getting started in competition aerobatics

hey guys this is my second post and i just wanted to start out by telling you guys a little bit about myself. I am 15 years old and im currently enrolled in high school. Since I was about 4 ive wanted to fly regardless of aircraft type but more recently (past 2-3 years) I've really wanted to fly aerobatics and compete (ive been to numerous airshows and watch redbull air racing and reno air racing often.) Even more recently then that (July 3rd 2012) I was able to become a part of the patriots aerobatic jet team (we fly 7 l-39s) as a voulenteer to help with the team 2+ times a week every week. As that year progressed and I spent more and more time around there hanger and started to get to know everyone on a personal biases. More time progressed and on april 1st I bought my first plane with 2 of the team mebmbers and a good friend of mine who also voulenteers there. Normally i would not have been able to purchase the aircraft due to its cost but the owner and founder of the jet team just was actually friends with the previous owner so we got a better deal. About a month later I finnaly got to fly in my personal favorite aircraft in that hanger (even more so than the l-39 jets or mig 17s) it was a pitts s2e... that day the owner of the team and i went up and i did my first aerobatics: loops, point rolls, barrel rolls, hammer heads, rolling turns, half cuban 8s and sustained inverted flight (until the inverted oil system ran out). He would preform the manuver and i would repeat. first was the rolls they were self explanatory and i had no trouble pulling one off correctly. then came the loop, again pulled 4.3 g's through the loop and felt myself go through my own turbulence at the bottom of the loop. The rest of the flight went just like that, smooth and coordinated (so i think anyways) the owner of the team is an EXTREMELY high time pilot and is good friends with Sean D Tucker so i think if i did something wrong he would have told me. To me that was the greatest day i've ever had in aviation. Ever since ive been seriously considering selling my cessna share and purchasing something like a sonerai 2. something that i can finish my PPL in and do tailwheel and aerobatics in at the same time. So now to my question, how can i get started in competition aerobatics over the next few years (honestly i think the hardest part will be convincing my parents to let me do acro training as a good friend of ours recently passed doing low level acro in a glassair 3.) I'm really quite serious about this and want to be able to actively compete in college for what ever school i go to. How would i go about this, there is a flight school called attitude aviation about 30 min from me and they have EVERYTHING, pitts, great lakes, citabrias, decathlons even an l-39 for rent but its VERY expensive. Is there any way to do this without breaking the bank. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Ouch.... I have to say that posts are easier to read if they are broken into paragraphs.

From your description you are embarking on a multi-year effort. It is like climbing a hill. You learn persistence and patience. Most people run into some plateau's and delays along the way. That's where the persistence comes in.

Most folks take several months to earn a Private Pilot Certificate in an easy to fly airplane. Following that you will need to build some competency in tail wheel aircraft. By competency I mean a CFI signoff and enough hours to be insurable.

Following the building of some tail wheel experience, since pretty much all of the aerobatic training aircraft are tail wheel aircraft, typically the aspiring aerobatic pilot finds a school that teaches the basics in a Decathlon. You learn to do well formed loops, rolls, hammerheads, etc. Most schools take their Decathlons to contests and multiple students share the expense of the airplane. Decathlons fly in IAC Primary Category and Sportsman Category. I should mention that to fly competition in the US you have to join IAC in addition to EAA.

In the northeast US, most pilots start competing in rental Decathlons. Part of the reason is that aerobatic airplanes are relatively specialized and the insurance bills are often higher. And IAC requires $1,000,000 liability insurance in order to compete. So when you talk to an insurance company about an airplane you want to buy for competition, the airplane is usually a type that they require more flight time with a CFI on board prior to solo, and to get a good premium/rate, you need more total flight time and tailwheel time. Most people can get insurance, but many low experience pilots are stopped by the high premium $$ quoted for the airplane they want. So they stick with renting a Decathlon until they qualify for lower insurance $$.

Now competition requires an entire personal package of things to be successful. First you have to earn the $$ to afford it. For a teenager that means mowing a lot of lawns, washing a lot of airplanes, pumping a lot of gas, etc. Then you have to make the time. This conflicts with the first item. Then you have to get access to an airplane. Then you have to get instruction and coaching, which are not the same. And then you have to get to contests. These are all doable. Sit down an map out a plan.

To get into flying competition in your own airplane at relatively low cost, look at building the skills to fly a single seat, lower horsepower Pitts Special. I would call that the entry level airplane today in terms of $$ and performance. Other lower cost homebuilts won't get you the good scores that you want. Remember its a competition and a low performance airplane will make it very hard to post competitive scores. Go to the IAC web site, download the Official Contest Rules, and read up on how figures must be flown to earn high scores.

Lots of folks have walked this road. For what its worth, Mike Goulian, who you may have seen flying the OSH airshow, started out as a teenager mowing lawns and worked up to National Champion and flying the Red Bull Air Race series. He had/has gobs of talent and supportive parents. So it is an attainable dream. But start working now.

I should mention that IAC chapters that host contests are always looking for volunteers to do the ground work at the contests. You can meet the members, make social connections that might get you instruction and coaching, and learn how competition works before you ever do your first loop or roll. Worth checking out.

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS