The president of IAC, Robert Armstrong, has been devoting a lot of effort towards making it possible for relatively inexpensive, lower performance airplanes to compete effectively. Not only does he mention this almost every editorial in Sport Aerobatics, he appears to have changed the rules and sequences committees appreciably to foster this goal.
Probably the most affordable low performance aerobatic airplane is a neglected homebuilt biplane. With a lot of work over several years of flying summers and working on it winters, it is possible to have an overhauled airplane that should be competitive up to Advanced for under $40,000. If the Unknowns are composed to make it possible, such a plane should be capable of flying Unlimited even if it isn't really competitive.
It seems to me that newcomers who have flown a couple contests in a rented Decathlon and can't afford $100k for a monoplane are unlikely to start on a restoration / flying project if it won't take them farther than Intermediate. Thus I fully support Armstrong's objectives. (I was one of the last group of Pitts pilots active in Unlimited until I was driven out 20 years ago by the rule change that rewarded high performance airplanes with bonus points in the Free. I complained pretty vigorously on the Acro Exploder back then.)
I'm done with arguing with people on the internet, but I'm curious about whether anyone sees increasing numbers of old biplanes being restored with the objective of competing seriously. That should be happening now if Armstrong's changes are going to stick long enough to show some success before people opposed to this new direction can take back the leadership of IAC and bring back policies that ensure the club is really just for the wealthy.
By the way, I have no self interest in this anymore. A few years ago I finally admitted to myself that I had accumulated more than I needed to fund my retirement. I could afford a monoplane, so I bought one. I had learned that I could have just about as much fun in the Pitts practicing Unlimited as if I was going to compete as I did flying it when I was actively competing, and I'm finding the same thing with learning to fly the monoplane. Thus, however this issue goes it is unlikely to affect me directly.
Probably the most affordable low performance aerobatic airplane is a neglected homebuilt biplane. With a lot of work over several years of flying summers and working on it winters, it is possible to have an overhauled airplane that should be competitive up to Advanced for under $40,000. If the Unknowns are composed to make it possible, such a plane should be capable of flying Unlimited even if it isn't really competitive.
It seems to me that newcomers who have flown a couple contests in a rented Decathlon and can't afford $100k for a monoplane are unlikely to start on a restoration / flying project if it won't take them farther than Intermediate. Thus I fully support Armstrong's objectives. (I was one of the last group of Pitts pilots active in Unlimited until I was driven out 20 years ago by the rule change that rewarded high performance airplanes with bonus points in the Free. I complained pretty vigorously on the Acro Exploder back then.)
I'm done with arguing with people on the internet, but I'm curious about whether anyone sees increasing numbers of old biplanes being restored with the objective of competing seriously. That should be happening now if Armstrong's changes are going to stick long enough to show some success before people opposed to this new direction can take back the leadership of IAC and bring back policies that ensure the club is really just for the wealthy.
By the way, I have no self interest in this anymore. A few years ago I finally admitted to myself that I had accumulated more than I needed to fund my retirement. I could afford a monoplane, so I bought one. I had learned that I could have just about as much fun in the Pitts practicing Unlimited as if I was going to compete as I did flying it when I was actively competing, and I'm finding the same thing with learning to fly the monoplane. Thus, however this issue goes it is unlikely to affect me directly.
