MAY 2016

TM

Spins Intentional & Unintended

Annual Safety Issue The All New 2017 Lincoln MKZ

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2016-May_MKZ_EAA_Divis_Ad.indd 1 3/18/16 4:17 PM OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB

Vol. 45 No.5 May 2016 A PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB

CONTENTSOFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB From the Guinness World Records’ point of view, more is more; however, I was never satisfied only advancing the record by three turns, so I set out to crush it on my next attempt—and 100 is a nice, round number. FEATURES —Spencer Suderman

14 Setting the Inverted Flat-Spin Record by Spencer Suderman

20 23 Seconds by John Morrissey

26 Growing New Judges by Wes Liu

27 A-Form Chicken Scratches by Wes Liu COVER DEPARTMENTS Spencer Suderman breaking his inverted -spin record over 2 Letter From the Editor Yuma, Arizona. Reggie Paulk Photo courtesy of Spencer Suderman. 3 President’s Column Mike Heuer 4 Lines & Angles 10 Letter to the Editor 11 Sequence Committee Responds 28 Ask Allen 30 Contest Calendar 32 FlyMart & Classified Ads

www.iac.org 1 OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB

EDITOR’S LOG

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB BY REGGIE PAULK

PUBLISHER: Mike Heuer The Importance of IAC MANAGER: Trish Deimer-Steineke [email protected] MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL920-426-6574 AEROBATIC CLUB EDITOR: Reggie Paulk Upset Recovery Training

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS: Learning about the unexpected Mike Heuer Reggie Paulk Wes Liu Allen Siver John MorrisseyOFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONALSpencer Suderman AEROBATIC CLUB May is the month we again difcult to recognize. If there is any focus on fying safety, and one lesson at all to be learned about IAC CORRESPONDENCE theme I’ve heard over and over spins, it is that pilots should receive International Aerobatic Club, P.O. Box 3086 again is that a competition spin is training from a qualifed instructor Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 nothing like an inadvertent spin. I in both intentional and uninten- Tel: 920.426.6574 • Fax: 920.426.6579 E-mail: [email protected] can’t tell you the number of times tional spin entry and recovery pro- experienced pilots, many of whom cedures. In addition, the training ADVERTISING have been fying aerobatics for a should include both upright and Vice President of Business Development: number of years, have been taken inverted spins and spin recovery Dave Chaimson [email protected] by surprise when they enter an modes. Advertising Manager: unintentional spin. Since we’re focusing heavily Sue Anderson [email protected] on spins, it only makes sense to

MAILING: Change of address, lost or damaged feature Spencer Suderman, who magazines, back issues. Since we’re recently broke his own record of EAA-IAC Membership Services an 81-turn inverted fat spin and Tel: 800.843.3612 Fax: 920.426.6761 focusing heavily achieved a 98-turn inverted fat E-mail: [email protected] spin over Yuma, Arizona. Te in- on spins, it only teresting thing about Spencer’s achievement isn’t the actual record, EAA® and SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA Logo® and Aeronautica™ are makes sense to registered trademarks and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft but the amount of research that Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service marks without went into the efort. I was amazed the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly feature Spencer to read he had made two failed prohibited. Copyright © 2015 by the International Aerobatic Club, Inc. attempts at the record toward the All rights reserved. Suderman. . . end of last year. But he persevered, The International Aerobatic Club, Inc. is a division of EAA and of the and continues to hold the record. NAA. Although, I’ll bet he’s not going to

A STATEMENT OF POLICY The International Aerobatic Club, I recently had the pleasure of a be able to sleep too well knowing Inc. cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy of the material conversation with John Morrissey, he only needs two more turns to presented by the authors of the articles in the magazine. The pages whose “23 Seconds” article again break the 100 mark! When is that of Sport Aerobatics are offered as a clearing house of information and a forum for the exchange of opinions and ideas. The individual appears in this magazine. He was next attempt, Mr. Suderman? reader must evaluate this material for himself and use it as he sees kind enough to send me a DVD I want to take a moment to fit. Every effort is made to present materials of wide interest that will of his called Survive the Spin. In thank all of the volunteers who go be of help to the majority. Likewise we cannot guarantee nor endorse it, John gives a frank lecture on out of their way each year to help any product offered through our advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained the unique aerodynamics of spins; the IAC be the thriving and vibrant through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. factors that can exacerbate or help organization it is today. From vol- Sport Aerobatics (USPS 953-560) is owned by the International recover from a spin and, more unteer coordinators to recorders, Aerobatic Club, Inc., and is published monthly at EAA Aviation Center, Editorial Department, P.O. Box 3086, 3000 Poberezny Rd., Oshkosh, importantly, demonstrates actual judges, and CDs, the IAC depends WI 54903-3086. Periodical Postage is paid at Oshkosh Post Office, modes encountered during typi- on the generosity of people who Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and other post offices. Membership rate for cal intentional and unintentional give freely of their time out of the International Aerobatic Club, Inc., is $45.00 per 12-month period of which $18.00 is for the subscription to Sport Aerobatics. Manuscripts spin entries with in-fight videos. sheer love for our sport. Tank you submitted for publication become the property of the International Watching the in-fight videos to all of you who often go unnamed Aerobatic Club, Inc. Photographs will be returned upon request of proves that without training, many and unrecognized—you are the the author. High-resolution images are requested to assure the best unintentional spin modes are very lifeblood of the IAC. IAC quality reproduction. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sport Aerobatics, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. CPC 40612608 Please submit news, comments, articles or suggestions to: [email protected]

2 Sport Aerobatics May 2016 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

BY MIKE HEUER, IAC PRESIDENT, IAC 4 The Nationals—A New Location in 2017

Excitement on the horizon

Since 1972 the U.S. National Aerobatic Cham- increase in trafc in 2017. Considering that one of our pionships has been held at what is now North Texas categories took seven hours to complete 26 fights last Regional Airport (KGYI). Until 1971 the airfeld year, we agreed the location was no longer acceptable. was known as Perrin Air Force Base. After closing it If delays are combined with bad weather, category became the Grayson County Airport and frst hosted fight programs would end up being canceled, and our the Nationals the following year. pilot members would not get their money’s worth. Ev- My frst Nationals was in 1968, when it was orga- eryone comes to fy, to judge, and to volunteer—not to nized and sanctioned by the Aerobatic Club of America sit around. Terefore, the decision was made to move (ACA). I was there with my family, as my father was the Nationals, and we explored several locations. fying Unlimited in our Ryan ST-A. It almost seems In the end we received bids from Muskogee, Okla- unreal today that pre-World War II antique aircraft homa; Newton, Kansas; Union City, Tennessee; and made up a great number of the airplanes then used Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Tree of these four airports in aerobatic competition, though the Pitts S-1S had have held regional competitions in recent years and just appeared on the scene. From 1968 to 1971 the are well-experienced and exposed to aerobatics. For competition was held at the Oak Grove Airport in Fort example, Newton has hosted not only a regional con- Worth, Texas. test but also in 2013 welcomed the French aerobatic Te move to the Sherman/Denison, Texas, area team, which practiced there prior to the world cham- proved to be a successful one, though the contest did pionships in Texas. Te French had nothing but good stray away from that airport on a couple of occasions. things to say about their wonderful hosts. Te last time was in 1983 when the contest was moved Union City has hosted IAC Chapter 27’s contest for to Mesa, Arizona, for one year. It was back home again several years and will be home to the East Open IAC in Grayson County the following year, and the IAC has Championships this coming summer. Oshkosh was been there since. Te IAC took over the responsibility home to the 2013 Oshkosh Air Maneuvers contest or- for running the Nationals in 1982 and have also se- ganized by Michael and Audra Hoy with IAC Chapter 1. lected U.S. aerobatic teams to compete in world cham- Oshkosh was also the site of the 1980 World Aerobatic pionship events in these intervening years as well. Championships, which was directed by one of IAC’s Te airport ofers acres of ramp space, a nice runway founders, Don Taylor. We had a lot to work with. layout, a full-time aerobatic practice area, and enor- On March 19, at our IAC board meeting in Oshkosh, mous ex-military hangars to house all of the contest the directors reviewed all of the bids and voted by over- aircraft. We have also had superb local cooperation whelming majority to move the U.S. Nationals to Osh- from the chambers of commerce and airport man- kosh in 2017. Te dates will be September 24-29, 2017. agement. Returning to the Texas location became a It almost goes without saying that Oshkosh ofers reunion every year with local friends and IAC members the best facilities in the world for an aviation event by from across the country. virtue of its development over the last 45 years as the Because of its excellent facilities and potential for site for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Te IAC has invested growth, the airport has become increasingly busy heavily in upgrading its pavilion there, and it will serve with itinerant trafc, local corporate jets, and a very as headquarters for the contest. Te box will be over active fight school that has hundreds of international the airfeld. We also plan other activities during the students. At the last Nationals, this caused signifcant week such as evening social events at the EAA Nature delays in fying those categories that have to come Center and closing ceremonies and awards banquet at below 1,000 feet, namely Advanced and Unlimited. the EAA museum’s Founders’ Wing—the place where Flying in those categories had to be shut down while EAA’s annual Hall of Fame ceremonies are held. We will aircraft came and went. Tough the tower cooperated keep you up to date as plans are solidifed. the best it could, it was an unavoidable problem. continued on page 27 At a meeting of contest ofcials last year with the airport management and tower people, it was an- Please send your comments, questions, or sugges- nounced that the airport expected a 15- to 18-percent tions to [email protected].

