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IMAC NW - Run a Contest Check List As a CD you are responsible for the conduct of the contest. There are some minimal rules cited below that you must follow in order for your contest to count for regional points. However, beyond these, it is your contest and you can run it as you see fit. This paper is offered simply as a reminder of all the things you might need or want as a part of your contest. It is aimed at a "typical" two day weekend IMAC contest. NOTE: In what follows there are several references to the AMA, its forms and reports. However, if the contest is in Canada, the activity called for should occur within the Canadian governing body, the MAAC (Model Aeronautics Association of Canada), using its corresponding forms and procedures.
Content: - Rules - What Preliminary Tasks You Must Do - What Physical Things & Equipment You Will Need - What Personnel You Will Need - What Are The Norms For The Weekend - What Must Get Done On Friday - What Must Get Done On Saturday Morning - What Must Get Done On Saturday Afternoon - What Must Get Done On Sunday Morning - What Must Get Done On Sunday Afternoon - What Happens When Its All Over
If you want your contest to count for regional points you need to satisfy the following: - The contest must occur within regional boundaries. If not located within the region, the Regional Director can extend an exemption in order to have the contest count for regional points. - You must obtain an AMA sanction or, if in Canada, an MAAC sanction. The sanction request must be received by the AMA or MAAC at least 30 days prior to the contest date. Also, you should note on the form any variance from standard rules that you intend for your contest. The most common are: * waiving sound testing (recommended unless there are field sound issues) * waiving the pilot panel requirement (not recommended) - The contest must be run in accordance with the current AMA Scale Aerobatic rules less any specific exceptions you cited in the approved contest sanction form. - The contest must be run in accordance with the current IMAC NW Region Rules. They are contained on the IMAC NW web site. - The contest must be scored in accordance with the current IMAC NW Region scoring practice and must include the NW Senior Championship. - After the contest is held, the AMA Contest Directors Report must be submitted to the AMA within 7 days of the contest date. Attach the final standings for each class to this report. There is a link to the Contest Directors Report form on the IMAC NW web site. - Submission of final scores must be provided to the NW regional web master within one week of the contest date.
Beyond these items you can do whatever you wish. Any deviations from rules or common practice should be published in the contest flier to give participants advance notice of what you are planning. Note that, in running your contest, you do not have to offer all five classes. You may run a restricted contest with fewer than five classes if that is appropriate to your area and particular situation. Also, there is no requirement that a contest must be at least two days. You may have a one day contest if that better suits your situation.
What preliminary tasks must you do: - Fill out and send in the AMA sanction application. This should be done three months in advance of your contest date in order to get the event listed in the AMA magazine. Note: For the AMA, the contest sanction request and $20 fee is to be sent to the District Contest Coordinator - not to AMA headquarters. The District Contest Coordinators and their addresses are listed in the AMA magazine, Model Aviation, in the "Focus On Competition" section. Currently (08) Bill Smith is the guy for AMA District Eleven which covers the NW. - At least ten days before your contest date, submit the request for Unknowns to IMAC National. click here. This link will get you to the "CD Corner" page on the National web site where you register your request. Note that you must log into the National web site in order to see the Unknown request page, i.e., you must be a member or have a member do it for you. Also, once you get the request page to display, fill it out and after you have done that, be sure to click on "Submit" in the lower left corner of the page or else the request won't take. The "Submit" button is not obvious so look for it and make sure you click on it. Request and delivery of the Unknowns is all handled by email. The Unknowns for a particular weekend are typically sent out on the Monday before the weekend. Note that if you, the CD, are competing you must designate someone else who is not competing to receive and manage the Unknowns. The request form provides for this. - About 2 to 3 weeks before the contest date post to RCU, Flying Giants, Flying Circus and GSAL notification of the contest. As a part of these posts, it would be good to include a link to a Flyer on your club web site if you have one. The Flyer, or a link to it, should also be posted on the NW web site. See the next two items. In addition, you should post the Flyer at all the hobby shops in your area. - Prepare a contest Flyer. This should contain at least the following:
- The contest entry fee, like most everything else about the contest, is up to you. It is desirable to make the entry fee as low as possible to make it easy for newcomers to try IMAC without a big cost hit. However, this can be a money making opportunity for your club so you may want to maximize your entry fee. You have to decide where you come down between these two competing motivations. In recent years, fees in the NW have been running between $20 and $40 with most falling in the $25 to $35 range. Whatever your fee, you can offer a lower or zero entry fee to Basic pilots and you are encouraged to do so. We need to attract new pilots and this is one way to do that. There is no problem having a different entry fee for Basic. The decision is yours. - Email a digital copy of your Flyer or a link to a copy of it to the IMAC NW webmaster so it will be posted in the IMAC NW web site schedule.
