Of Airplanes, Kansas, and Dust in the Wind

The U.S. National Aerobatic Championships—the International Aerobatic Club’s (IAC) premier event—will return to Salina, Kansas in October 2022. Competition flights are scheduled to commence Sunday, 2 October, and end Friday, 7 October at the Salina Regional Airport (SLN).

The contest director for 2022’s championships is International Aerobatic Club President Emeritus Mike Heuer. Mr. Heuer has been with the IAC since its founding in 1970, and holds member number four. His father, Mr. Robert L. Heuer, was among the group of Chicago area aerobatic pilots who formalized the transformation of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Precision Flying Division into the IAC.

Though often referred to as a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association, the International Aerobatic Club is an independent corporation. All IAC members are required, however, to be EAA members.

The 2022 U.S. National Aerobatic Championships will see pilots of both powered aircraft and gliders compete in five categories: Primary, Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced, and Unlimited.

Pilots in each category will be required to fly three routines:

Known: in which all competitors fly a pre-published set of maneuvers.

Unknown: in which the sequences of aerobatic figures are presented to the pilot 12-hours prior to performance.

Free Program: in which pilots create their own routine based on maneuvers permitted in their respective categories.

The National Aerobatic Championships attract America’s premier aerobatic pilots and aerial-display stewards. Each flight is thoroughly planned to ensure the highest levels of safety while testing the abilities of both pilot and aircraft.

Flights are judged on precision, adherence to program, and excellence. Top finishers in the advanced category will earn berths on the U.S. Advanced Aerobatic Team which will compete in the 2023 World Aerobatic Championships to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada throughout October and November 2023.

A separate Four Minute Freestyle championship will be held on Friday, 7 October. The event will be open only to the top ten Unlimited and Advanced category competitors. Members of the public are welcome to attend all competition events, including the Four Minute Freestyle championship, as observers at no cost. Public viewing vistas for the 2022 U.S. National Aerobatic Championships will be near Fossett Plaza, located off of Beechcraft Road.

FMI: www.iac.org