www.iac.org 3 LINES & ANGLES

Nationals to Move to Oshkosh in 2017 After more than four decades of successful U.S. Na- tional Aerobatic Championships in Sherman/Denison, Texas, the International Aerobatic Club board of direc- tors voted to move the Nationals to Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 2017. Oshkosh is home for EAA and the IAC, with our ofces located in the EAA AirVenture Museum adjacent to the airport. Te 2016 U.S. Nationals will continue at the North Texas Regional Airport (KGYI) this coming September under the direction of Gary DeBaun. TM IAC President Mike Heuer discusses the reason for the move in his column this month, and the decision Te IAC has invested a lot in terms of funding and came after much discussion and consideration by the time in upgrading our IAC Pavilion on the airport and board of directors. Te IAC extends its thanks to the AirVenture convention site, and that will now be put to airport authorities and/or local chapter members from good use for more than just one week a year. Te con- other airports that submitted bids for the event, includ- ference room will serve as a contest and scoring ofce, ing Newton, Kansas (Mark Wood); Muskogee, Okla- the sales area will be open with IAC’s special Unlimited homa (Mike Davis and Ellyn Robinson); and Union City, Collection of high-quality merchandise, and the famous Tennessee (Jo Ann Speer and Mike Rinker). and iconic trophies that have been presented down EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the largest aviation event through the decades will be on display in addition to the in the world, and the IAC and the Nationals will beneft AirVenture exhibit we will present in 2017. Briefngs from the development of the airfeld there, which has re- and a place to gather will be on the large porch. sulted in the fnest facilities that can be found anywhere Te IAC Pavilion is located on Boeing Plaza—a huge for the hosting of a major aviation event. While argu- ramp space that will serve as the starting area for the ments regarding geographic location were presented in contest. Contest operations will be primarily on Run- favor of other sites, the IAC board had to consider other ways 18/36. Judging will primarily be done from a factors as well, including hangarage, airport facilities, south position that will preclude having to move as the local hotel availability, and the venues available for such sun’s position changes during the day. Alternate west things as opening and closing ceremonies, our annual and east positions will be available if wind direction awards banquet, and social events throughout the week. requires it. Oshkosh was the obvious choice in all of those areas. Te EAA’s campground also will be available to those Tough many airports ofer good locations for an who wish to bring in their RVs and campers. Tis has aerobatic box and judging positions, fnding hangars for become increasingly popular at our Texas location to the dozens of aerobatic airplanes is not as easy and rules point we have run out of space. But EAA has been ac- out many possible locations. We also want to ofer more commodating thousands of campers for years, and this amenities to contest participants, and venues such as will be seamless. Exhibit buildings will serve as hangars EAA’s Nature Center and the AirVenture Museum, with for the event and are just to the west of the IAC Pavilion. its aerobatic section, can host evening events and are of Due to the economic development that AirVen- a quality rarely found elsewhere. ture has made possible, there are many hotels in Te awards banquet is planned for the Founders’ the area with a wide range of prices. Tis will ofer Wing in the EAA AirVenture Museum. Tis beautiful contest participants more options on housing. Te section of the museum that houses much of the per- restaurant situation is also quite good—with high- sonal memorabilia of EAA Founder Paul Poberezny er-end facilities downtown as well as the franchises is also the location of the annual EAA Sport Aviation we see across the country today. Wisconsin has its Hall of Fame ceremonies in which IAC participates share of neighborhood restaurants as well, run and and inducts people who have accomplished so much in owned by local owners. aerobatics. Dates will be September 24-29, 2017. Typically in

4 Sport Aerobatics May 2016 mid to late September, the leaves have turned color, formation on IAC activity that is of interest to the lead- and the temperatures are cooler compared to late ership in development of our programs and rules. September in Texas. In 2015, a total of 453 pilots few in IAC-sanctioned As planning for the 2017 Nationals goes forward, we competition categories. As expected, the largest was welcome ideas as to how to improve the event and to Sportsman (power) with 183 pilots. Second largest make it something beyond just a large contest, though was Intermediate (power) with 99 pilots. Te smallest the challenge of running a competition event of this size was Advanced (glider) with two competitors, both at is always the top priority. Remember that EAA started Nationals. Te total may not be the total number of IAC out in the beginning with a few dozen airplanes fying members who few, as a pilot may have fown in more in and a few tents scattered about for registration and than one category during the year, but the numbers are gathering places. Today, AirVenture’s variety and scope useful, nonetheless. make it almost impossible to see everything in the few Tese statistics go back to 2006 when there were 478 days we are all there. pilots in the categories. Our peak year was 2010 with What would you like the Nationals to ofer beyond a 521. Considering the fact that the United States was in box, a panel of judges, and a starting line? Judging sem- the midst of a recession that year, the numbers fying in inars, forums, aerobatic instruction, events involving competition seem to refute the argument that reces- the local community? Te suggestion box is open and sions hurt contest participation, though it is clear that comments welcome. Te president’s e-mail address is total membership numbers sufer. Overall, the numbers [email protected], and feedback and suggestions will be of pilots fying in contests has been fairly stable over the responded to quickly. past 10 years. Sportsman also hit a high in 2010 with 203 pilots. IAC Annual Meeting In accordance with the IAC bylaws, Article VIII, Evan Peers Joins IAC as Official Photographer Section 2, notice is hereby given that the annual Evan Peers of AirSpace Media, Pollock Pines, Cal- meeting of the membership will be held as follows: ifornia, joins the IAC team this year as our ofcial Date: July 29, 2016 photographer. Evan was present at the 2014 U.S. Place: IAC Pavilion, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Nationals and at EAA AirVenture 2015 where he did Time: 8:30 a.m. extensive work for the IAC in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of the Pitts Special. His photographic Agenda for the meeting: work has appeared on the cover of Sport Aerobatics, President’s Report and his spectacular photo of a Pitts with freworks was Treasurer’s Report featured on the October 2015 issue. He will be with Old Business us at AirVenture and the Nationals this year, and this New Business will make possible even better magazine coverage and Election Results and Induction of quality for the membership in the future, thanks to New Ofcers and Directors Evan’s talents, skills, creativity, and energy. Election 2016 Updates on U.S. Teams By the time this magazine reaches the membership, Two U.S. Aerobatic Teams are preparing for com- the nominations for the ofcers and directors positions petition this summer in Europe, and updates can be that were open this year will have closed. Te schedule found on the IAC website, which also contains links for the election this year is as follows: to team Facebook pages where team members can be Nominations closed—April 5, 2016 found posting news. Balloting begins—no later than June 29, 2016 Te U.S. Glider Team will consist of Jason Stephens Balloting closes—6 p.m. CDT, Monday, July 25, 2016 and Lukas von Atzigen, and they will compete in the Te method of voting in 2016 will be electronic only Unlimited glider category at the 19th FAI World Glider via the IAC website. Tere will be no paper ballots. Te Aerobatic Championships at Matkó Airport, Hungary, election results will be announced by the Ballot Certif- from July 20 to 30, 2016. Jason and Lukas are renting cation Committee at the IAC annual membership meet- a glider in Poland and have been working with the au- ing on Friday, July 29, 2016, in Oshkosh. thorities there on pilot certifcation issues. Te U.S. Advanced Team (in power) is well underway Contest Statistics with its training and preparation, with nine training IAC Director Doug Lovell has done extensive work for camps having been held as of this writing. Team pi- the IAC in developing our contest database and the feed lots will be Foster Bachschmidt, Cameron Jaxheimer, of contest results into that database for quick viewing Johnny Wacker, Stan Moye, Kevin Coleman, Craig Gif- by IAC members. Tat database also reveals a lot of in- ford, Mark Fullerton, and Mitch Wild. Nikolay Timo-

www.iac.org 5 feev is serving as team manager and coach. Te team contacted before Nationals with essential information plans to use one Panzl 330 and three Extra 330SCs. about the World Aerobatic Championships (WAC), pilot Aircraft are to be shipped to Europe in late June. Te agreements, and team policies. We need to know if you team will practice in Hosin, Czech Republic, before plan to try out for the team, and the registration site relocating the aircraft to Radom, Poland, for the World has a checkbox for this purpose. Advanced Aerobatic Championships. Government Relations Judges School Program Yields Results A report from IAC’s Government Relations Com- IAC Judges Program Chair Wes Liu reports that mittee was received and reviewed by the board at its the number of certifed judges has increased from March meeting in Oshkosh, and here are excerpts 140 volunteers to 177. Tis is very good news for from Vice Chair Wayne Roberts’ report to the board. our regional aerobatic contests that depend on well- Much of the work of this important IAC committee trained volunteers to occupy those judges’ seats is conducted behind the scenes, but the signifcance during our contests. Without them, our sanctioned of its work and its value to IAC members cannot be contests would not be possible. Wes’ goal for 2016 is overstated. Te report is as follows: to have 200 certifed and current judges on our list. “For IAC ofcers and board, there really is no ‘of Wes also placed 14 judges schools on the calendar season.’ Tough competition season is only just now this year around the country, which will help feed the poised for 2016 launch, directors and ofcers have certifcation of new people into our judging corps and long been hard at work. Such is the case with many bring veterans back to the fold by recertifcation. He IAC committees, including the IAC Government Rela- has also brought judges training materials online and tions Committee.” on YouTube. See our IAC website for details (www. Representation IAC.org/legacy/judges-schools-course-descriptions). “In recent years, federal airspace, airworthiness, and environmental regulation has continued to evolve. And, Nationals Notes those changes have brought additional challenges, es- Tose planning to attend the U.S. Nationals should pecially so as mandated waiver training for FSDO staf note that the contest will start one day earlier this year, continues to exhibit considerable lag. on Saturday, September 24, with the general briefng “Attrition, attributed by FSDO staf to ‘budget cuts,’ and the Unlimited Free Known scheduled for that after- has rendered many FSDOs understafed, making waiver noon. Te IAC website has news and updates at www. issuance, at times, difcult. And, during this time, we’ve IAC.org/us-national-aerobatic-championships-2016. also seen a rather dramatic increase in attempts by local Unlimited pilots will have a new challenge this year government entities to exercise control of ‘local airspace.’ since there will be team tryouts for the World Aerobatic “To meet the rising demand upon Government Rela- Championships scheduled for South Africa in 2017. Un- tions resources, we have expanded our committee. New limited will fy the new Free Known as adopted by CIVA members have been named, subject to your confrma- in 2016, followed by two Free Unknowns as had been tion, and appropriate training has been conducted. fown in the past. Tere will be no Free programs in Un- Committee staf today includes: limited. Te 4-Minute Free will be fown on the last day “IAC Government Relations Chair Dennie Tomp- as has been traditional. Rules on the Free Known will be son continues to represent IAC’s Eastern Region. available soon, and Mike Heuer, U.S. delegate to CIVA, Dennie is now joined in the Eastern Region by recently can be contacted for more details in the meantime. appointed Eric Minnis. A new and larger Welcome Center will be used this “Bruce Ballew is assigned ‘at-large’ duties, with pri- year to greet volunteers and to provide a resting place mary responsibility for IAC’s Central Region. A.J. Hefel for our hard-working staf. Our thanks to Lauren and has now joined Bruce in Central Region work. Foster Bachschmidt for their sponsorship of the new “Darren Pleasance and Phillip Gragg, having center (a larger RV). We hope to see you there. Please joined forces during the summer of 2015, continue to contact Ellyn Robinson, our volunteer coordinator, if jointly serve the needs of IAC’s Western Region. you plan to come and help ([email protected]). “Another new addition to our Government Relations Te contest director will be Gary DeBaun, who is well team is Rick Pellicciotti. Rick, as IAC’s frst National underway in his plans for the event at the same time he Waiver Counselor, is charged with recruiting and is traveling across America on his bicycle in a trip from training IAC chapter leaders with respect to FAA waiver Florida to Washington state. regulation and processes. Te goal for this initiative is to We urge all pilots who plan to fy at Nationals to have at least two trained waiver specialists in each of the preregister. A link to the registration pages is at the IAC’s 34 chapters nationwide. Nationals webpage previously listed in this section. Tis “Dr. W.B. (Bill) Finagin has retired from day-to- is important because the U.S. team aspirants will be day committee operations but continues to serve on the

