JULY 2008 OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONALNAL AEROBATICAEROBATIC CCLUB • Scaled vs. Full-Scale Aerobatics • Teaching Instructors the Basics • Attitude Versus Altitude • Advanced Team Update JULY 2008 • VOLUME 37 • NUMBER 7 • IAC SPORT AEROBATICS CONTENTS FEATURES 6 Going “Full Scale” Radio-control versus the real thing – Jim Bourke 12 Teaching the Basic Aerobatic Course Part One: Laying a good foundation – Greg Koontz, MCFI-A 2 19 Attitude, Altitude, and Aerobatics A bad attitude is as bad as no altitude –Budd Davisson COLUMNS 2 U.S. Advanced Team Update – Michael Steveson 3 President’s Page – Vicki Cruse 28 Technical Advisor 6 – Ken Appezzato DEPARTMENTS 4 Newsbriefs 30 Calendar THE COVER The late Eric Beard in the Yak 54 formerly 12 known as Russian Thunder. OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB 2008 U.S. Advanced Aerobatic Team Publisher: Vicki Cruse Executive Director: Lisa Popp Editor: Vicki Cruse Art Director: Phil Norton Dir. of Publications: David Hipschman Smith Clay Copy Editor: Colleen Walsh Contributing Authors: Ken Appezzato Budd Davisson Jim Bourke Greg Koontz Vicki Cruse Michael Steveson IAC Correspondence International Aerobatic Club, P.O. Box 3086 Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 Tel: 920.426.6574 • Fax: 920.426.6579 E-mail: [email protected] Advertising Director Katrina Bradshaw Tel: 920.426.6836 E-mail: [email protected] Representatives: Northeast: Chester Baumgartner Tel: 727.532.4640 Fax: 727.532.4630 Michael Steveson, Team Manager E-mail: [email protected] Southeast: Chester Baumgartner he U. S. Advanced Aerobatic and international contest experience Tel: 727.532.4640 Fax: 727.532.4630 Team has high hopes of win- as the president of Unlimited E-mail: [email protected] ning gold medals in the upcom- Aerobatics USA. Patrick Clark, Craig Central: Gary Worden T Tel: 800.444.9932 Fax: 816.741.6458 ing 8th Advanced World Aerobatic Dobesh, and Brian Dierks all hail E-mail: [email protected] Championship (AWAC) taking place from the great state of Texas. Patrick Mountain & Pacific: John Gibson next month in Pendleton, Oregon. Clark was a member of the team that Tel: 916.784.9593 Fax: 510.217.3796 Returning team members Jeff Boer- competed in Germany in 2000. Craig E-mail: [email protected] Europe: Willi Tacke boon, Rob Holland, Todd Whitmer, Dobesh has more than 14 years of Tel: 498969340213 FAX: 498969340214 and Hector Ramirez were members of aerobatic experience. This will be E-mail: [email protected] the successful team that competed in Craig’s first international competition Mailing: Change of address, lost or Poland in 2006. With the experience in the plane he built. Brian Dierks is damaged magazines, back issues. gained in international competition 19 years old, and flying aerobatics at EAA-IAC Membership Services as well as home-field advantage, this the world level has been a lifelong Tel: 800.843.3612 Fax: 920.426.6761 year’s team will be hard to beat. goal for him. Alex Land is the team’s E-mail: [email protected] The 2006 U.S. team took second first alternate, and he will be ready to The International Aerobatic Club is a division of the EAA. place in the team competition, finishing step in if needed. with a silver medal in Poland. This was The entire team has been practicing due in part to the individual efforts hard and focusing its attention on of Rob Holland, Jeff Boerboon, and the 8th AWAC. Each team member Hector Ramirez. Rob flew well enough will spend thousands of dollars WWW.IAC.ORG WWW.EAA.ORG to earn the overall individual silver representing the United States in the medal. Jeff took the bronze medal in quest for team gold. An organization the freestyle flight, and Hector helped has been set up to raise funds to help EAA® and SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA Logo® and Aeronautica™ are registered trademarks and to anchor the team with a solid fourth- defray some of the costs. Any and all service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly place finish in the freestyle flight and a donation amounts are welcome and prohibited. Copyright © 2008 by the International Aerobatic Club, Inc. All rights reserved. The International Aerobatic Club, Inc. is a division of EAA and of the NAA. fifth-place finish overall. are tax-deductible. Donations may be A STATEMENT OF POLICY This will be the first appearance on designated for a specific team member The International Aerobatic Club, Inc. cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy of the material presented by the authors of the articles in the magazine. The pages of SPORT the team for Norm DeWitt, Patrick or for use by the entire team. With AEROBATICS are offered as a clearing house of information and a forum for the exchange of opinions and ideas. The individual reader must evaluate this material for himself and use it as Clark, Brian Dierks, Craig Dobesh, and your support the chances of the U.S. he sees fit. Every effort is made to present materials of wide interest that will be of help to the Alex Land. All earned a spot on the team bringing home gold are greatly majority. Likewise we cannot guarantee nor endorse any product offered through our advertis- ing. