Regional Series Contest Updates

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2023 Regional Series contests

Click on the Region for updated standings and contest coverage. Click on the contest name to go to the contest listing.

2022 Regional Series contests

Click on the Region for updated standings and contest coverage. Click on the contest name to go to the contest listing.

2021 Regional Series contests

Click on the Region for updated standings and contest coverage. Click on the contest name to go to the contest listing.

2020 Regional Series Winners Announced

November 27, 2020

2020 was an unusual contest season to say the least. With 29 contests scheduled and only 8 contests held successfully it looked as if no region would be able to meet the criteria for pilots to fly three contests in their region during 2020.

The start of the season saw many contests canceling and then July rolled around and suddenly the dry spell was broken. IAC Chapter 12 held the High Planes Hotpoxia Fest and there was a glimmer of hope that the Regional Series would still be possible.

By August only the South Central and Mid-America regions stood a chance of holding three contests. September rolled around and South Central was the only remaining region out of the six U.S. regions. Although, when reviewing cost saving measures for the club, the IAC board of directors voted to discontinue the Regional Series awards along with the L. Paul Soucy and Annual non-flying awards, they reversed that decision when the South Central region flew two more contests thereby meeting the criteria for the award.    

The final scores are in for the 2020 regional series competition. Twelve (12) pilots successfully competed at three or more contests needed to qualify for the series and place in the top three in their category for their respective region. Sixteen (16) more pilots were able to fly two or more contests; seven of those in the Southwest region where the Akrofest and Foxy Figures contests were able to be held.

The regional series began in 2002. To be eligible, a pilot must fly at least three contests during the year and one contest may include the U.S. Nationals. If more than three contests are flown, the highest scores are used to arrive at each participant’s total percentage. First, second and third place decals are awarded to qualified participants in each category (Primary through Unlimited) in each of the six U.S. regions; Northwest, Southwest, South Central, Mid-America, Southeast and Northeast. .

The 2020 South Central Regional Series Champions are:

PRIMARY

1. Colin Armistead  79.87%: Contests - Clyde Cable Rocky Mountiain, Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation, High Planes Hotpoxia Fest

2. Daniel Wilmoth   77.62%: Contests - Clyde Cable Rocky Mountiain, Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation, High Planes Hotpoxia Fest

3. Aaron Nahale     71.92%: Contests - Clyde Cable Rocky Mountiain, Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation, High Planes Hotpoxia Fest

SPORTSMAN

1. Wayne Forbes   74.72%: Contests - Clyde Cable Rocky Mountiain, Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation, High Planes Hotpoxia Fest

2. Charles Riesselmann   64.34%: Contests - Clyde Cable Rocky Mountiain, Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation, High Planes Hotpoxia Fest

INTERMEDIATE

1. Doug Jenkins    83.46% : Contests - Clyde Cable Rocky Mountiain, Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation, High Planes Hotpoxia Fest, Hill Country Hammerfest

2. Nick Slabakov   81.63%: Contests - Clyde Cable Rocky Mountiain, Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation, High Planes Hotpoxia Fest

3. Jamie Treat       66.37%: Contests - Clyde Cable Rocky Mountiain, Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation, High Planes Hotpoxia Fest

ADVANCED

1. Mike Forney      74.38%: Contests - Clyde Cable Rocky Mountiain, Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation, High Planes Hotpoxia Fest

2. Klayton Kirkland  72.01%: Contests - Clyde Cable Rocky Mountiain, Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation, Hill Country Hammerfest

3. Jim Murray         62.29%: Contests - Clyde Cable Rocky Mountiain, Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation, High Planes Hotpoxia Fest

September 2, 2020

by Doug Jenkins 

Well, it seems IAC 12 has gotten the hang of conducting contests in the pandemic age.  From 28-30 August they held another fun and successful aerobatic contest - the Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation .  This time it was CD Nick Slabakov at the helm in Sterling, CO at the Sterling Municipal Airport (KSTK).  Having gone to school on the contest in July at Fort Morgan (High Planes Hotpoxia Fest) all of the successful mitigation measures were carried forward to ensure the health and safety of all the participants.