What physical things and equipment you will need: - A reserved flying field. Make sure the usual inhabitants are notified well in advance that the field will be closed on your contest date. They get really upset if they show up on the IMAC weekend and find out that they can’t fly - then they direct their anger at IMAC. - Some way to clearly mark the "deadline" for the judges. As of 07 rules the "box" is gone as is the 60 degree line. The deadline is the only thing that IMAC calls for to define our Air Space. You have to make sure it is marked so that the judges easily know where it is. - Scoring capability. This consists of a laptop, a printer, the current scoring program and supplies such as print cartridges and paper. You will also need to charge the laptop as its batteries won't make it through the weekend - so you need 110 power or spare laptop batteries. - A sufficient quantity of score sheets for the number of pilots you expect in each class. The score sheets available on the NW web site provide for four rounds (8 sequences). Remember that each pilot needs two (2) score sheets - one for each judge. If you intend to have more than 8 sequences you will need more score sheets. You will also need to decide what score sheets will be used for the unknown flight. This can be scored on the same sheets as used for the knowns or on a separate one. - Copies of the AMA Safety Declaration form that the pilot has to sign. A copy is available on the IMAC NW web site. - Copies of the AMA Event Participant form that the pilot has to sign in on. A copy is available on the IMAC NW web site. - An IMAC Sign in Sheet that ties to the AMA Event Participant form. It records name, IMAC member number if any, radio frequency, senior/or not and entry fee payment. A copy is available on the IMAC NW web site. - Some way to display the flight order at the flight line(s). This is typically a metal stake that is set up at the flight line. Each pilot’s name & class is affixed to a spring type clothes pin. These clothes pins are then clipped to the stake arranged by class and flight order. - Some way to randomly draw for flight order within class. Usually the clothes pins just referred to are used for this purpose. Dump them in a hat by class and have the youngest pilot pull them out one at a time. - Trophies for whatever classes you are flying. Typically trophies are awarded to the three highest finishers in each class. If a freestyle is flown, trophies are also needed to cover that - may be just one for the winner or may be for first to third place finishers. In addition, in the NW region, a single trophy for the highest placing Senior is required. A senior is defined as any pilot 60 years or older. - Aresti diagrams, both knowns and unknowns, for the judges for each class to be flown. - Unknowns obtained from IMAC national. A link to the request form is included on the IMAC NW web site. - A supply of pencils and or pens for the judges/scribes. - A set of clipboards - one for each judge/scribe pair. - Chairs for each flight line. This is four chairs for each flight line to provide for two judges and two scribes per flight line. - If reasonable, a barrier between the judges and the flight line is desirable. - If you expect the contest entry to be large. a PA system or bullhorn of some kind is desirable for pilots meetings and simply for getting people’s attention during the contest. - If you are flying a freestyle you need a sound system to play the contestants music. - Providing lunch for purchase at the field is pretty much a necessity, so, a food preparation facility and equipment for Sat/Sun lunch and for Sat evening dinner, if any. Food sales are another way to bank some dollars for the club treasury. - Cash to make change when entry fees are paid and for food sales. - Something to hold the cash. - Some way to mark off the three ready boxes at each flight line. Water soluble spray paint works well. The ready boxes should be located a "reasonable" distance away from the judges and the pilot who is currently flying. - Raffle stuff if you intend to do a raffle. This includes the “give aways”, the raffle tickets and some container to hold the tickets and draw from. - Last but not least, you need to provide "the facilities". If your flying field doesn't have toilets or if they are very primitive, you need to rent Porta-Potties. This last item is critical if you expect wives, children and or spectators to attend.
