Oct 22 at 4:27 PM
This is an e-mail that I've sent to the magazine . I thought it goes hand in hand with the Civa Knowns that are being looked at on another thread .
My hope is that the following will be posted in the magazine .

With apologies to the membership, I would like to reexamine an old issue that has been beat to death amongst the members, but I believe still deserves some attention to keep the competition as fair as we possibly can for all concerned!

I'm referring to the horsepower & airframe advantages that some have over others in the higher categories. With an understanding that there is no way to completely eliminate the disparity, I still believe there's a lot that can be done at the contest level to even the playing field!

First off let me explain the disparity as I see it. I fly the advanced category in a small winged stock 180 HP "One Design". The little bird probably has a slight airframe advantage over a pitts but is considerably heavier at 950 lbs.

Now us heavy 1D & pitts guys, we don't like to complain but when you get to a contest on a "HOT DAY" after having practiced the CIVA influenced known & figuring how to minimize the advantages that are obviously going to be slanted to the big 6 cyl.s, as well as to the larger wing areas.

We do well in the known & free only to get thrown an unknown that no reasonable person would argue is a fair fight between pilots. Due to the advantages of airframe & HP flying a sequence that is an energy eater especially
in the last few figures of the sequence!

Some will say ...Oh you can get thru that in a stock pitts or 1D and I'm sure that's probably true...but what is also true is that you can get thru it much easier in a higher HP monowing or even a 6 cyl biplane than in the little 4 bangers!

Whats discouraging for me is to be well positioned after 2 flights to take the overall & then get to the unknown & know that I'll have to extract every last once of performance out of my little mount just to keep from having a low called!

Then I get to watch the 6 cyl. guys buzz thru with no altitude issues at all knowing that he's not having to work nearly as hard to get thru the sequence as I am. Please don't think I fault the other pilots, I've considered buying a more capable plane myself just to keep up! So you ask ....well what would be your suggestion for evening the playing field at the regional level to fix this?

I'm glad you asked and here it is...get all the altitude eating figures at the beginning of the sequence. Make it as difficult as you like in the first 1/2 to 2/3's of the sequence then stop with the "energy/altitude eaters"! It almost seems as though the organizers purposely are thinking to themselves ...."hey these little 4 bangers are really going to be sweating altitude by about the last 1/4 of the flight" lets see how they do.

Now that would be ok if everybody were at least close in airframe & HP performance .....But" My GOSH GUYS" ..Do you really think it's fair to the guy who's practiced his heart out to get past the already "Biased CIVA known" to throw him an equally "Biased CIVA Unknown"? No doubt we might get thru it but would anybody really try & make the argument that it's a fair fight for the little guy?

I truly don't expect the IAC leadership to change their direction on this issue. My plea is not to the leadership for this argument is as old almost as the organization itself. (Go back & read Frank Christiensens and others exchange with Mike Heuer in the December 1987 issue of sport aerobatics)!

Oh well there's my case ...It's an old argument that's been made many times before by a lot better & smarter pilots than me thru the years . As I said my appeal is to the organizers at the contests for I believe the IAC is like a lot of the Washington crowd .....they must live in a bubble ...because for all the claims of wanting to keep the "Grassroots & Little Guy" in the loop we've continued down the same path to where we are now !

In closing and to the last point about the path we're on, when I left the sport in 02 there were at least a recognition of this disparity by there being rules as to what was AWAC legal & what was not. I won't try & recall them all here but at least there were attempts at making it more fair......I returned to the sport the beginning of 2012 & found all rules were gone.

I was lucky enough to jump back in at my first 3 contests & be flying against not only more difficult figures than were allowed when I left (outside rollers) ....but now I'm competing against a Past "World Aerobatic Champion" flying the same plane he won the WAC in.....As well as a lot more unlimited capable planes!

No sour grapes here. I know the reason the past champ was back in advanced. I bring it up only because it illustrates the point well. I appreciate his attempts to help the team. I enjoyed the challenge & it made me a better pilot as well as it was all the AWAC team trying to get ready to go to the championships across the seas & get schooled on CIVA Rules & judging .

So all you guys out there putting on the contests ...Please remember us little guys & if you don't agree with my assessment ....Lets at least acknowledge the "Elephant in the room" and quit acting as if he's not there, because his old stinky behind is usually in the little guys face & just like the disparity in flying these unknowns...it really stinks!



Sincerely

Tony Zorn
IAC#24372