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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I will throw an additional 1½ cents in
with some ramblings.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Ed and Dave make some interesting points and
comparisons between IMAC (I means scale aerobatics) and pattern. As some
of you who know me, I have been away from pattern for a while. (kids and other
hobbies). I started flying in the early 80’s. Most contests
were 1 day and less than 30 entrants would be unusual. IMAC may have been
in existence, I really do not know but it surely wasn’t as widely known
as it is today.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I just did a google search on IMAC history
and found this article. <a
href="http://www.iac.org/featured/Featured%20Article%20-%20Vol.30,%20No.07%20July%202001.html">http://www.iac.org/featured/Featured%20Article%20-%20Vol.30,%20No.07%20July%202001.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>An excerpt reads as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>In 1976 the National Sport Biplane Association became affiliated with
the IAC and became IMAC.</span></font><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>In
the next few years, membership in IMAC grew, and more model aircraft
manufacturers began producing scale acrobatic aircraft. The Pitts still was
popular, but monoplanes like Leo’s Laser and CAP 21s were also being
built. At this time (early to mid-80s), most of the scale aerobatic models used
in competition were 1/4 scale or less, meaning they had wingspans between 60
and 80 inches and engines ranging from 0.60 to 2.0 cubic inches running on
model airplane fuel (glow fuel).</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>In
the late 80s and early 90s, new high-performance mono-planes began to appear on
the IAC flight line and also at IMAC contests. Extras, Sukhois, and CAPs became
the hot ride of choice. Here is one major advantage of flying models over their
full-scale counterparts—the price difference between a clipped-wing Cub
and an Extra is a nonissue!</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>During
the 90s every kit manufacturer was producing these hot rods in sizes from 1/6
scale to 35 percent scale (54- to 105-inch wingspans), with the larger aircraft
powered by gas engines in the 2.4-to 6.0-cubic-inch range. These scale
acrobatic aircraft were very popular with all modelers. This trend was helpful
to IMAC. Formerly, the soley recognized form of model aerobatic competition
involved "pattern" aircraft that appeared dissimilar to their full-size
cousins- narrow, ultra streamlined, and unnaturally long moments.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>One of the key points is the last
paragraph. As Ed and Dave mentioned these planes were readily
available. Clearly more people, newbies into aerobatics, and not
necessarily looking to fly contests, are going to buy a scale looking plane to
fly aerobatics then a non-scale, although often considered “sexy”
pattern plane to try out aerobatics. Then there was the issue of tuned
pipes, retracts, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Back in the 80’s I do not know anyone
from my area (<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Long Island</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">NY</st1:State></st1:place>) that was flying in IMAC contests.
There was a bunch of pattern flyers though. You would probably find
anywhere between 4 an 8 of us from this area at any local contest for a
while. Now I am told that no one flys pattern anymore around here.
There is a group of IMAC pilots. I am told about 15 or so from <st1:place
w:st="on">Long Island</st1:place> formed a group or club. I did watch a
couple of them practicing one weekend, and you know, it looks a lot like
pattern, just with bigger, maybe better presenting, planes.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I do not know what the local IMAC contest
scene is like but I do know that pattern contests have dwindled in number in
this area. Seems like you have to go farther and farther to find
one. Truthfully (IMO) the 2 day contest has a lot to do with this.
It is much harder for a club to run a 2 day contest and for some people, harder
to attend. I used to always prefer the one day setups when I was flying
competitively. I also didn’t have a lot of money at the time, being
a student, to spend on lodging. Since you are asking club members who are
not pattern or IMAC flyers to put on a contest, which do you think they would
rather watch while running the contest. I suspect more will say 33 to 40%
scale planes then 2M pattern planes. I do not know what the local IMAC
contest scene is like but I know what I would expect to hear from club members
being asked to run one or the other.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><br>
So IMAC is now much better advertised and better know to the masses then it was
in the 80’s. Pattern is certainly still known to exist. The
problem is that there are a limited number of people who want to fly in
competitions. Aerobatic or otherwise. Take the aerobatic
competitors and now you have two similar although different venues for them to
try their skills in. I feel we are still drawing from about the same pool
of flyers just dividing them up between two organizations. We have
already ascertained that it is probably easier to first try an IMAC contest
then it is to try a pattern contest. So more people are trying IMAC
instead of pattern for the first time and their numbers are growing.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Just some scatterd thoughts,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Stuart Chale<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Any pattern flyers on <st1:place w:st="on">Long
Island</st1:place> on this list </span></font><font size=2 color=navy
face=Wingdings><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Wingdings;color:navy'>J</span></font><font
size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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