6 Sport Aerobatics May 2016 Government Relations Committee as IAC’s National Long-Term APA Charting Policy Advisor. Our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Finagin. For many years, the board has been aware that the “Wayne Roberts, as committee vice-chair, provides IAC Government Relations team, especially Dr. Bill assistance to Chairman Tompson and team support.” Finagin, has worked with the FAA to realize VFR sec- tional chart depictions of long-term aerobatic prac- EAA/FAA Mid-Winter Recreational Aviation tice areas (APAs). Summit 2016 Recently, we were informed the IAC’s proposal has In February 2016, members of the Government gained traction and has been approved for imple- Relations group, along with IAC president Mike mentation. Accordingly, we should begin to see APA Heuer and IAC board member Gerry Molidor, trav- depictions of long-term APAs on FAA VFR sectional eled to Oshkosh to attend the EAA’s Recreational Avi- charts during the second quarter of 2016. ation Summit. A great deal of vital information was Te aerobatic icon, prepared by IAC’s Margo Chase shared, and personal, direct, and invaluable contact at the request of IAC President Mike Heuer, was pre- with our counterparts in the FAA was facilitated. sented to the FAA as our suggested APA chart icon. (Editor’s note: Te icon was presented as an alterna- tive to an FAA proposal.) It is entirely likely we must await actual publica- tion to know precisely which icon the FAA’s charting group has chosen to employ. Our thanks to Margo Chase and to Dr. Bill Finagin. Three-Year Long-Term APA Waivers Are Approved While we still await publication of a much-antici- Gerry Molidor, Mike Heuer, and Wayne Roberts at the EAA/FAA summit. pated FAA waiver guidance revision, we are pleased to announce that one long-sought element has received, Issues addressed include: at least partial, acceptance. NAS aerospace policy and apparent lack in FAA For many years, and for what we deem rather obvious defense of sovereignty. Waiver process and guidance reasons, we have lobbied the FAA for the elimination of training for FSDO inspectors.More universally con- specifed end dates on long-term APA waivers. At long sistent implementation of FAA policy. Charting of last, we are pleased to report signifcant success. While long-term aerobatic practice areas (APAs). we have, as yet, failed to achieve the elimination of long- Te FAA has requested a meeting with the IAC at term APA waiver end terms, with the issuance in Octo- AirVenture 2016, during which we plan to discuss ber 2015 of FAA JO 7210.3Z, the maximum APA waiver these issues further, as appropriate, and to receive term has been extended to three years. status updates. Action plans, resulting from the JO 7210.3Z is composed of some 516 printed meeting, include: pages and may be viewed and downloaded here: www. Work with EAA government advocates to draft an FAA.gov/documentLibrary/media/Order/7210.3Z.pdf. ofcial document, declaring FAA sovereignty of the Relevant copy from JO 7210.3Z, Part 6, Chapter NAS, which could be shared with ofending local gov- 18-1-6(e) is appended below: ernmental entity. Te goal of this document would be e. Specify the efective and expiration dates, including to, hopefully, preclude the need for strenuous eforts hours of operation. Te specifc dates and hours of oper- in defense of airspace rights. ation must allow sufcient time for the accomplishment IAC has been granted provisional approval to of the operation and, if appropriate, an alternate date to attend and monitor FAA waiver training classes for cover cancellations that might be necessary due to adverse FSDO inspectors to ensure our waiver applications weather conditions. Except for waivers or authorizations are consistent with FAA expectations, and so that issued by ATO for unmanned aircraft fight or Flight we might better advise our members with respect to Standards, waivers or authorizations must not be made waiver processes. efective for more than 12 calendar months. Waivers or Additionally, we are pleased to report some degree authorizations issued by Flight Standards and ATO may of success in multiple initiatives championed by the be made efective for 24 calendar months in accordance IAC Government Relations Committee for a number with Flight Standards and ATO policies. Flight Standards of years. may issue waivers for aerobatic practice areas (APAs) to re-

www.iac.org 7 main in efect for 36 calendar months. If a longer duration is requested, or the operation is of national importance, advise the proponent to petition for an exemption utilizing 14 CFR Section 11.63, How and to whom do I submit my petition for rulemaking or petition for exemption. IAC Chapter 1 vs. Morris, Illinois We are pleased to report that the federal case, styled above, has been concluded. IAC Chapter 1 has achieved a major victory, has received a defnitive order from Federal Court, and has accepted compensation from the city of Morris insurance carrier. With that victory, Kevin Elizondo the judge has confrmed FAA airspace sovereignty, and Morris has formally agreed not to interfere with op- batic fight was in a Chipmunk at 15, and he was hooked. erations in the national airspace system (NAS).Wayne He attended the EAA Oshkosh convention in 1981 with Roberts went on to say in his report that much work his friend, his father, and Phil Sisson who was Kevin’s remains to be done and urges IAC members to support mentor, a national champion in his own right, and previ- Chapter 1 through donations, membership dues, and ous winner of the Soucy award. Kev few the Pitts S-1S he participation in chapter activities. Wayne also paid spe- had fnished just in time for the convention. He watched cial tribute to the tireless eforts of IAC Director Bruce Leo Loudenslager and the Christen Eagles fy and made it Ballew in his attention and devotion to this project for his goal to become an aerobatic pilot. the past fve years. Many thanks from all of us, Bruce! Following graduation at 17, he entered the U.S. Air Force and served as a fight mechanic aboard the DC-9 Kevin Elizondo Wins Soucy Award for 2015 medevac aircraft at Scott AFB in Belleville, Illinois. Kevin Congratulations to Kevin Elizondo who is rec- spent his of time pursuing his goals, attending college, ognized as the IAC competition pilot who achieved and learning to fy at the Scott AFB aero club. After leav- the highest percentage of points possible during the ing the Air Force at 20 years old he worked as a CFI and 2015 contest season by competing in three or more A&P, completing his Bachelor of Science degree at Parks contests, one of which was the U.S. National Aero- Aviation College. batic Championships. After graduating from Parks in 1987 he moved to the Tis prestigious IAC award was conceived and donated West Coast to work for Douglas Aircraft Company. Kevin by L. Paul Soucy of Louisville, Kentucky. Mr. Soucy was is a former regional and major airline pilot and president one of the frst members of the IAC and an early member of IAC Chapter 36 in Southern California. of the board of directors. His purpose was to recognize not only skilled pilots but also those who supported a minimum number of contests as well as the U.S. Na- IAC Election Opens tional Aerobatic Championships. He died in 1971. Nominations for the open IAC ofcer and director po- Te master trophy is on display at the IAC Pavilion in sitions closed on April 5, 2016, and Nominations Chair Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A laser-cut plaque with a photo- Lynne Stoltenberg has announced the following candidates: graph of the permanent trophy set in the plaque will be President: Mike Heuer awarded to Kevin during the IAC Gathering of Members Secretary: Lynn Bowes dinner on Friday night, July 29, in the Nature Center at Directors (three to be elected): Debby Rihn-Harvey, EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A.J. Hefel, Rob Holland, and Ron Schreck In the 2015 contest season Kevin few in fve contests Candidate profles can be found at www.IAC.org along as a Sportsman power competitor in the Southwest Re- with voting instructions. Tere will be no paper ballots gion and few at Nationals, scoring an overall average of this year, and voting will be electronic only. Te ballot- 86.90 percent. Contests fown were: ing will close on Monday, July 25, 2016, and the win- • Hammerhead Roundup ners announced at the IAC annual meeting in Oshkosh • Duel in the Desert on Friday, July 29. Te meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. at • Coalinga Western Showdown the IAC Pavilion. IAC • Happiness Is Delano • Borrego Akrofest • U.S. National Aerobatic Championships Kevin was born in Litchfeld, Illinois, in 1963. His interest in fying developed during high school when a friend’s father was building a Pitts S-1S. His frst aero-

8 Sport Aerobatics May 2016

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A Member Questions the Sequence Dave Watson, IAC 26557

I am currently jumping for joy having read Giles my proposed rule revision to allow the substitution Henderson’s “Grassroots?” lambast of the recent of a four-by-four for the snap in Intermediate Frees. choices made by our IAC Sequence Committee, our I shout out “thanks” to them for that great frst step directors, and the entire board (see Sport Aerobat- taken. However and unfortunately, they simultane- ics, March 2016). I agree wholly with his implica- ously disregarded the intent of the entire proposal tions that we are not doing what we are charted to and put TWO snaps in the Known! do by fearing and avoiding putting spins in our lower I would like to thank Giles and Gordon for the category sequences. We recently polled our Chap- time and energy they put into their articles and hope ter 38 membership and found unanimous consent many of our members make the call to their regional that they want the spin back in Primary and Sports- directors and/or respond to Sport Aerobatics if they man—FOR SAFETY REASONS! If IAC fears a de- also agree with the seemingly wrong direction our liberately initiated spin in these categories, why did management is taking in these regards, despite the they simultaneously design a Sportsman Known that reassuring words (they have spoken and are quoted essentially mandates a break be taken (probably even in Giles’ article) that contradict these actions. I also two breaks) in grassroots planes in order to avoid the hope our management actually reads this magazine high likelihood of an inadvertent stall-spin predicated and takes defnitive action to determine if Giles and by the poor energy fow at the end of the sequence? I are in the vocal minority or the majority—and then Even if the grassroots pilots are savvy enough to take report back and do something if we are in the majority! the nearly necessitated break(s) to avoid the inad- We may be becoming a group divided over basic prin- vertent spin it so tempts, why have we poked them ciples, and actually knowing what each of our leaders’ in the eye with the 15 to 30 points of penalties they intents are would be benefcial so that we can vote will likely accumulate over the contest in comparison them in or out according to our individual desires. to the higher performance planes? Tis is the true Words are one thing, actions are another. essence of “category creep.” Please also see Gordon Penner’s half-page disclaimer on the increased safety awareness necessitated by this diabolical sequence. (Tanks to him, too, for his article in the same issue.) I do also agree with Giles that we need a new Pri- mary sequence for 2017, but I am not in favor of the one suggested in his article for two reasons: 1) two downwind 45’s on the same line, and 2) I don’t think a 45 up with half-roll can be done competitively (or safely in all cases) by the grassroots pilots and planes (without inverted oil systems) that we need to en- courage back into our ranks. Two years ago I sent a proposal to the Rules Committee; it seemingly went nowhere. I also suggested we change the name from Primary to Journeyman to try to give the category a more appealing name. One more plug while I am on my soapbox. I think we need to remove the restrictions that hold Su- per D’s in Sportsman (i.e., snaps that are universally known to damage these otherwise wonderful planes). Tis year the Rules Committee accepted a portion of

10 Sport Aerobatics May 2016 SEQUENCE COMMITTEE RESPONDS

A Response to Dave Watson’s Letter to the Editor Brian Howard, Chair—IAC Known Sequence Committee

Dave Watson’s letter to the editor indicates there is Creating a well-designed Known is actually quite a some misunderstanding among at least a few IAC mem- difcult task with the difculty being inversely propor- bers about the process, thought, difculty, and hard work tional to the category being fown. Te upper catego- that goes into creating and testing the Knowns for each ries generally are fying higher-performance airplanes, competition year. Te job of recommending Knowns each are much less afected by wind, and have a much wider year to the board of directors for their review and ap- selection of fgures that may be used to compose the proval belongs to the Known Sequence Committee (KSC), Known. Te Sportsman Known, on the other hand, has a of which I am chairperson. Originally, the KSC’s task was relatively small number of fgures from which to choose, limited to the Primary through Intermediate categories, and must be designed to be fown by everything from as the Advanced and Unlimited Knowns were left to CIVA Citabrias to Extras. Te Sportsman pilots may be frst- to choose. Beginning in 2015, those two upper category time competitors, or they may be wizened veterans. Tey Knowns were added to our responsibilities as well. Te may be fying their one and only Sportsman competition issues highlighted in Mr. Watson’s letter deal principally before moving up, or they may be “professional” Sports- with the Sportsman Known, however, and that’s where man pilots, perfectly happy to stay put but wanting some the majority of my comments will be directed. new challenges along the way. Tus, Sportsman Knowns

