1 Day IMAC Contest

[Temptation]

	Quote: Originally Posted by wmat7039
	Hi Mike...Yes, I am aware that the FAI Class have that. However, this thread was directed at one day contests wasn't it? And I don't think that the FAI class is flown at these local contests? Wayne

Wayne, FAI is flown at local contests all the time, as long as there are FAI pilots there to fly, just like any other class.

[wmat7039]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Temptation
	Wayne, FAI is flown at local contests all the time, as long as there are FAI pilots there to fly, just like any other class.

Thanks for the info Mike.

[falcon_az]

Great discussion.

I'm not changing our format but I've also thought my club could offer both a 1 day and a 2 day contest. The goal being to get more local guys, that I'd call "fence setters", flying in the contests.

I'm doing a fun fly this fall and will be doing a "mini-mac" format the afternoon of that event. I'm offering basic and sportsman and the opportunity to fly 3 known rounds. Planes will be 50cc or less but otherwise no restriction.

My goal is to get guys introduced to IMAC by keeping the "contest" short and sweet. I got to thinking that maybe more guys would be interested in IMAC if we could offer a well thought out, 1 day format.

I'd like to keep rolling this around - seems like there are folks out there interested in both formats.

I can still offer a 2 or 3 days of flying in a 1 day event for guys that are coming out of town; the field is available Friday - Sunday and have the contest on Saturday like I discussed earlier. The opportunity then exists for guys to converse and possibly, more experienced guys offer seminars (judging, flying, setups, etc.).

I see the problems in a 1 day event but I'm not sure they are show stoppers. The same goes for the 2 day event, I see some problems there too.

I appreciate the comments and points of view.

[falcon_az]

I think you hit on a key point - driving time.

I'm looking at a contest that was under 2 hours from me as an example. Saturday was a full day but I drove there, flew 3 rounds and drove back that evening - I was happy with that and would have liked to call that a contest. Well of course I drove back Sunday and finished 1 unknown sequence and 1 known round. But my point is we could have easily crowned "class champions" after Saturdays flying - the unknown sequence not-with-standing. Now I've got Sunday... to make my wife happy... she likes it when I work... at home (the ol' bitty - she doesn't fly R/C either... doesn't understand).
Haha!

But I wonder how folks are going to handle driving time this year and the assoicated expenses. I'm hoping we start pulling more guys out of the local area for our IMAC contests and that also is the reason I'm curious about a 1 day contest format.

[1bwana1]

Falcon,
You are correct about using the local one day contests to build interest in precision aerobatics. Our local one day series (EMAC), besides being a success in it's own right, has added about ten pilots to the SW IMAC series in the last year. I would encourage anyone who wants to build interest, and participation in their IMAC regions, to explore the idea of a local level one day event. We get about 20 pilots at each of our (7 per year) events.

We have even added a freestyle contest during the lunch break, and are now drawing some pretty big names to the event.

[falcon_az]

Recommend a format please.
All classes?
How many rounds?
Unknowns?
Timing requirements?
Scoring?
Sanctioning?
Class limitations (3 or more pilots per class or class not offered)?
How many pilots?
Thanks again for sharing your contest format.

[1bwana1]

Falcon,
Happy to help as much as I can, below are the answers to your questions.

Since this is not an IMAC sanctioned event, we do not have to be worried about how our format will affect regional points. It is a local only series, and attracts many people who do not want to spend the time, and money to compete in a series that requires travel. We attract entrants from from about a 150 mile radius from the field. It is a great family venue, right on the beach, and adjoining Sea World, so guys can bring the family for a fun day. We do get many IMAC competitors, and many do end up moving on to compete in IMAC events. If you want your one day events to be part of the IMAC series, you will have more complicated issues to deal with.

Here is a link to an article about the series that Max wrote for the Flying Giants Leading Edge.
A Winter’s Weekend in Southern California


All classes?
We currently offer three classes, Basic for the beginners, Sportsman, and Intermediate. We have people who fly Unlimited (and even Invitational) in IMAC, who fly our Intermediate class. I fly Sportsman in IMAC and Intermediate locally. Great practice for me flying a class up, against great pilots.

How many rounds?
We have a large turnout, usually 20+ pilots,. We want to give the local club fliers who don't compete some flying time in the morning and afternoon. So, we start at 10:00am, and try to be done by 2:30. This limits us to two rounds of two sequences, and a freestyle contest during the lunch break.

Unknowns?
Currently we fly only knowns, we are thinking of adding an Unknown for the highest class. They would get the unknown in the morning, and on the second round, fly one unknown, and immediately fly another known. We'll see how this works out.
Timing requirements?

Scoring?
We score just as you would at an IMAC event. Two judges, same rules, and scoring program. We drop only one sequence.

Sanctioning?
We are our own event, so no sanctioning. We do keep series points, for year end trophies. Surprisingly, we draw a pretty good spectator crowd, so we get good support for prizes from industry sponsors. I think the venue, and freestyle help with this.

Class limitations (3 or more pilots per class or class not offered)?
Never had to face this, as our events are very well attended. I think it would be an issue if it were a sanctioned event, particularly in the higher classes. Our event gets pretty even distribution between the classes.

How many pilots?
A normal event has about 20 entrants, and we have had as many as 30.


Thanks again for sharing your contest format
Your welcome, feel free to ask for more detail if needed. I'm always glad to help.