What people you utilize all depends on you, how you organize things and how big the entry is. The following describes tasks so some individuals can do more than one of the jobs called for. What tasks are necessary and which are optional, is noted. - (required) CD - You are the CD and are the final arbiter of any disputes. You must be an AMA certified CD. - (required) Registrar - to sign in contestants, obtain all required information, to make sure the three registration forms (AMA Safety Declaration, AMA Event Participant and the IMAC Sign in Sheet) are signed and to take money for entry fees. - (required) Judging matrix manager - This person should know the cast of characters so he does not put a person in "over his head". He creates and adjusts as necessary the judging matrix through the weekend and posts it in some obvious place at the field. He should also let affected people know directly if he has to change previously announced assignments. - (optional) Impound Manager - This person(s) handles the transmitter impound if you decide to have one. - (required) Scorer - This is really a two person job as the data entry needs to be checked thoroughly and this is better done with two people. This person(s) must be trained on the use of the current scoring program. The scorer(s) enters the pilot's scores into the scoring program as they are received from the flight line. On Saturday, the scorer will print and post the standings after each round is completed. Typically round scores are not posted on Sunday. - (optional) Runners - These people get each pilots scores from the judges after completion of each flight and bring them to the scorer. If you don't have identified runners, getting the completed score sheets from the judges to the scorer becomes pretty haphazard but it seems to get done somehow. The key thing is that the pilots themselves should not handle the score sheets after they are completed by the judges and before they are entered into the computer. - (required) Judges - Two per flight line per class drawn from the contestants. - (optional- but not really) Scribes - One per judge drawn from contestants and/or spectators. - (optional but highly desirable) Flight Line Manager - One such person is required per active flight line. He assures that the three ready boxes are filled with planes and that their pilots are ready to fly. He is also responsible for getting pilots into the air within the rules allotted time. Best case here is to get the next pilot into the air before the current pilots completes his last sequence. - (optional) Raffle Manager - This person is responsible for obtaining the “give aways”, hopefully for free, and for selling tickets if you intend that they be sold. - (optional - but not really) Food Manager - This person runs the food prep and delivery operation. There are usually several people involved in food prep and delivery.
What are the norms for the weekend: - Number of flights - A minimum weekend contest will consist of three rounds of Knowns and one flight of an Unknown. However, given good weather and decent organization, you should be able to fly at least four flights (eight sequences) of knowns and one flight (one sequence) of unknowns. With good organization and time management, an entry of thirty or less and a timely start each day you can easily get in the fourth round of Knowns and still wrap up by 3PM on Sunday. - Judging - Best case is to have a pilot judge classes lower than he is flying in. Also, first degree blood relatives should not judge each another, e.g., no parents, children, siblings, etc... should judge one another. - Judging Instruction - The quality of judging is crucial to the health of our sport so please consider holding a judging seminar of one to two hours as part of the contest. This can be held on Friday night before the contest. If this doesn’t work for you, consider taking 15 min (max) at each pilots meeting to cover one aspect of judging, e.g., cover spins or snaps. - Safety - Know what makes a safe contest and the relevant rules and be very hard nosed in enforcement. Make very clear where the deadline is and emphasize to the judges that it needs to be enforced. The “dead line” should be strictly enforced and zeros given for penetration of the deadline on any maneuver. These planes/motors that we play with can kill. There is a paper that details NW contest safety practices on the NW web site. - Air Space definition - As noted above the "deadline" is the only definition required by IMAC to delineate the Air Space. This must be 100' out from the pilot station(s). If, at your field, you have over flight issues or neighbor issues that require you to further restrict the Air Space for the contest, it is up to you to define the limits, mark them so they may be recognized, decide how you will recognize infringement and, finally, decide what the penalty will be for infringement. If such conditions exist they should be noted in the contest Flyer and covered at the pilot's meeting on Saturday. - Food - The availability at the field of lunch for purchase on both Sat and Sun is pretty much the norm. This can be box lunches or burgers off the grill. Anything beyond that, such as a dinner for participants on Saturday evening, is optional and unusual. Selling food is a money making opportunity for you and your club.