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www.iac.org 11 must somehow be both fun and reasonably challenging ing should be a prerequisite for competition. However, while accommodating the entire range of airplanes and the training to properly execute an upright competition pilots showing up at a contest to fy the sequence. spin of one to one and a half turns does almost nothing Tere are no rules that govern the Knowns of any cat- to prepare a pilot for an accidental spin in an unknown egory. Te only ofcial guidance for Known construction direction and attitude. I could not fnd a reference to is found in the IAC Policy & Procedures Manual (P&P), quote, but my recollection is that there has either been Section 221, which, for Sportsman, states: “Proposed no spin fatalities or at most one spin fatality in all of power Sportsman Known sequences shall be fyable by IAC competition history. However, there most defnitely aircraft without inverted fuel or oil systems, in the class have been several spin accidents involving solo pilots of 115 hp Citabrias.” Beginning in 1993 an unwritten practicing competition spins. Let’s fgure out an accept- policy of no snaps in Sportsman became a de facto stan- able way to ensure that all competitors have completed dard. Interestingly, snaps were used in Sportsman from training from a knowledgeable instructor in the full re- 1970 (the beginning of my personal records) through gime of spins—upright and inverted, normal and fat, 1992. Tey were mostly full, horizontal snaps, but a accelerated, intentional, and accidental—before being couple of Sportsman Knowns during those years used allowed to compete. But believing that not having a spin full snaps on a 45 downline, and the 1984 Sportsman in every Primary and Sportsman Known sequence is Known even used a half-snap on a 45 upline; a fgure, contributing to a lack of safety is simply not supported by the way, just introduced to Intermediate Knowns in by the facts. I urge you to read the article “23 Seconds” 2013. Recall that the pilots of the 1970s and ’80s were by John Morrissey in this issue for a complete dissection generally fying much less capable airplanes than today. of the issue of spin training and spins in competition. Mr. Watson makes a point that there is no spin in the Te Known Sequence Committee is composed en- 2016 Sportsman Known and implies that this is a regu- tirely of very experienced competitors (past and pres- lar, and unwelcome, trend. Tere is no policy within the ent), instructors, and coaches who have experience in a IAC, written or not, that spins will or will not be used in wide range of airplanes. Te sequences moved forward Sportsman Knowns. In fact, since 1970, there have been to the board of directors for their consideration have only three years spins have not been used: 1970, 2013, been test fown either by a member of the KSC or a des- and 2016. Hardly a trend. Tere are, however, many good ignated and experienced “test” pilot, with the results reasons to not use a spin in the two lower categories. of those test fights factored into the fnal recommen- First and foremost, spins use a tremendous amount dation. Te 2016 Sportsman Known, for example, was of altitude without proving a whole lot about the com- test fown using both Decathlons and a Great Lakes. petitor’s aerobatic skills. A Sportsman pilot has only Te test pilots reported that while the last fgures in the 2,000 vertical feet of airspace to work within the box. sequence were challenging, they were fyable in those Less altitude is available if the pilot wants some bufer at airplanes. We’ve also had a subsequent report from the the bottom of the box so as not to risk being called low. aerobatic training program at the University of North A good planning number for a competition spin (spin Dakota (UND) that the “new Sportsman sequence plus achieving a viewable vertical downline plus return turned out much better than expected, especially the to level fight) is 1,500 feet, perhaps as little as 1,200 last few fgures.” Note that this was in a Decathlon with feet for an experienced pilot. Tat leaves at most 500 two pilots onboard! feet for the remainder of the fgures in the sequence. Of Te maneuver that must be perfected to accommo- course, some “gainer” fgures (e.g., Immelmann) can add date the 2016 Sportsman Known is the Immelmann. to that, but for the lower-performance Sportsman air- I have no doubt that those writing about the travesty planes the amount of achievable “up” is minimal. Look- of the Sportsman sequence are sincere in their belief ing back at many of the Sportsman Knowns from past that the lower-performance airplanes cannot perform years, the sequences had to include two and sometimes the last maneuvers without a break, but with proper three aerobatic turns to provide a decent number of fg- technique that is simply not true. Neil Williams, in his ures in the sequence. book Aerobatics, describes a technique for cleanly fying With the cost of attending contests and fying in the Immelmann in a Stampe, an airplane with a max general what it is, don’t the Sportsman pilots deserve a level fight speed of 101 knots, a redline of 120 knots, sequence that uses the available box for much more in- an empty weight of 1,146 pounds, and a 130-hp engine teresting, fun, and challenging fgures than a spin? swinging a fxed-pitch prop. A perfect descriptor of a Second is the issue of safety. An oft-repeated mantra grassroots aerobatic airplane, no? is that spins must be required in Knowns so pilots learn Some years ago Bill Tomas and John Morrissey how to recover from any accidental spin in which they expanded on Neil Williams’ technique and de- may fnd themselves. Te facts and logic do not bear that veloped procedures for fying the Immelmann in out. Of course, absolutely all pilots require spin train- low-performance airplanes with zero chance of any ing, and my personal opinion is that formal spin train- autorotation resulting from a botched fgure. John

12 Sport Aerobatics May 2016 has taught those techniques ever since at his Ashland are fyable by the benchmark airplanes specifed in the training camp. In fact, the reduction in drag using these P&P. To further ensure this remains true, this year I techniques is so signifcant that an airplane like the have added one of the chief instructors, and MCFI-A, Decathlon will accelerate during the half-roll and have from the UND program to the KSC. Te UND program plenty of energy on completion for the 2-point roll. Tis is certainly one of the best Decathlon aerobatic train- technique for fying the Immelmann has worked so well ing programs in the country. Taking advantage of their that it is taught as a routine matter in the Decathlon to expertise as instructors, their knowledge of the Decath- all of the students in the UND aerobatic program. lon’s abilities/limitations, as well as having the opportu- Te lack of a spin in the Sportsman Known provides nity for the proposed Knowns to be test fown by actual pilots with the opportunity to exit the reverse shark with students with minimal experience will further ensure any speed/energy they desire and maintain good energy that future Known sequences pass the grassroots test during a properly executed slow roll with enough remain- before they are even recommended to the board. ing for the Immelmann. Te reason the roll after the Im- IAC Knowns will continue to provide an opportunity melmann is a 2-point is to allow the aircraft to accelerate for challenge and growth of skills while remaining fun during the roll and the pause between the half-rolls. Fur- and fyable by the full range of pilot experience and air- ther, that 2-point roll need not be centered over the Y-axis, plane capability (per IAC P&P 221) now inhabiting our just balanced about the Y-axis with the Immelmann. organization. Te Knowns may or may not include spins Te last point in Mr. Watson’s letter I’d like to address as dictated by the overall design. Tey may even require is his comment regarding snap rolls in the Decathlon. a little extra work before the season begins to learn or Snaps have always been approved by the pilot’s operating perfect certain fgures or fying techniques. I’m pretty handbook (POH) for the Super Decathlon, and I believe sure that’s why we fy aerobatics. We want to have fun the Decathlon type as a whole. To be sure, careful control (the prize money certainly isn’t the reason!), hone the of entry speed is essential, but using input from the UND skills we have, and learn new skills as aerobatic pilots. I aerobatic training program (one of the largest aerobatic trust this discourse has provided you with a better un- training programs in the country using Decathlons), I derstanding of the process used to create the Knowns, have been informed that the ideal speed for a good snap and the care and diligence taken by both the KSC and in the Super D is 80 mph, 10 mph less than the max- the board of directors to ensure that the best possible imum POH entry speed. One of the UND instructors Knowns are available for all IAC contest categories. IAC reported to me that speed control was very good prior to each of the snaps in the 2016 Intermediate Known. In regard to the oft-reported fuel tank issues when snapping a Decathlon, the fuel tank bafe defect was addressed by American Champion in any Decathlon manufactured or having had new wings installed since 2004. Te UND program has no prohibition against its students fying snap rolls in its Decathlons during Intermediate competition, assuming the student has satisfactorily demonstrated to the instructor his or her ability to manage energy. Snap rolls in the Decathlon do presume careful control over entry speed, but all IAC In- termediate Knowns and Unknowns are designed to only use snap rolls where complete control over entry speed by the pilot is possible. Bottom line: Te KSC is well aware of the constraints that, when adhered to, make snap rolls and Decathlons perfectly compatible. Te IAC does understand the need for sequences fy- able by the grassroots pilots/airplanes. Tis year marks the frst year we’ve split with CIVA on the Advanced and Unlimited Knowns to accommodate our pilots fying legacy airplanes. We’ve had a lot feedback from Advanced and Unlimited pilots during this frst year of IAC-developed Knowns that they can now happily fy those sequences in airplanes that previously struggled greatly or simply were not capable of fying in those categories. Te lower three categories are test fown in the legacy airplanes for the same reason: to ensure they

www.iac.org 13 Setting the Inverted

Flat-Spin Record

Busting through 81 turns by Spencer Suderman

this, especially pilots, call me crazy, by three turns, so I set out to crush First They Call Me Crazy, then they ask how I did it. If you it on my next attempt—and 100 is Then They Ask How I Did It are going to break this record, you a nice, round number. On March 20, 2016, I few the must start higher and spin faster Sunbird S-1x experimental biplane than the last attempt, and that is Data-Driven Approach to an altitude of 24,500 feet in the what I did. Programs like this need key per- restricted airspace over the Barry Two years ago on March 13, formance indicators (KPIs) to mea- M. Goldwater Range in Yuma, Ari- 2014, at Naval Air Facility El Centro, sure accomplishment and make go/ zona, then entered an inverted fat I climbed a certifcated Pitts S-2B to no-go decisions at every milestone. spin. At an altitude of 2,000 feet an altitude of 23,000 feet—mainly My KPIs are time per rotation, above ground level (AGL), the re- due to the supplemental type certif- turns per 1,000 feet of altitude, covery was initiated and the Sun- icated (STC’d) Electroair electronic and ceiling. Te Pitts S-2B, with bird smoothly returned to level ignition installed on the engine— its Lycoming IO-540 engine and fight at 1,200 feet AGL. A new then inverted fat-spun it 81 times. MT constant-speed prop, takes 2.2 world record of 98 inverted fat Te record I broke that day was 78 +/- 0.1 seconds to complete one spins crushed the previous Guin- turns set in 1999. From the Guin- inverted fat-spin rotation at the ness World Record of 81 set by me ness World Records’ point of view, high rpm setting. Tis fgure is con- in 2014. more is more; however, I was never sistent at every altitude and yields Nearly everyone I talk to about satisfed only advancing the record predictable descent rates. Having

