Monthly WAC Team Donations

Sorry if this has idea has been thrown against that wall here previously. (I did a couple of searches and got nothing.) Anyway WAC 2015 is over and it has me thinking about how to fund the next team so that it has all the resources it needs. Now, I don't claim that they don't have those resources now but I do know that all of them have dug deep under their own mattresses to find some of the cash to make it to WAC. I gave a little cash to one competitor through a kickstarter-like funding campaign. Knowing myself, that's not the best way to get my money. I am like many people who feels a little better donating monthly to endeavors that I care about. My question is this: Would the IAC consider a monthly donation campaign? If they started something like this now, just a few hundred contributors could make a sizable impact by the next WAC.

Thank you, Eric -- for this suggestion. We are thinking of various ways to raise money for our Teams. Members should remember we actually can field up to four Teams: Unlimited Power (WAC), Advanced Power (WAAC), Glider Unlimited (WGAC), and Glider Advanced (WAGAC).

At the Nationals in less than two weeks, we will select 8 pilots for the US Advanced Aerobatic Team which will compete at Radom, Poland next summer. Since IAC took over the management and administration of the team, we also assumed fund-raising responsibilities and we are still getting those in place. Years ago, the IAC membership provided the majority of the funding we needed to support our teams. That has decreased drastically in recent years and I hope we can turn it around. As you know, this year at WAC, the pilots were largely "self-funded" though we were able to pay for some ground crew expenses including the French coach, Coco Bessiere.

It's been gratifying to receive ideas like yours -- we know our members support our teams and IAC now has to provide the structure.

And finally, we will also be selecting a Glider Unlimited Team at Nationals. They will compete at the WGAC in Hungary next year.

Mike Heuer
IAC President

Good to hear Mike.