Hello to all my IAC friends . . .
. . . and friends I’ve yet to meet.
by Gerry Molidor
|
|
I have been asked by the majority of the IAC Board of Directors to fulfill the vacated president’s term, and the responsibility of this mission was not taken lightly. Many of you know that I have been active in the club since the late 1980s as a chapter president, contest director, an IAC director, committee member, and, most importantly, an IAC pilot. It is from the intense passion for learning to fly the whole envelope of an airplane that an excess amount of enthusiasm spills over to do a little bit of the club’s work. It is from this passion that I have accepted the president’s job with great hope for the future. |
I have always believed that the reason anyone becomes interested in our club is to learn more about a very dynamic part of what it is to be a pilot. In the pure sense, a pilot is a person who not only flies an airplane, but also continually strives to seek out new knowledge to completely understand the entire flight envelope. Being a pilot also entails the acquiring of motor skills and the associated perceptions that make it possible to correctly use those skills under, at times, extreme physiological loads. Within the IAC there exists a tremendously vast network of this knowledge. We have a number of pilots who have learned their way to the modern day cutting edge of this type of flight. Like a university, incoming students benefit from the great wealth of knowledge that exists within the institution. It is, however, up to the student to have the desire to make this transfer of information happen.
As the IAC President, I see my job as a facilitator to this learning network, which includes everything from helping chapters welcome brand new members to overseeing the running of our U.S. National Aerobatic Championships. I strongly feel that our chapters are the vertebrae of our club’s backbone. Their operation is a microcosm of the club as a whole, and their health affects the IAC as a whole as well.
I know the debate goes on about competition and non-competition people within our club. I strongly believe it doesn’t matter if you compete or not; the learning is the same. The most cherished thing the IAC possesses for this learning is the criterion for what makes an aerobatic figure correct. This standard of correctness is what makes everything happen. It provides a yardstick by which a student can learn, by which an instructor can instruct, and by which a judge can judge. Nowhere else, that I know of exists a more complete assembly of definitions for aerobatic flight, and it gets tested thousands of times each year.
Members of the IAC chapters are learning how to fly airplanes better, whether you compete or not. And they’re having fun doing it, too! The most fun I’ve ever had within the IAC has been training with friends. Nothing is more satisfying than learning something new and sharing it with others. In the springtime, John and Linda Morrissey annually conduct one of my favorite aerobatic training camps in Ashland, Kansas. Ashland is a very rural community of fewer than a thousand in south central Kansas near Dodge City. For a week you eat, sleep, and drink aerobatics. It’s like a great retreat, and it’s good for the soul. Many of the attendees don’t compete at all, but they enjoy the camaraderie of improving their flying skills. It’s no-pressure learning and socializing, and it’s great! I’ll bet you a beer (guess which kind!) that if you like flying airplanes, you would love to get in on some of this activity.
Another great asset of the IAC is the wealth of knowledge that exists regarding the building of strong aircraft. I started in this sport by building a Christen Eagle in the 1980s. That airplane is now in South America. A corporate pilot by the name of Eduardo Fabiano purchased it. Interestingly, he flew that airplane all the way down to Brasilia, Brazil, from Florida! It’s truly a small world. While building that aircraft, I was amazed at how many people would bend over backward to help with advice, materials, and labor to make the project happen. At that point I fully understood how natural and powerful it is for the IAC to be a subsidiary of the EAA.
Lastly, the friendships that I have formed in the IAC over the past 15 years have profoundly changed my life, and they’re not all with pilots either. There are many members filling other very important jobs that require acquired skills, especially judging and assistant judging at our formal events. The judging program makes up a whole other network within the network of knowledge that attracts a broad spectrum of great, knowledgeable people.
So, if your membership up to this point has been to receive the magazine, you might want to look at taking the next step. Whether it’s building, recreational flying, contest flying, or judging, it’s all happening within the IAC. If you need help getting connected with an IAC chapter near you, give me a call. I’ll get you in touch with the right folks. Have fun and fly safe!
Gerry Molidor – IAC #14825