14 Sport Aerobatics May 2016 developed performance tables of propeller (rpm) settings, manifold pressure, and resultant spin rates, I know the optimal settings to ob- tain maximum performance from the plane. Tese measurements were taken with multiple video cameras and analyzed frame by frame after every test fight with data transcribed into spreadsheets and crunched through algorithms that I have developed over the Spencer Suderman smiles after accomplishing his mission, a world re- years of running this program. cord for most inverted flat spins. Te 2014 spin of 81 turns was ac- tually 81.75, and my spreadsheets After carefully studying the in- tail surfaces and trying diferent predicted that 83 turns would oc- verted fat-spin performance of sev- stick and rudder positions during cur from 23,000 feet with recovery eral Pitts S-1s and fnding that they spin tests. Tat testing ended af- at 2,000 feet (21,000 feet of spin- tend to make one rotation in 1.8 sec- ter demonstrating conclusively ning). So my algorithms are accu- onds on average, I determined that through video documentation that rate to within +/- 2 percent. After this turn rate would get the job done. as long as your right foot keeps the spin stabilized by 22,000 feet, Te S-1 and the S-2B have similar the rudder pedal on the stop and the rate was three turns per 1,000 wing loading and power-to-weight the prop/power setting is optimal, feet. Just before the recovery at ratios. Given the shorter fuselage on there is a nominal spin rate for the 2,000 feet AGL, the rate had in- the S-1s, I had confdence that this plane. Tis is critical knowledge creased to 5.5 turns per 1,000 feet. was the critical success factor for the because inverted fat-spin rate is Te average rate was 3.9 turns per mission. Tere were still many un- about rpm and propeller weight, 1,000 feet for this spin. To break knowns—particularly around the not fight control manipulation. that record and hit my goal of 100 capability of any given S-1 to reach turns, I would need to fnd an air- fight level (FL) 240 since the S-2B Sunbird S-1x plane that could average 4.5 turns struggled to climb above FL 230. I frst saw the Sunbird S-1x in per 1,000 feet and start higher. early December 2014 and knew it Te algorithm predicted 100 Lack of Experts could help me accomplish my goal. turns, given 22,000 feet of spin- During the summer of 2014, Dan Rihn designed the Sunbird in ning would be required. Since I while attending EAA AirVenture Os- the late ’70s using the ideas of the knew that I would initiate the re- hkosh, I set out in earnest to launch Pitts S-1 reimagined into an air- covery at 2,000 feet AGL, it meant the 100-turn inverted fat-spin pro- frame with a 260-hp Lycoming IO- that I would have to start at 24,000 gram. Lining up sponsors was easy 540 engine! At just under 1,000 feet AGL to hit the goal. because they saw the publicity that pounds empty weight with a three- Flying in the requisite altitudes my 81-turn sponsors enjoyed, but blade, wide-chord MT propeller, it for this spin is no easy feat for the fnding the technical expertise to was more than 200 pounds lighter common stable of aerobatic planes guide me proved to be the real chal- and 3 feet shorter than the S-2B. in the world today, given the fuse- lenge. Te inverted fat spin, in my Tat combination of attributes lage length, distribution of mass, opinion, is the most misunderstood promised to get me the altitude and engine/prop technology, and air- aerobatic maneuver. spin rates to do the 100-turn spin! foil design meant for low-altitude Part of my early research was to Just after the New Year’s celebra- performance. Even state-of-the-art prove that there is no laminar fow tion of 2015, the Sunbird arrived composite monoplanes are chal- over the wings during the maneu- by trailer at Ray’s Aviation in Santa lenged by design to climb higher ver, so normal control inputs to ag- Paula, California, to begin its prepa- than 23,000 feet and deliver more gravate a spin simply don’t work as ration for a world record fight. than 80+/- turns. Further compli- many pilots believe. So many “aer- Since the Sunbird is experimental, cating the approach to solving this obatic experts” gave me advice, un- it became a test bed for several tech- challenge is that shorter airplanes knowingly erroneous, that I could nologies to lighten the plane and spin faster due to mass closer to accelerate the spin by pulling back make it perform better. Electroair the center of gravity (CG) but lack on the stick during the maneuver. provided their STC’d electronic ig- the horsepower to haul themselves My cameras told me otherwise af- nition, and Sandia Aerospace pro- into the fight levels. ter applying tufts of yarn to the vided a lightweight STC’d STX-165

www.iac.org 15 porters, admitting failure. When the Sunbird was frst com- pleted in 1990, it had a two-blade Sensenich fxed-pitch propeller that was later replaced by the MT. Te Sensenich weighs 42 pounds, while the MT weighs 68 pounds. It was suggested that a reduction in spin- ning mass would lower gyroscopic rigidity (polar moment of inertia), which might be too great for the diminutive mass of the Sunbird to overcome. If this theory were proven correct, then it would explain why the S-2B spins faster, given a nearly identical engine and prop. Redemption By early autumn, the original Sensenich prop was back on the Sunbird and test fights resumed. Te takeof performance of the plane was no longer exciting, but the frst inverted fat spin was practically a religious experience! I immediately knew the plane was spinning faster, but I had no idea how fast until I looked at the video. Te Sunbird was inverted fat-spin- transponder/encoder unit. EarthX At my home airport in Camarillo, ning at 1.7 seconds per rotation! Motorsports provided a lightweight California, the runway is 6,000 feet, After a few more fights, I decided lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) and my Pitts S-2B can reach 1,500 to have the Sensenich repitched for battery that weighs 3.9 pounds, feet at the end of the runway with better climb performance. Te last and Micro AeroDynamics provided a 90-mph climb at a 40-degree deck few test fights were to measure vortex generators that enabled the angle. Te Sunbird can reach 2,300 time to 17,999 feet, and the results fight controls to remain efective feet with a 60-degree deck angle at were highly encouraging. in the high-altitude thin air for the 90 mph. Given the way the Sunbird While the plane spun faster with climb and spin entry. Aerox pro- outclimbed the S-2B, it became ap- the fxed-pitch prop, it was also de- vided a full mask rebreather bag parent that reaching altitude would scending faster. Te most import- type oxygen system that is STC’d for not be a problem. ant KPI, turns per 1,000 feet, had use up to FL 250 and makes efcient improved, and that was what re- use of the oxygen bottle, thus allow- The Dream Slips Away ally mattered. Another interest- ing the smallest and lightest version Te remainder of the spring and ing observation was that spins to provide a sufcient supply. summer fying consisted of docu- per 1,000 feet were much faster My frst fight in the Sunbird menting spin performance using at higher altitudes than with the occurred the morning of April 9, my methodical approach with incre- constant-speed prop. Te next 2015, and was unforgettable! Lin- mental changes to rpm and throttle thought to cross my mind was to ing up on Runway 22 at Santa settings recorded on a spreadsheet. get a lighter fxed-pitch prop, as Paula, I took a deep breath and Te results were not looking good there are modern composite pro- pushed the throttle forward. What as the Sunbird not only spun slower pellers on the market that weigh happened next was unbelievable— than the S-2B with similar settings, less than 20 pounds; what stopped it hit 80 mph in four seconds and but I couldn’t fnd any combina- me are the weight and balance is- jumped of the runway in 500 feet, tion of settings that produced a sues that would be created. then accelerated past 140 mph as it faster spin. I saw my dream slip- Te CG envelope for the Sun- climbed at a 45-degree angle. Te ping away and was dreading the bird is 1.8 inches, and the heavy Sunbird is a rocket! inevitable phone calls to my sup- MT prop required lead weight at

16 Sport Aerobatics May 2016 the tail to keep the CG at the aft end for better spin performance. It would have been very challeng- ing to add 22 to 24 pounds to the nose to compensate for a lighter prop. Given the current perfor- mance and the projections from my spreadsheets, I knew that the Sun- bird would break the previous re- cord even if it only reached 20,500 Karl Ott gives a final thumbs-up before Spencer attempts his record feet, and I was confdent it would flight. go much higher. At this point, I was losing hope for the 100-turn spin, What happened next was sur- only 5,000 feet, I few back to the but more than 81 seemed assured. prising as the rate of spin was airport thoroughly disappointed. noticeably faster than I had pre- How could this have been a sur- Going for the World Record viously experienced. Te reclined prise after all of that fight testing? Having planned from the start seating in the plane, which works Te answer was found after review- of this program to work with Ma- well for positive-g tolerance, was ing the videos from the fight. Te rine Corps Air Station (MCAS) working against me as I spun in- spin rate was 1.5 seconds per turn, Yuma to break the record in the verted. Centrifugal forces drove much higher than I had experienced restricted airspace over the Yuma my body toward the tail, and the during practice spins in the lower Proving Ground, I called to get on seat acting like a ramp forced my altitudes. Te good news was that the schedule for November 22, head into the canopy. I literally fight data from the cameras im- 2015. Departing from Yuma Inter- couldn’t breathe as my head and proved the performance algorithm national Airport/MCAS Yuma at neck jammed into the canopy, cre- for the plane, supporting the prob- 8:20 a.m., I reached 23,500 feet at ating the risk of positional asphyx- ability of hitting the 100-turn goal 8:51 a.m. and entered the spin. iation. Recovering the spin after if I could get through the maneuver.

www.iac.org 17 My crew chief, Karl Ott, a Cessna attempt number two was a repeat ver. Te spin got the better of me 172 pilot and a former race car of attempt number one, except that for the second time. Experimental builder/driver, ftted an additional I let the Sunbird climb until it sim- airplanes are like this; you solve lap belt with crotch strap into the ply wouldn’t go higher; it reached one problem, then fnd several oth- plane that is lower than the Hooker 24,600 feet. I entered the spin and ers that need fxing as a result. Harness to keep my body from got past the frst 5,000 feet, then Te seat in most Pitts-type moving. I now had an eight-point began to notice—while straining to planes is a function of the air- seat belt system. After test-fying keep my head in position to see the frame; an aluminum pan stretched the new seat belt, I again called panel—that I could feel pressure across the frame rails, and the re- MCAS Yuma and scheduled the air- and pain building from the neck clined position of the Sunbird’s pi- space for December 13, 2015. up. At 15,000 feet, unable to con- lot seat was not working for me. Departing Yuma on the 13th for tinue, I recovered from the maneu- Once again, Karl leveraged his race car background and engineered an Intentional vs. Unintentional Spin Recoveries aluminum race car seat into the plane with no modifcations to the The fastest spin recoveries result from intentionally spinning the airframe. Tis provided an upright plane. That statement does not imply the recovery method is faster seating position similar to the S-2B or more efficient, only that the pilot quickly moves through the step and a headrest to take the strain of of recognition into recovery. Intentionally spinning a plane is a con- my neck. trolled maneuver, no matter the spin mode or attitude. The experi- On Saturday, March 19, 2016, my enced pilot knows how he entered the spin and thus how to recover, crew and I arrived in Yuma to pre- so the resultant altitude loss from entry to recovery is minimal. pare for Sunday morning’s third at- I know from experience that a Pitts will recover from a fully devel- tempt at breaking the world record. oped power-on inverted flat spin to level flight in less than 1,000 feet. Mike Kobylik, president of Elec- There is no question as to spin direction or flight control position, so troair, was there to support me and at the desired time I simply employ PARE (power to idle, ailerons to share in the potential success. His neutral, rudder to opposite, elevator to neutral or beyond as needed), company’s ignition technology was then recover from the dive. the critical success factor when the Spins resulting from botched aerobatic maneuvers or skidded base- 81-turn record was set, and this at- to-final turns in the pattern are the most dangerous because they sur- tempt was no diferent. I ate a bowl prise the pilot. It is entirely likely that an unintentional spin will not of Lucky Charms at breakfast, then be recognized in the incipient phase and will become developed be- got on with the task at hand. fore the pilot realizes that a spin has been entered. Botched aerobatic Takeof occurred at 8:41 a.m. on maneuver spin entries rarely look like the intentional entry. In some the 20th. I reached 24,500 feet at cases, the plane may yaw gently in the sky, then suddenly and vio- 9:15 a.m., where the manifold pres- lently spin—especially if the power is in. How much altitude will you sure was merely 10 inches and the lose before you even recognize that the plane is spinning? outside air temperature was -12°F. There is good reason to practice new maneuvers higher than nor- Te spin was entered at 9:18 and 22 mal until you can consistently recover with the same indications in seconds. Te old record of 81 turns start and finish altitudes and airspeeds. Practice spin recoveries reg- was broken at 9:20 and 47 seconds ularly and preferably in a two-seat plane with a qualified instructor at an altitude of 5,300 feet AGL who tells you to close your eyes until he has put the airplane into a when the 82nd turn was completed. spin, then makes you do the recovery, with eyes open, of course! If Te recovery began at 9:21 and 17 there is more than one method to recover a spin in your plane, know seconds at 2,000 feet AGL after 98.5 them and develop the discipline to execute the recovery and wait the turns—just under 3 minutes after it required time for the spin to stop. began. Te Sunbird returned to level For instance, PARE works in every plane; however, the Beggs/Muel- fight at 9:21 and 24 seconds at an ler emergency recovery (power off, hands off, rudder opposite) only altitude of 1,200 feet AGL. works 100 percent of the time in a Pitts and may not work at all in A world record was set that will other planes such as the Decathlon. It is not easy to have the disci- be very difcult for anyone to beat; pline under pressure to let go of the stick if this technique hasn’t been however, the century mark was well-rehearsed. not surpassed. I doubt any plane If you are afraid of spins or certain kinds of spins, then get with an will spin faster, but one could start instructor and do more spins! Your aerobatics will improve only when higher if it’s lighter, breathes better you have the confidence to fearlessly perform the maneuvers. in thin air, and has a motivated pi- lot at the controls. IAC

18 Sport Aerobatics May 2016 WORLD’S GREATEST AVIATION CELEBRATION® JULY 25-31

BUY NOW AND SAVE! Visit EAA.org/Tickets twenty three . . . twenty two . . . twenty one . . . twenty . . . nineteen . . . eighteen . . . seventeen . . . sixteen . . . fifteen . . . fourteen . . . thirteen . . . twelve . . . eleven . . . ten . . . nine . . . eight . . . seven . . . six . . . five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . . zero

DENNIS BIELA

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As this is our yearly safety issue, I’d like to take this opportunity to share some thoughts about spins, both in and outside of our competition arena . . .

his is not a traditional “how-to” protocol word that means an unintentional piece, but rather a refection, per- transition from the fight envelope at less haps an eclectic one, on the benefts than the stall angle of attack (CLMAX), to auto- of proper spin training, as well as rotation in the post CLMAX regime. When this balancing the risk-management unintended transition from good guy coun- equationT when placing mandatory spins in try to bad guy territory occurs, it is assumed entry-level compulsory fight programs. that all departures have an extremely high Tis is not a push to eliminate either spin probability for disorientation. It is for this training or spins from competition. Rather reason that both emergency spin recovery it is just an outside-the-box think piece that procedures, as well as traditional proactive focuses on the risk/reward aspect of includ- spin recovery methods, must be mastered. ing spins in the lower altitude arena of By way of a brief review, the emergency competition aerobatics—perhaps some- recovery procedure should always be used thing aerobatic instructors, entry-level following a departure when the associated Primary and Sportsman pilots, and even disorientation severely limits timely and contest directors may want to rethink. accurate determination of the spin direction Let me begin by looking at the rationale and/or type. Te emergency recovery method for spin training outside the competition must also be used anytime an intentional arena. Simply stated, this training is manda- spin recovery procedure is not working. Tis tory for anyone who plans to engage in reversion to the emergency spin recovery all-attitude fight. Aerobatic aspirants must method must be an immediate preplanned learn to confdently recover from both proac- default reaction. If the intentional spin recov- tive and inadvertent autorotation. In fact, ery is not producing results, the pilot is doing this training should be mandatory for all something wrong; therefore, one must imme- pilot certifcates, as it is never a question of if diately transition to the emergency recovery one is going to have a departure from con- procedure, as it eliminates most of the deci- trolled fight, only when. Departure is a sion points required for preplanned recovery

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procedures, i.e., the upright or inverted spin training in upright spins of up to one and determination. And of course, all of this one-half turns. Some were just self-taught training should be accomplished at 6,000 feet using procedures they learned from AGL or higher to allow as much time as possi- books. Many had heard of the emergency ble to sort out any recovery procedure errors, recovery procedure but had not actually to minimize time compression during recov- received specific flight training or experi- ery attempts, and to provide adequate time ence with the procedure. Interesting! and altitude for successful parachute use if Now let’s continue with this thread and the recovery problem cannot be solved. think about spins in the lower altitude environment of our competition arena. To INQUIRING MINDS put ourselves in this mindset, try to imag- I was curious how many of our Primary ine yourself fying in the box as an and Sportsman pilots have had thorough unobserved spectator with an entry-level and extensive spin training covering all pilot in the Primary sequence—a pilot who aspects of intentional and emergency has received only limited, but not exten- spin recovery procedures. And I wondered sive, training in the entire spectrum of if this training covered the result of incorrect out-spin aileron use in both positive and negative spins? And had that We can break the rules, but training required the student to demon- strate proficiency in handling those we cannot escape the laws unintended eventualities? So I asked a few of them, 35 to be of physics. exact, about their spin training. It turns out only three of those pilots interviewed had received the exposure and training I spins. Watch closely as our pilot begins by felt is required to handle the ‘what if’ situ- setting the 45-degree line of the frst ations that can and do occur when one is maneuver and exiting for the one-turn spin learning spins. Most, but not all, had at 3,500 feet. Quickly now, spin coming up. Idle. Stall. Stick full back. Left rudder, full in. Ailerons centered? Well, close, but the stick is ofset a little to the right. During recovery we observe another small procedural error—forward stick is applied prior to recovery rudder. Rate of rotation increases instead of slowing, stick is now very hard to move forward… aircraft not responding as the pilot remembers…pilot continues to try to solve the problem…time compression begins…then uncertainty…rapid, flailing movement of controls…still spinning… panic…realization…then, too late…too late…too late…. Unusual? Unlikely? Not in my experience. I have watched this scenario dozens of times when giving spin instruction over the past 33 years. And this does not even begin to cover the many other unintended control inputs that can cause departures and prevent DEKEVIN THORNTON their recoveries. The most common

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serious error I have observed is the unin- time the pilot begins to realize he is having tentional use of out-spin aileron in a problem, as mentioned in the previous upright spins to either stop the rotation Primary fight example, fewer than 23 sec- or to try to help the rudder stop the rota- onds are available. Said more realistically, if tion—the perfect combination of events the initial spin recovery control inputs do that leads rapidly to the perfect storm— not immediately produce normal, reassur- the flat spin mode. ing evidence of recovery, then exiting autorotation is highly unlikely for pilots FACTS AND FIGURES with the limited spin training and experi- Now let me make this time-compression ence previously mentioned. Once 23 scenario a bit more realistic by looking at seconds have elapsed, there may not be some actual fight-test numbers associated enough altitude left for recovery even if the with time remaining when the aircraft spin is stopped. Trow in a few more sec- does not answer the helm during onds and recovery is impossible. We can attempted spin recoveries. In a vanilla break the rules, but we cannot escape the upright spin from the top of the box at laws of physics. When the time-distance equation begins producing negative num- We were no strangers to bers, ground impact is inevitable. CALLING IT QUITS the concept of jettisoning At this point I believe a word is in order about bailing out in these circumstances. doomed aircraft. Te parachute is not a viable option if spin recovery is not well in hand after the ini- 3,500 feet, one has approximately (~) 28 tial spin recovery controls are applied. Let seconds and 3,100 feet to stop the spin me say this again. If the spin is entered and begin the pull to level fight.1 To from 3,500 feet and cannot be stopped at accomplish this, the spin must be stopped the desired number of rotations, for what- and recovery begun at least 400 feet above ever reason, bailing out is no longer a the ground. And to accomplish this, any viable option to save the pilot. Tere is no spin recovery issues must be sorted out by longer enough time or altitude to exit the at least 800 feet on the altimeter to com- plane and open the chute. pensate for altimeter lag and allow for the I realize that statement is not intuitive, altitude loss experienced during the tran- so please bear with me while I explain. sition from autorotation to the downline When I was leading the four-ship Pitts where the pull to level can begin. Applying Black Hawk Aerobatic Team in the mid- those fgures to a basic one and one-half ’80s, our slot pilot, Lew Shattuck, and I turn upright spin, a typical aircraft will decided to see just how long it would take lose ~450 feet and fve seconds by the us to exit the cockpits of our Pitts S-2Ss time the aircraft completes one and a half aircraft if we were faced with a bailout situ- turns. At this point the pilot has ~3,050 ation. I put on my chute, strapped in, and feet of altitude remaining to stop the closed the canopy. In the single-seat S-2S autorotation and complete the pull to level the canopy is opened by frst unlocking the fight. Four hundred feet of that 3,050 latches holding it forward, sliding it to the feet is going to be required for the pull-out rear, and locking it in place with, unfortu- from vertical down to level fight. Tis nately, about 2 inches of the canopy still leaves the pilots with ~2,650 feet (~23 sec- protruding forward into the cockpit area. onds) to sort out any recovery problems. Lew then walked out of sight. Just as I Only 23 seconds! began to think he had been distracted by And those 23 seconds are from the point another task, I heard and felt a loud bang where recovery should have begun. By the on the turtledeck. At that instant, Lew started his stop watch. I won’t drag you

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through the rest of the details except to say that all I had to do to stop that watch was to open the canopy, release my two safety har- nesses, remove my headset, stand up in the seat, and get one leg out onto the wing walk. We each tried it four times. Our best time was 23 seconds—and this after several attempts inside a hangar with no wind, lat- eral g, or panic. From this data we determined that if we experienced a control jam in pitch

. . . the spin is much more COURTESYJOHN MORRISSEY The author in his S-2S, and (below) with the 1986 Black Hawk Team. of an air show demonstra- tion and/or a maneuver to be mastered for safety con- siderations rather than a pure classic aerobatic figure.

on a vertical downline with a true airspeed of ~170 mph, we would have to initiate our egress at 6,800 feet to give us any chance of a chute opening by 500 feet, and only then if everything worked perfectly. We were no strangers to the concept of jettisoning doomed aircraft. During the course of our Air Force careers Lew had ejected three times and I once. So please allow me another little sidebar to the main discussion here. Bailing out of an aircraft in a vertical descent can and will take a lot more altitude that one might think, especially if cockpit exit procedures are not refned and practiced. So remember this if and when you must leave your aircraft: Unless there are fames coming back over the canopy, always open or jettison it prior to unstrapping. And always take of your head- set prior to trying to rise from your seat. If not, you will fnd yourself smartly yanked right back into the sitting position. If your headset is integral with your helmet, the deci- sion on helmet removal is yours, but if all you do is unplug the jacks before you jump, those two jack cords will beat you unmercifully prior to chute opening and can get tangled in the risers as well. With helmets, a quick-pull

