2017 Rule Changes

The following rule change proposals were approved for the 2017 contest season:

  • Replace 2.6.3(e) with: A judge retains currency until the publication of the current year
    IAC Revalidation and Currency (R&C) Exam, as long as that judge’s name was on the list
    of qualified judges as of December 31 of the previous year.

  • Judge Candidate Training

    • IAC members have been asking for online training to replace classroom time for the “Introduction To Aerobatic Judging” training. The first version of online training covers the topics currently covered in the day 1 lecture. This training has been implemented. The training videos and associated knowledge quizzes are available today through the IAC web site. This rule updates Section 2.6 to reflect the new training delivery and how candidates are credited with successfully accomplishing the online training. The Intro course will be broken into two parts ("Introduction to IAC and the Aresti Language" and "Practical Aerobatic Judging") that may be presented across two days as is currently done. Alternately, the first part may be accomplished online and the second part may be presented as a one day class. 

  • ​Change 4.19.5 to read: If the conditions of 4.19.2 do not exist, or if the airport field elevation is charted at or above 3,500 feet MSL, the Contest Jury may, after calling for such advice as required, authorize programs to be flown with an optional break (an interruption where no interruption penalty is assessed). Such breaks allow competitors to adjust altitude and reposition, thereby enabling the contest to continue.

  • Add the following text to 6.16(a): Penalty: Should a competitor's Free Program become final (See 6.15) with the improper forms, that competitor will be assessed penalty points according to the schedule given in 4.6.1(a)(2).

  • Non-Competition Flying:

    • 3.14 Non-Competition Flying

      All flying not directly related to the contest is prohibited after a time designated by the Contest Director. If not otherwise designated, the prohibition begins immediately following the initial contest briefing. In no case will practice flights be flown by a pilot in a given category once that category has begun competition.
      (a) This rule may be waived by the Contest Jury under special circumstances, such as to allow “weather probe” flights or for test flights following repairs made during the contest.
      1) If a test flight is required, the flight will consist of a maximum of three aerobatic figures approved by the Jury;
      2) A member of the Jury will observe the test flight from the ground to ensure compliance.
      (b) Once non-competition flying has been prohibited, a competitor may leave the contest site by air only with the approval of the Jury and in a nonaerobatic aircraft. It is the competitor’s responsibility to ensure weather conditions will allow return to the contest site in time for the following day’s pilot’s briefing. The penalties of 4.6.1 will apply, along with possible loss of their position in the order of flight (see 4.9.4), for failure to do so.
      (c) Any non-competition flight conducted without the approval of the Contest Jury will result in disqualification of the competitor from the contest.

    • Delete Rule 4.2.2(q)

  • Add the following paragraph to Rule 3.8:

    Should a category have only a single competitor, that pilot may be allowed to compete “Hors Concours (H/C)”. In that case, the competitor will be added to the order of flight in the highest level category which has two or more competitors. Judging and processing of the grades for the H/C pilot will be conducted normally, but that pilot will not be eligible for any medals or trophies, nor will the results of the flight be added to any point totals for regional or collegiate awards.

  • Delete Rule 7.3.5 - Combinations of Hard and Numeric Zeroes. The net effect of this change is that if the judge observes a HZ, they must award a HZ regardless of whether a 0.0 (deductions of ten or more points) was also observed.