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained team at the U.S. National Aerobatic increased. To make a donation as through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. SPORT AEROBATICS (USPS 953-560) is owned by the International Aerobatic Club, Inc., and is published monthly at Championships last September in well as to learn more about the U.S. EAA Aviation Center, Editorial Department, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Periodical Postage is paid at Oshkosh Post Office, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and other post offices. Denison, Texas. Norm DeWitt brings Advanced Aerobatic Team, please visit Membership rate for the International Aerobatic Club, Inc., is $45.00 per 12-month period of which $18.00 is for the subscription to SPORT AEROBATICS. Manuscripts submitted for an immense amount of knowledge www.AdvancedAerobaticTeam.com. publication become the property of the International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Photographs will be returned upon request of the author. High resolution images are requested to assure the best quality reproduction. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SPORT AEROBATICS, P.O. Volunteers are still needed for the AWAC. If you’d like to volunteer for the entire event or just a few days, Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS, Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. please contact Lorrie Penner, the co-Volunteer Coordinator, [email protected] or 513-284-5076. 2 • JULY 2008 PRESIDENT’S PAGE by Vicki Cruse • IAC 22968 E-mail: [email protected] The Power of Aerobatics It makes people do the strangest things hen you decide to take that We are willing to spend major bucks balloons, or romantic comedy DVDs. first step toward aerobatics, on avgas, entry fees, hotel rooms, No, we want a gift certificate from Wyou never know where it rental cars, food, and beverages in Aircraft Spruce & Specialty or Air BP. might lead. For some, the introduc- order to go to a competition and hang The inspiration for this column tion came through a ride with a friend, with our friends and fly aerobatics actually came from the Ephrata, while others sought out an introduc- for three days. We can easily justify Washington, contest this past May tory flight at a flight school or spent $5 per gallon for avgas, but buying where Noel Jones of McMinnville, a day at an air show. Then again, it that $75 Tommy Bahama shirt just Oregon, pulled me aside at the luau could have been through a Daiquiri doesn’t cut it. If it weren’t for Rich (yes, they have them in Washington, Whacker, a popular device that seems Stowell and his Emergency Maneuver complete with a Daiquiri Whacker) to be popping up at contests. Whatev- Training Course, I’d probably be a to show me his latest achievement. er the introduction, it had an impact, lot unhappier with life, but I’d have Noel doesn’t own an airplane; he was whether positive (the purchase of thousands of dollars more than I do dragged to the Pendleton contest two your own plane) or negative (as expe- today. I’m not the only one Rich has years ago by Robert Harris, neighbor rienced through the use of a Sic-Sac given this “disease” to. It’s time to in McMinnville, and has been hooked and a promise to never deviate from spend a little of your kid’s inheritance; ever since. Now he flies a Yak-52 in straight-and-level again). you earned it, you can spend it. Sportsman. This man is totally in For those of us for whom aerobatics love with the Yak, so much so he has become a semi-major part of our recently let his love be permanently lives, it brings with it what we might etched on his upper arm. Noel call interesting “circumstances, values, tells me he was even sober when it and other oddities.” For instance, why happened. Anyone else out there else would one buy a case of Pledge have an aerobatic-inspired tattoo? at Costco or Sam’s Club? Pilots of So some might think this group aerobatic airplanes (not to condemn is a half-a-bubble left of plumb, but non-aerobatic airplanes) tend to keep for those of us who have been in their airplanes looking really sharp the sport for 10-years plus, down and clean, the one noted exception to those who just joined IAC, we was a Yak-55 flown to Paso Robles all have something in common.