DEKEVIN THORNTON radio cord disconnect at the helmet will save

24 Sport Aerobatics May 2016 twentytwenty three three . .. .. twenty. twenty two two . .. .. twenty. twenty one one . .. .. twenty. twenty . .. .. nineteen. nineteen . .. .. eighteen. eighteen . .. .. seventeen. seventeen . .. .. sixteen. sixteen . .. .. fifteen. fifteen . .. .. fourteen. fourteen . .. .. thirteen. thirteen . .. .. twelve. twelve . .. .. eleven. eleven . .. .. ten. ten . .. .. nine. nine . .. .. eight. eight . .. .. seven. seven . .. .. six. six . .. .. five. five . .. .. four. four . .. .. three. three . .. .. two. two . .. .. one. one . .. .. zero. zero

the day, especially if you forget to manually signifcantly greater competitive capability disconnect your jack plugs. while increasing the efective amount of Another important issue came up during altitude for the sequence by about 500 feet fight verifcation of these fgures that needs as well as eliminating the energy loss to be emphasized. A fully developed spin required when slowing for the spin entry. will take longer to stop after recovery con- Te second factor is a nontraditional out- trols are applied than those from typical side-the-box thought concerning aerobatic Aresti competition variants. Tose two-turn competition: In the truest sense, the spin is (or less) spins recover nicely when full oppo- much more of an air show demonstration site rudder is applied about 45 degrees prior and/or a maneuver to be mastered for safety to the desired exit heading and forward considerations rather than a pure classic stick at 20 degrees prior. Well developed aerobatic fgure. In a sequence it always spins that have continued for ~3,000 feet or causes an undesirable tempo change when more can take two to three turns to stop the the rhythm and energy of the performance rotation. And of course this takes more time are decreased for spin entry, only to be and altitude. regained at a signifcant sacrifce in altitude. I realize that the data in our sport would When I ofer either a proposed Known or seem to be counterintuitive to my fndings. I Unknown compulsory sequence to either can only remember one spin fatality during the IAC or CIVA, I never include a spin as it actual competition since 1975, and that was is required in the Free program’s versatility in the Sportsman category. However, I have requirements. And one spin demonstration been on the judging line when I have per contest category should sufce. observed three incidents that could easily To be clear, this is just a think piece on have gone either way—close calls that had safety, with no specifc agenda other than a only three to fve seconds left before recovery request to review mandatory competition spin would have been impossible. One was a requirements from a diferent mindset. Try world-class pilot at a world aerobatic contest. considering the issue from this perspective: It was a near run recovery with only a hun- When a loop goes poorly, or a roll dishes out dred feet to spare. Likewise, I do not know above 1,500 feet, the results from a safety how many have perished in self-taught sense are usually negligible. When an attempts to master spins. I suspect there Immelmann or a hammerhead goes wrong, have been more than a few, as I have had to there is real potential for a departure, but at assist several pilots with their recoveries least the aircraft is going up when the trouble during spin training. My experience is that begins. the quality and confdence of our entry-level When a spin goes wrong, the plane is competition pilots is not now what it once headed down, time is short, the response was years ago when many of our aerobatics must be perfect the frst time, and the accessions had been trained in tailwheel air- ground is unforgiving. IAC craft by instructors who were well-qualifed in such matters and demanded a high level of John Morrissey is a former member of the proper rudder usage skills. Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the recipient of I have also started to feel that in addition the 2001 IAC President’s SPIN DOCTOR award. to the risk management aspects of entry- level competition spins, there are two other factors that might favor the elimination of 1Times and distances will vary with center of gravity (CG), spin mandatory spins in these categories. mode, and aircraft type. These figures are for a Pitts S-2A with the CG in the middle of the fore and aft range, full aft stick, and Te frst factor: energy. I always plan for left rudder with ailerons centered. a 1,500-foot altitude loss for a competition spin. In Primary and Sportsman we only have 2,000 feet of altitude to use. Te 1,500-foot loss in a spin is just a straight short to ground energywise. If eliminated it would give our grassroots aircraft

www.iac.org 25 Growing New Judges One volunteer at a time by Wes Liu, Chair IAC Judges Program Just as the airplanes we compete in makes up the maneuvers and what radius, pauses, aircraft attitude, tra- have evolved through the years, the was lacking, so we were able to dis- jectory, etc. were happening at a rate IAC Official Contest Rules has become cuss the downgrades and then total that was nearly impossible to keep a thicker book. In 2016, those volun- them up, working from 10 and keep- ahead of—and we are talking Primary teering for their first contest as grading ing track of the current score as we de- and Sportsman flights. On more than judges have to be ready to look at many ducted the downgrades. one occasion I fell well behind the details—corners, lines, loops, rolls, I structured it by having him call power curve. etc.—of each of the many Aresti figures the maneuvers for the first half of the It’s clear to me that without the that they see flown in front of them. first flight, with me stating what I was mentoring program, my first few calls Historically, candidate regional seeing to come down with a score. as a grading judge would have been judges sit as assistant judges and try to During the second half I asked him to well off the mark, and my lack of con- learn to rapidly read and speak Aresti come down with a score, then I gave sistency would have resulted in im- to the grading judge, while they also my score to the recorder and told John proper results for the competitor. try to peek at the competitor execut- why I scored the flight as I had. John I am highly impressed with the ing those figures. Our assistants are found it amazing how much lower my mentoring and how it has given me learning to read and speak Aresti, but actual score was than what he had greater confidence in my abilities—and we are falling short when it comes to given. During the second round of more importantly, a better expectation teaching them how to grade a figure flights I did one flight and John did the for proper grading. that is being executed at 200 mph in next. Each time, I agreed or overruled Rick: On the third flight I had him front of them. We see that for the first his score with an explanation of why, score all the flights with me, basical- two or three contests, our new judges and I gave the recorder my final score ly agreeing with his score with few tend to be a little too generous with so I still held ultimate responsibility. changes. So looking at the score sheets the scores they award as their critical As we did this, John’s grading scores after the category, we seemed to be eyes and math skills come up to speed. became lower as he understood why I close to the lowest-scoring judge. Ha! We need to teach grading figures. For gave a lower score than he did. It was interesting seeing the prog- 2016, we will be updating the practical John: We judged 45 flights during ress John made and discussing why experience requirements for candidate the Kathy Jaffe Challenge contest held it is easy to give a higher score. Very regional judges to include working with at South Jersey Regional (nine Pri- common in judging. We want compet- a current judge to observe a practice day mary and 36 Sportsman flights). Rick itors to “feel” good about their flights, or contest flight and to try calculating and structured the program much like the but that really does not help them be- speaking grades. This means that can- “telling and doing technique” used in come better competitors. John began didates will find a current judge to work flight instruction (instructor tells, in- to realize how a pilot could owe us with, and we will encourage current judg- structor does, student tells). points! es to recruit and mentor candidate judges. When it came time for me to make In summary, Rick and John’s expe- So how will this work in practice? At the call and provide a fair and unbi- rience is one example of how we can the 2015 Kathy Jaffe Challenge, candi- ased grade for the competitor, I was help our candidate judges maintain date judge John Fellenzer and nation- very surprised at the level of pressure their enthusiasm, get more from the al judge Rick Runnels volunteered to and the speed at which the figures training, and arrive at their first con- try working together as mentor-stu- were flown. As a competitor since test as regional judges ready to deliver dent. Here is what they had to say: 2005—several times a contest director, scores just as accurate as those of their Rick: I mentored John in the club officer, and as an assistant judge more experienced peers. We plan to Sportsman category, which I believe for many years—I felt I had a very good add this activity to the requirements works best for many reasons. It pro- understanding of the figures, grad- for 2016. Candidate judges can meet vided more time, relatively speaking, ing criteria, and the ability to call the a current judge at a chapter practice to look at and discuss the different numbers with little to no error and day or a contest. For current judges, components of a maneuver in their with good consistency. Well, I can tell this is an opportunity to pass on all basic form, in real time—very similar you I overestimated my abilities. At of the skills and experience they have to critiquing pilots on their sequenc- first it all seemed a blur, as one figure gained. Everyone wins. es. We were able to talk and see what morphed into the next. Lines, angles, See you at the box.

26 Sport Aerobatics May 2016 A-Form Chicken Scratches Recorder shorthand by Wes Liu, Chair IAC Judges Program The Winner‘s Propeller! I recently attended a contest with seen used. I added some abbrevia- retired Navy squadron commander tions to the list that capture com- David Taylor, who has started compet- ments that I make when acting as a ing in a Staudacher. Dave related to me grading judge. In writing these down, that every Navy pilot who lands aboard I noticed that most of the abbrevia- the ship is graded just like Interna- tions are pretty unique. Tat will help tional Aerobatic Club competitors are. future readers of A Forms. Te judges Tere is a team of landing signal of- reading this list might know of addi- cers (LSOs) taking notes for the pilot’s tional common judge comments and

permanent fle for every shipboard abbreviations. I suggest that it can Fly the Champions‘ Choice! Super Decathlon Photo: Jim Koepnik landing. Dave also explained that the be a “living” list. Te list can go in the Patty Wagstaff Navy LSOs have a standard shorthand contest director’s material on the IAC Available for they use so that you can go to a pilot’s website if it will be helpful. almost every fle years later and understand exactly If these abbreviations help, contest aerobatic and experimental what the judges saw during an individ- directors and chief judges can hand aircraft. ual landing. out copies of the below list to record- Pitts Model 12 How does this relate to the IAC? ers when setting up the judges line for MT-Propeller USA, Inc., Florida Phone: (386) 736-7762 At contests we recruit a lot of other- each category. Fax: (386) 736-7696 wise unskilled friends and bystand- Feedback is welcome. e-mail: [email protected] ers to perform the recorder role in Form A Shorthand MT-Propeller Headquarters Germany the grading judge teams. Tese nice Form A Remarks Box Abbreviations Phone: +49-9429-94090 folks do their best to scribble down for Judges Line Recorders Fax.: +49-9429-8432 e-mail: [email protected] what they hear the grading judges CL Climbing www.mt-propeller.com say, with diferent amounts of abil- D- Descending ity and handwriting quality. If we, +↑ Positive up -↑ Negative up** the grading judges, have time, we +↓ Positive down brief these volunteers on some of the -↓ Negative down PRESIDENT’S COLUMN common comments they will hear EH Exit high contintued from page 3 and how they might write abbrevia- DLW Dragging left wing (add + or - tions. You probably explain it difer- for up or down) DRW Dragging right wing (add + or - ently than I. And it always happens for up or down) One of the best pieces of news I that sometime later, our competitor -45 Shallow 45 have is this—Gary DeBaun will be friends, especially the Primary and +45 Steep 45 back as our contest director for the Sportsman pilots, stop us with the A +R Long after roll 2017 Nationals. Gary frst served Forms in their hands and ask, “What -R Short after roll as the contest’s leader in 2015, is PTL Pinch to line does this mean?” F@3 Flat at 3 o’clock (or whatever continuing that work this year, Dave’s suggestion was that we pull o’clock the competitor is flat at) and has postponed a planned trip together the common abbreviations VR Varied rate to Europe and will head up our into a list and/or tell the recorders to OR Opened radius, as in “opened Nationals operation in Oshkosh. just write the frst letter of each word radius at 4 o’clock” or “OR@4” Gary is a delight to work with, very CR Closed radius, as in “closed we give them. Te obvious beneft will radius at 2 o’clock” or “CR@2” experienced, and will help ensure be to free the inexperienced volun- OC “Ovalled” corner, as in “ovalled we have a superb event. teers from having to invent abbrevi- corner 2” My thanks also to Jack J. Pelton, ations, letting them write faster and FO Flew over EAA’s CEO, for supporting the IAC more completely. If the recorder can TQ Torqued and for the excellent cooperation NP No point capture more of the grading judge OVR Over rotated we have received so far from the commentary, our competitor friends UR Under rotated EAA staf. Teir support is crucial will be less likely to see an incomplete AFT After to a successful event. and incoherent scrawl. LOW Competitor appears to be flying Safe fying and keep in touch! IAC Te table below captures some too low LOW-LOW Competitor appears to be flying common abbreviations that I have very, very low

