At a teleconference today, a majority of the IAC Board of Directors met to discuss the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships and a future location. At the Fall Board meeting in November 2018, the Board had tasked Bob Freeman with researching potential locations for Nationals using the center of the United States as a starting point and at today's teleconference, Bob made a presentation of his research findings.
Since the November Board meeting, Bob developed a checklist of desirable qualities that a Nationals site should have. He systematically reviewed airports within a one to four hundred mile radius of Topeka, Kansas, and a few airports rose to the top of heap. The airport operators, managers, and city officials were sent a presentation package showing IAC Nationals site requirements along with a brief questionnaire in order to determine if each location might be a good match. Once an interest was expressed by a number of airports and information was gathered about their suitability and desire to host the Nationals, Bob prepared his report outlining the top candidates and presented those to the Board on the teleconference.
The call did not result in a vote on location at this time. Further deep exploration, including onsite talks with 3 or 4 of the top candidates by a select working group made up of IAC members and Board, will begin immediately. A final decision will be made on the Nationals location and the exact dates in September on or before March 1. Updates will be posted on the IAC website as more information becomes available.
Thank you to Bob Freeman for his excellent work on this huge task. His presentation package can be found on the Board of Directors Meeting Minutes & Documents page (member login required).