The Ben Lowell contest drew 26 pilots eager to compete.There were seven Primary pilots, six hopefuls competing in Sportsman, six more Intermediate flyers, five Advanced aviators and two Unlimited aspirants as well. This was the first five-category (non-Nationals) contest that I have been to in a long time.It was good to see the enthusiasm across the spectrum. Watch for Doug Jenkins (second place finisher in Intermediate at the Ben Lowell contest) complete article on the contest in the November issue of Sport Aerobatics.

Pictured right: Roger Austin Belleau. First place finisher in Sportsman Power at the Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation and current South Central Regional Series leader.

With two completed contests in the South Central Region - here are the  Regional standings: https://iaccdb.iac.org/leaders/regionals

South Central Primary Power

South Central Sportsman Power

South Central Intermediate Power

South Central Advanced Power

Regional Series requires competitors fly in at least three IAC Sanctioned contests during the year. Because of contest cancellations due to COVID-19, five of the IAC regions will not have enough contests to participate in the Regional Series.The South Central Region is the only region that currently has a chance of finishing with three contests.  Below are the scheduled contests for the rest of the year. 

 (review the contest listings page regularly for changes and cancellations):

August 10, 2020

The second contest of the season was completed successfully and safely at the annual Corvallis Corkscrew Aerobatic Competition over the weekend (August 7-8). The IAC Chapter 77 contest was also the host of the IAC West Open Championship. Primary through Unlimited competitors enjoyed sunny to partly cloudy days and all flew three flights for their categories.  Out of the 18 competitors, half of the pilots flew Super Decathlons in Primary, Sportsman and two flew Super Ds in Intermediate. Something you don't often see is the lack of a single Pitts Special at the contest. Other airplanes were; Two Extras (300 and a 330SC), a Staudacher S-300, a Zivko Edge 540, one Aviat Christen Eagle, and Dave Watson's homebuilt Laser 230.

In Primary Hannah Neill was only inched out of one first place finish in the Free style by fellow Decathlon driver, Bruce Mamont. She won both the Known and the third flight and ended up in the first place position in points. Marianne Fox, in her first ever contest, flew a Decathlon to a third place finish.

In Sportsman John Paul Takacs finished first with a comfortable overall score in his beautiful Aviat Christen Eagle. Like Hannah he was inched out of one first place finish in the Free style by Jerry Marino in his Super Decathlon.

In the Intermediate category Brittanee Lincoln reigned supreme in all flights as she flew a Laser 230 to victory. Brittanee had put in a considerable amount of time with a serious 6 month practice regime mostly in Delano, California, which paid off as she won first place in the Known, Free and Unknown. This was Brittanee's first Intermediate contest. Last year she started out flying a Super Decathlon in Primary at the Hammerhead Roundup and progressed to Sportsman after competing three times in Primary.   Of the Corvallis contest, Brittannee said, "We had a contest! Everyone was in good spirits. Such a great group of people despite the weird and awkward times we are in. The contest was chill and awesome. I was especially happy to see we had three female competitiors, the most at a single contest that I have ever seen." 

The Advanced pilots scores were tight in the Freestyle with Barrett Hines in his Extra 300 taking first over Chris Combs, flying an Extra 330SC, who won the other two categories and came out on top at the end in total points. Chris had also spent a lot of time at Delano practicing and his hard work paid off. During the contest, a split in his all rubber tailwheel was observed. At the time he was scheduled to fly soon, forunately IAC Chapter 38 member Jake Carter, who is a mechanic, came to the rescue and got his tailwheel changed out for him. Chris was put back in the rotation a couple of spots from his original position and didn't have to miss the flight.  

The Unlimited Category pitted U.S. National Team Member, Jim Bourke against Dave Watson, recipient of the new Mastry of Flight award. In the Known sequence Dave zero'd a snap roll, a figure he hasn't had trouble with and has flown many times to near perfection.  The competition between the two in the Free and Unknown was tight, but in the end, Jim secured first place in all three flights and was crowned the 2020 IAC West Open Champion. 