www.iac.org 27 ALLEN SILVER COLUMNS / ASK ALLEN www.silverparachutes.com

No more packing

Future operational procedures

Where did 2015 go? It’s 2016, Easter has hopped for more than two days straight, many of you start on by, and everyone is busy preparing for this year’s to panic. I hear the cry, “My airplane needs dust- fying season. How do I know? I’m being inundated ing off, I need dusting off, and my parachute needs with parachutes to pack. It seems like I just returned servicing.” To put it mildly, it’s a busy time for me. from December’s ICAS (International Council of Air But as of May 1, I will no longer be packing pilots’ shows) convention in Las Vegas. emergency parachutes. Between my 25-year Air As I looked around at all the activity at the con- Force career and my civilian customers, I’ve packed vention, I had to think back on my own career in the well more than 35,000 parachutes. My hands are air-show industry and what it has meant to me. I saw telling me loud and clear that they need a rest. before me many new and rising stars, and I also saw In my opinion it takes a special person to pack the images and faces of those who had “gone west” and service a pilot emergency parachute, and after into the setting sun. looking for almost two years for someone who could take over the packing portion of my busi- ness, I’ve found him. His name is Robert Marshall, and he lives in southern California. By the time this column is published, most of my customers This time of year will have received an e-mail with all the details. I’m not disappearing. I will continue to manu- I’ve always had to prepare facture my five-point AcroBelt and SMAK PAK Survival Kits for your parachutes. Most impor- and deal with the tantly, my 30-plus-year relationship/dealership with the Softie line of pilot emergency para- expected rush of pilots chutes, manufactured by Para-Phernalia, will remain as solid as before. getting ready for I also want to assure my faithful readers that I will continue to write this column as long as the the upcoming season. folks at Sport Aerobatics will let me. Here’s a plea for your help. I’m always looking for fresh ideas and questions to answer, so please continue to e-mail them to me. You can also call me with your In some form or another I’ve been involved with questions and suggestions if you like. parachutes and the air-show industry for more One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most is trav- than 50 years. I have almost 600 faithful custom- eling around the country and world, giving bailout ers, many of whom are also my friends. Even while seminars for pilots. It has given me the opportu- thinking back on the 80-plus saves I’ve had, I real- nity to meet many of you in person and to an- ize now is the right time for me to switch gears and swer specific questions related to your parachute start smelling the roses. or aircraft. The title of my PowerPoint seminar This time of year I’ve always had to prepare and is “Emergency Bailout Procedures for Pilots and deal with the expected rush of pilots getting ready Survival Equipment.” The handout material for my for the upcoming season. Once the sun comes out presentation can be found on the home page of my

28 Sport Aerobatics May 2016 website, www.SilverParachutes.com. This past year webbing be hand-tacked in place once it’s adjusted I’ve also been asked to give a different kind of pre- properly to prevent slippage as you go about tak- sentation. It’s on my air-show career, which spans ing it on and of before and after each fight. If you more than 40 years. Many of you already knew I don’t visit your rigger in person, maybe sending a was a professional sky diver, wing walker, and air- picture of you with your parachute on will help him show announcer. Now I can also bring your group a or her properly adjust it. presentation that includes a lot of video footage of Another issue I often see in my shop is the rip my career. I’ll let you decide, but I’ve been told the cord protector fap being bent from people getting presentation is humorous and a lot of fun. in or out of their aircraft. Please do not force your- I still fall out of an occasional aircraft. After all, self into or out of your cockpit. If you are hanging I’ve been doing that for more than 54 years and up on something like your seat back or the turtle- will continue to make occasional pilgrimages to deck, alter the way you enter or exit your aircraft. the drop zone. However, I truly enjoy staying in Don’t be the proverbial bull in the china shop. Tis the aircraft and have more than 1,900 hours. Now could dislodge your rip cord pins and accidentally what can I do next? open your parachute container, requiring a repack. I suppose before I sign of I should give you some Even more interesting and exciting—imagine what pearls of wisdom. could happen if it infates in strong winds. Tat’s One issue that keeps recurring is that I receive why it’s so important to check the security of your parachutes so far out of adjustment that you could rip cord pins every time you put your parachute on. fall out of them if you had to bail out. Remember, Enough for now. I need to start thinking about don’t leave home (I mean your aircraft) without it. packing my shorts and sunscreen and deciding on Falling out of your parachute harness is another a beer or mai tai. Remember, I’ll still be doing most sign of a very bad day. Please have your parachute of what I did before, but no more packing and no 9-5 checked by your rigger for proper ft. He or she needs sign on my door. I welcome your comments and ques- to know your height and weight. Suggest that the tions. Fly safely. IAC

www.iac.org 29 CONTEST CALENDAR

Mark your calendars for these upcoming contests. For a complete list of contests and for the most up-to-date calendar, visit www.IAC.org. If your chapter is hosting a contest, be sure to let the world know by posting your event on the IAC website. Fly Your IAC Colors Proudly! Sebring Spring (Southeast) Coalinga Western Open Championship (Southwest) Thursday, May 5 - Saturday, May 7, 2016 Friday, June 3 - Saturday, June 4, 2016 Practice/Registration: Saturday, April 30 - Wednesday, May 4 Practice/Registration: Thursday, June 2 We have all your IAC merchandise needs Glider Categories: Sportsman through Unlimited Power: Primary through Unlimited Power: Primary through Unlimited Location: New Coalinga (C80): Coalinga, CA right here in one convenient place. Location: Sebring Regional Airport (SEF): Sebring, FL Contest Director: Tom Myers Phone: 561-644-1312 Phone: 650-799-6854 E-Mail: [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] Shop Now at EAA.org/Shop! Website: www.iac38.org Gulf Coast Regional (South Central) Friday, May 13 - Saturday, May 14, 2016 Bear Creek Bash (Mid-America) Power: Primary through Unlimited Thursday, June 9 - Sunday, June 12, 2016 Location: Jackson County (26R): Edna, Tx Practice/Registration: Thursday, June 9 Contest Director: David Prather Rain/Weather: Sunday, June 12 Phone: 281.467.5403 Power: Primary through Unlimited E-Mail: [email protected] Location: Richard B. Russell Regional (RMG): Rome, GA Contest Director: Mark Fullerton Duel In The Desert (Southwest) Phone: 864-316-5250 Friday, May 13 - Saturday, May 14, 2016 E-Mail: [email protected] Practice/Registration: Thursday, May 12 Rain/Weather: Sunday, May 15 Lone Star Aerobatic Championships (South Central) Power: Primary through Unlimited Friday, June 10 - Saturday, June 11, 2016 Location: Apple Valley Airport (APV): Apple Valley, CA Practice/Registration: Thursday, June 9 Contest Director: Chris Olmsted Power: Primary through Unlimited Contact Information: Primary Phone: 831 334 7232 E-Mail: Location: North Texas Regional Airport (GYI): Denison, Tx [email protected] Contest Director: J. J. Humphreys Phone: 940-564-6673 Hoosier Hoedown (Mid-America) E-Mail: [email protected] Saturday, May 21 - Sunday, May 22, 2016 Website: www.iac24.org Practice/Registration: Friday, May 20 Power: Primary through Unlimited Wildwood Acroblast (Northeast) Location: Kokomo Municipal Airport (OKK): Kokomo, Indiana Saturday, June 11 - Sunday, June 12, 2016 Contest Director: Mike Wild Practice/Registration: Friday, June 10 Phone: 765-860-3231 Power: Primary through Unlimited E-Mail: [email protected] Location: Cape May County Airport (WWD): Cape May, NJ Website: www.hoosierhammerheads.com Contest Director: Tom Barrett Phone: 202-679-6600 Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation (South Central) E-Mail: [email protected] Saturday, May 21 - Sunday, May 22, 2016 Website: www.iac58.org Practice/Registration: Friday, May 20 Power: Primary through Unlimited Ohio Aerobatic Open (Mid-America) Location: Sterling Municipal Airport (STK),Sterling, CO Friday, June 17 - Saturday, June 18, 2016 Contest Director: Bob Freeman Practice/Registration: Thursday, June 16 Phone: 303-709-6465 Rain/Weather: Sunday, June 19 E-Mail: [email protected] Power: Primary through Unlimited Website: www.iac12.org Location: Bellefontaine Regional Airport (KEDJ), IAC Flag Bellefontaine, OH Armed Forces Memorial (Southeast) Contest Director: Samuel Weaver Friday, May 27 - Saturday, May 28, 2016 Phone: 937-681-2680 $48.99 Practice/Registration: Thursday, May 26 E-Mail: [email protected] Glider Categories: Sportsman through Unlimited Website: http://www.iac34.eaachapter.org/ Power: Primary through Unlimited Location: Grenada Municipal (GNF): Grenada, MS Killam-Flagstaff Aerobatic Contest (International) Contest Director: Michael Tipton Saturday, June 18 - Saturday, June 18, 2016 Phone: 573-922-9600 Practice/Registration: Friday, June 17 E-Mail: [email protected] Rain/Weather: Sunday, June 19 Power: Primary through Unlimited Salem Regional Aerobatic Contest (Mid-America) Location: Killam-Sedgwich/Flagstaff Regional (CEK6), Friday, June 3 - Sunday, June 5, 2016 Killam,Alberta, Canada Practice/Registration: Friday, June 3 Contest Director: Randy Skiba Power: Primary through Unlimited Phone: 403-504-7788 Location: Salem-Leckrone (SLO): Salem, IL E-Mail: [email protected] Contest Director: Joe Overman Website: www.aerobaticscanada.org Phone: 314-452-6049 E-Mail: [email protected]

30 Sport Aerobatics May 2016 Fly Your IAC Colors Proudly! We have all your IAC merchandise needs right here in one convenient place. Shop Now at EAA.org/Shop!

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32 Sport Aerobatics May 2016

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