District X - 2012/02
This month your San Diego-area Associate Vice President (AVP), Tim Attaway, has news from Arizona. Tim is the Southwest Regional Director of the International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC), an AMA special interest group dedicated to the sport of scale aerobatics. Check out IMAC at www.mini-iac.com.
Tucson Aerobatic Shootout (TAS) — 2011
Deep in the heart of District X is one of two premiere scale aerobatics events in the United States. The Tucson Aerobatic Shootout (TAS) was held again in early October.
The TAS began in 2002 when Dave Johnson of Desert Aircraft, following the death of Bill Bennett (founder of the Tournament of Champions, TOC), created a new invitational event. The TOC had been a fabulous Las Vegas event that celebrated the best pilots in the world by inviting roughly 20 top pilots to compete for prize money.
IMAC in the Southwest has grown because of events like the TOC and TAS. IMAC now has more than 1,000 members nationwide and many more pilots in a dozen or more countries, with many competitors striving for excellence in aerobatics on a regular basis. IMAC is the modeling equivalent of the full-scale International Aerobatic Club and follows many of the same rules and procedures. In the Southwest United States, more than 200 members fly in the District X area at 20 different venues in five states. As regional director, it is my pleasure to help this along in any way possible.
The 2011 TAS had nearly 70 pilots from places including Australia, Austria, France, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The typical aircraft flown at this competition are 40%-scale airplanes powered by 15–20 hp gasoline engines, many supplied by Desert Aircraft. Qualification is required to be invited to the five-day event.
Event format and schedule:
- Preliminary flying for Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced, and Unlimited: Wednesday through Friday
- Final day: Saturday
- Prizes and product value topped $140,000 in total
- Invitational (professional) class: top 13 pilots competed for a $12,000 first-place prize
Invitational and Freestyle Results
- Invitational (top 3):
- 1st: Andrew Jesky
- 2nd: Gernot Bruckmann
- 3rd: Mark Leseberg
- Freestyle:
- 1st: Gernot Bruckmann
- 2nd: Gabriel Altuz (Puerto Rico)
- 3rd: Ryan Archer (Arizona)
Class Results
- Sportsman (top 4):
- 1st: Geoffrey Donati (Ohio)
- 2nd: Victor Lysakowski
- 3rd: John Pomroy
- 4th: Parker Rathbun (11 years old)
- Intermediate (top 4):
- 1st: Oliver Soto
- 2nd: Randy Dreyer
- 3rd: Rusty Fried
- 4th: John Eells
- Advanced (top 4):
- 1st: Bill Adams
- 2nd: Bryant Mack
- 3rd: Cameron Irwin
- 4th: Andrew Taylor
- Unlimited (top 4):
- 1st: Matthew Szueber
- 2nd: Todd Bridges
- 3rd: Matthew Stringer
- 4th: Brian Sanik
Many of the top spots were won by pilots younger than 20. Several older competitors also performed admirably and were applauded.
Each competitor visited the prize table, and more than 30 sponsors, led by Desert Aircraft, ensured that each pilot received a prize with a minimum value of $300.
Organization, Coverage, and Thanks
The weather for the five-day 2011 TAS was marvelous. Event organization and execution, led by Dave Johnson’s Desert Aircraft team — Tony Russo, Steve Richardson, Brian Howard, Anna Woods, and Bob Sadler (nickname “Mouth of the South”) — were outstanding.
Fred Midget from Higher Plane Productions recorded highlights, which can be viewed via FlightPass. Many dedicated judges traveled across the country, led by IMAC President Wayne Matthews. The Tucson International Modelplex Park Association was the host club.
This was the best Tucson Aerobatic Shootout I have attended. Thanks to everyone who made it possible.
Go to the IMAC website for more information about the organization and the 20 contests held in our District X area. Complete schedules, sequences, and instructions are available.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