Jim and Dave also flew the 4-minute Free. The score between the two was the closest seen by many - only 10 raw points separated the two with Jim clinching first place. Although he doesn't have a smoke system on his Super Decathlon, Dave chose to fly it in the 4 minute free against Jim's Extra 330SC. Dave does fly to music however and cranks up, "Don't Stop Me Now", by Queen. He has a very lively routine which has won him first place in the 4-minute Free six times in the past at other contests. He was looking forward to Nationals this year as he was going to reprise his Decathlon routine there at the championships. We will be looking for him at the 2021 U.S. National Aerobatic Championships! 

The Corvallis contest attracted a decent turnout by the public. There were 25 to 30 people in attendance on the grass who brought blankets and lawn chairs to kick back and watch all the aerobatic activty. In the past few years since the contest started the locals have gotten used to the event and last year attracted more than double of those that showed up this year. This and other IAC contests do provide an opportunity to share the love of aerobatics with local pilots who often stop to chat with competition pilots to find out how they can get invovled or find out where to get aerobatic training. 

From all accounts the contest organizers led by Travis Forsman and volunteers from IAC 77, put on a great contest. They were wonderfully ogranized, very inviting and welcoming to all. Corvallis, in central western Oregon, is a beautiful location for a contest. Home to Oregon State University it it nestled in the Williamete Valley, beautifully groomed neighborhoods and bordered on the northwest by the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range.

Details from each individual flight at the Corvallis Corscrew can be found on the IAC contest results pages: https://iaccdb.iac.org/contests?year=2020

Because the Apple Cup has recently cancelled the Northwest Region will not have enough contests to qualify for the Regional Series (three are needed). The Northeast and Southeast Regions have also suffered the same fate and will not have enough contests to participate in the Regional Series. Below are the currently scheduled contests for the rest of the year. 

 (review the contest listings page regularly for changes and cancellations):

July 22, 2020

"We held the first aerobatic contest in 2020. Why is this remarkable?  Because, like anything else, aerobatic contests don’t exist in a bubble and given the totality of circumstances we need to be mindful of balancing the risks and rewards of participating in our favorite sport.," said Doug Jenkins, second place finisher in Intermediate at the High Planes Hotpoxia Contest.  (Read Doug's complete article in the upcoming September issue of Sport Aerobatics.)

IAC Chapter 12 broke the contest dry spell and opened up the possibility that the 2020 Regional Series might still be possible. It still remains to be seen how the COVID-19 guidelines will affect the rest of the season. Because participants in each Region must fly in at least three IAC Sanctioned contests during the year, we hope that each region will have the opporunity to hold the required number of contests.

The IAC awards first, second, and third place titles in all categories in each region. Titles given identify the series champion in each respective region – Mid-America Regional Series Champion, South West Regional Series Champion, North East Regional Series Champion, etc.

With one contest under their belt, the participants in the South Central Region hold the following standings:

Primary

First Place: Josh Gregg flying a Super Decathlon…79.60% 

Second Place: Ryan Tierney flying an Extreme Decathlon…79.38%

Third Place: Colin Armistead flying an Extreme Decathlon…78.17%

Sportsman

First Place: Kyle Scott flying a Gamebird GB1…84.85% 

Second Place: Landon Dietrich flying an Extreme Decathlon…82.69%

Third Place: Roger Belleau flying an Extreme Decathlon…82.19%

Intermediate

First Place: Jared Hulse flying an Extra 330LX…79.05%

Second Place: Doug Jenkins flying a Pitts S1E…78.33%

Third Place: Nick Slabakov flying an Extra 330LX …74.64%

Advanced

First Place: Mike Forney flying a Pitts S-1T…75.95%

Second Place: Duncan Koerbel flying an Extra 300L…71.63%

Third Place: Jim Murray flying a Pitts S-1SE…63.09%

Scheduled contests in each region as of 7-27-20 (review the contest listings page regularly for changes and cancellations):