International Aerobatic Club 35 competition at Hartness Airport

Blue skies and wispy clouds welcomed participants and spectators to Hartness State Airport for a regional aerobatic contest hosted by the International Aerobatic Club 35 (IAC35) on July 12th, 13th, and 14th.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/international-aerobatic-club-35-competition-hartness-airport

nternational Aerobatic Club 35 Competition at Hartness Airport Submitted by admin on Tue, 07/15/2014 - 3:56pm By SUMMER RITTER The Shopper NORTH SPRINGFIELD, VT -Blue skies and wispy clouds welcomed participants and spectators to Hartness State Airport for a regional aerobatic contest hosted by the International Aerobatic Club 35 (IAC35) on July 12th, 13th, and 14th. An aerobatic contest differs from demonstration aerobatics in that participants are not performing “tricks” but rather precise figures and maneuvers in their aircraft. Pilot and starter for the event, Paul Russo, compares aerobatics to figure skating when explaining it to people who are unfamiliar with the sport. Like in figure skating, pilots perform programs and are judged based on their execution. With over 40 participants Russo called this year’s event “one of the largest turnouts so far.” He noted that the location might draw pilots to the event. “A lot of people really like the Green Mountains,” he said. “It’s a very picturesque area to fly.” Participants compete in different classes based on their flying ability. Primary features novice competitors, followed by Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced, and Unlimited, which features the most skilled pilots. The IAC35 competition featured all five categories. “Our five levels allows someone to compete as a real novice person,” said judge and competitor Wes Liu. Pilots in the upper three categories fly three programs in a competition: known, unknown, and an individual program. During the known program a pilot performs a sequence of maneuvers provided with ample time to practice before the contest. The unknown program, on the other hand, is given to participants at the beginning of the competition, leaving them minimal time to study and practice it. Since this is a challenging task, the Primary and Sportsman classes do not fly an unknown program. The individual program is created by the pilot. Judges watch the competitors and grade the execution of the programs against aerobatic standards. Scores are tallied and averaged to determine the winner. As if the programs were not challenging enough, they must be performed within a designated airspace. The majority of participants are amateurs with a few receiving sponsorships. “We have a whole range of participants out here,” said Liu. “We do have some guys that are good enough to have sponsors and fly airshows.” Notably, Goody Thomas, who placed seventh in the World Championship competition participated in the contest. While some participants are world renowned in the sport, or pilots by trade, most participants are not. Liu is a software engineer by day, yet he is able to fly three times a week. He also noted that many of the planes are “home built.” “Personally, I do this for fun,” said Liu. “This is a sport where it is not brute strength. It is all finesse.” While participants were focused on their performance, spectators gathered to watch the competition and see the planes. Paul Guido and Lidia Brown brought out seven-year-old Reed to see the competition. Reed was able to sit in the cockpit of one of the planes. “I like when they go up and dive down. It looks like they’re going to crash,” he said. “It’s a beautiful, well-kept airport,” said Brown who fondly recalled her first flight, which took her from Hartness over her father’s Weston farmland. “I’ve always wanted to fly,” said Guido. “It’s something on the bucket list.” - See more at: http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/international-aerobatic-club-35-competition-hartness-airport#sthash.F2e3PB62.dpuf