Peter Huber of Austria. These will be used officially at all FAI Glider Aerobatic Championships. It is possible these could be used for powered aircraft as well.

Approval was received from CIVA for the U.S. to host the Advanced World Aerobatic Championships in 1997. IAC Director, Tom Myers, is heading up an effort to select a site for the event. Presently, three sites are high on the consideration list. Australia's proposal was chosen for the 1996 AWAC Known. It is a difficult sequence to be performed by a Pitts S-2A. With no AWAC on the calendar for 1996 this will have little effect on the U.S.

Substance abuse was discussed at CIVA and resulted in the requirement that local contest rules must have information if testing is required by the host countries government. This may need to be addressed in 1996 at the AWAC.

CIVA Rules Changes:

  1. New figures were added to Family 7 of the FAI Aerobatic Catalogue. These will take effect on January 1, 1996. The catalogue will be amended.
  2. A Change was made to Judging Criteria, Page 34F.2.2. The Quarter loop at the top and bottom of Family 1 figures no longer have to have the same radius. The top must have a smooth and constant radius.
  3. Pilot names are to be deleted from Forms A, B, and C prior to being given to the judges.
  4. Maximum tailwind components in the box were changed from 5m/sec to 3m/sec.
  5. The name "Class 2" was changed to Advanced .
  6. There were no restrictions adopted regarding Unlimited pilots participating in Advanced Championships. Aircraft restrictions were revised. In general, the Sukhoi, CAP, and Extra aircraft have been excluded. Aircraft included in the list are the Zlin 50's, Yak 55's, and all of the Pitts models. CIVA can approve additional types, which is necessary on all aircraft of 260 hp or more, on request.
Breitling informed FAI and CIVA that they will no longer sponsor the "Breitling World Cup of Aerobatics". It is possible Breitling may sponsor a like event without the sanction of FAI or CIVA. President Heuer announced that any pilots who compete in unrecognized events face the possibility of revocation of their FAI Sporting Licenses and eligibility to fly in the World Aerobatic Championships. This is noted in the General section of the FAI Sporting Code, 3.3.1, Recognition of Events.

Mike Heuer was reelected as President of CIVA. Veva remains with the CIVA Bureau and Bob Davis remains as a member of the Judging Sub-Committee and the Site Survey Group.

JUDGING

Bill McIntyre has submitted his resignation and has asked to be removed from the Judges Evaluation Program. I wish to thank Bill for his contribution to Judging Evaluation over the years.

Ray Rose is now heading up Judges Schools. He has already listed several schools for 1996. Ray replaces Liza Weaver who did an excellent job in this program.

Judging standards and judging evaluation have moved ahead. The IAC Board has adopted the Judges Performance Factors (JPF) now being used by CIVA. Results are to be confidential. When the ability to adapt the program to individual maneuvers becomes available, IAC will implement the procedure.

The Board concluded that the IAC Judges Newsletter, which has gained instant popularity, should be included in SPORT AEROBATICS rather than mailed specifically to those who are IAC Judges. In this way our entire membership can gain from the shared knowledge.

INSURANCE

The board once again reaffirmed our participation with Forest Agency as our insurance agent for group insurance. Forest has been with us for many years and has consistently offered competitive rates to our members as well as competitive rates for our contests. This past year Forest has experienced a larger than usual number of claims, some of them due to fatalities. We must work even harder to reduce the accidents occurring in our sport.

RULES

The 1996 Known Sequences have been approved with only slight modification this year. The Unlimited sequence which CIVA adopted for 1996 was also approved.

A note of clarification in the rules: To compete in the Unlimited Category you must have a current FAI license. You may not apply at the contest and fly there, you must bring it with you.

I have attached the rule changes which were finalized at the November meeting. They will take effect on January 1, 1996.

There seems to be a growing interest to offer a wider variety of competitive sequences in various categories. Please direct your thoughts and ideas on this to our Rules Committee Chairman, Howie Stock. If there is merit in this idea, the Rules Committee will follow with a proposal to the Board.

FAA

The FAA has approved the extension of the fuel exemption, Exemption No. 5745, 91.151(a)(1)of Title 14. This exemption permits the IAC and IAC members participating in IAC-sponsored competitions to begin a daytime flight in an airplane under visual flight rules conditions when there is enough fuel to be able to fly for at least 20 minutes after the first point of intended landing. This exemption is extended to September 30, 1997. This does not extend to practice of competition.

I have not received final word on implementation by the FAA of the new Chapter 48 which deals with our aerobatic competition boxes and practice areas. When received, I will pass the notice along.

SUN N'FUN

Jim and Jean Taylor will head up IAC's Sun N'Fun exhibit again this year. The board took no action at this meeting regarding the proposed building for Sun N'Fun.

NEW BYLAW AMENDMENT PROPOSED

I received a new proposal to amend the IAC Bylaws. This amendment comes from Chapter 25 in Houston. In summary the proposal is to hold the IAC Annual Business Meeting at the U.S. Nationals.

It is within all members rights to propose amendments such as this in accordance with our process for amending the bylaws. The process that must follow is to have the proposal reviewed for legality by our legal counsel. If it is a legal proposal then each member must be notified of the proposed amendment prior to the Annual Business Meeting. The proposal is to be voted on at the next Annual Business meeting or Special Meeting of the membership.

Each time a proposal is made it costs our organization, not only in time expended, but most importantly it reduces the funds available for member activities. I would ask all of you to carefully consider any proposed amendment to the bylaws. Will it make a definite change for the better in your organization? Will it increase the stature of your organization? Is it something that could be dealt with in another manner rather than through a costly amendment process?

ELECTRONIC MAIL

I have reported to you previously on the progress with electronic mail and IAC participation. Guenther Eichorn will head up IAC Electronic Communications. Guenther will post "Official" IAC information which will either come from the IAC President's office or the IAC Executive Director.

In conclusion, the Fall Board of Directors meeting was very productive. As the 1995 year comes to a close we can now look foward to completing our transition process. We all know that transitions are never easy for any organization. You have been patient during all of this process and the Board greatly appreciates it. It is with great confidence that we announce the addition of Sharon Heuer and Karen Diamond, two very talented individuals who will be of significant help during the coming months and years. Please welcome them.

I wish to extend to all of you my personal thanks for your consideration this past year and the sincere contributions that all of you have given in our transitions. My best to you in 1996!

Yours truly,

Linda L. Hamer
IAC President


If you have aerobatics related information that you would like to make available, please contact me at the email address below.

Last Update: Sun Dec 17 15:43:47 2006


© Dr. Günther Eichhorn
Springer 101 Philip Drive Norwell, MA 02061 USA, Email Guenther Eichhorn