- The entry fee amount is up to you. Every effort should be made to keep it as low as possible while still allowing you to make some money for your club. Costs that must be covered by the entry fee are: - AMA sanction fee at $20 - Document duplication costs if any - Field rental if any - Trophies - Fee to the IMAC region at $3 per entrant. - Equipment rental fees if any, e.g., sound system, Porta-Potties
What must get done on Saturday morning:
What must get done on Saturday afternoon/evening: - Distribute the unknowns - Run the event dinner, if any - Post scores and standings after each round
What must get done on Sunday morning: - Hold a pilots meeting. This is a cut down version of Saturday’s meeting and should cover any issues or changes that resulted from Saturday’s flying as well as reviewing the target schedule for Sunday. Also, if there are any questions or disputes about Unknown interpretation, they must be resolved at this meeting and the final interpretation made clear so that judges and pilots are all on the same page.
What must get done on Sunday afternoon after sequence flying completes: - Run the Free Style if any. Note some contests prefer to run the Free Style on Saturday afternoon or some CD's will also run one round of Freestyle on Sat afternoon and the second and final round on Sunday. Its up to you. - Review and finalize scoring - Prepare trophies for presentation. - Run the trophy presentation. - Run the raffle drawing and give away the “give aways” if there is a raffle. - Thank all who assisted - pay particular attention to thanking the scorers.
What needs to get done after it is all over: - Pay outstanding local bills. - Send IMAC money to IMAC National. A copy of the letter to be used is available on the IMAC NW web site. For 08, this is $3 per paying registered pilot. - Send scores to the regional web master. - Send the Contest Director Report to the AMA. Attach to the report the final standings, by class. - Get the field cleaned up.
Miscellaneous Suggestions & equipment availability: - Adopt the three plane ready box approach and enforce its use. - In order to minimize wasted time between pilots, require that the next pilot to fly take off when the current pilot is half way through his second sequence. This pilot then idles out of the way until the current pilot completes his flight whereupon the guy who has been idling enters and begins his sequence. This “next” pilot need not wait for the previous guy to land before entering the box provided the judges are ready and it is a safe thing to do. - Enforce the IMAC time limits for starting/take off, box entry and landing. - Limit the number of turn around passes before box entry once the judges declare themselves ready. A max of two passes is liberal. - Forms that you will need and where they can be obtained: - AMA Safety Declaration form - IMAC NW web site - AMA Event Participant form - IMAC NW web site - IMAC Sign In Sheet - IMAC NW web site - Unknown request form - Link to IMAC National site IMAC NW web site - Score sheets - IMAC NW web site - 07 Known Aresti diagrams - IMAC NW web site - AMA Contest Director Report form - IMAC NW web site - Submittal letter to send Regional share of entry fee to IMAC National - IMAC NW web site. - Scoring equipment - We have a Regional laptop and printer available to any CD who does not have access to one locally. Logistics to be worked out. Email Bruce. - Pilot identification clothes pins - Bruce has them. - Flight line stakes for flight order posting - Bruce has them. - Note: The "regional equipment" consisting of scoring equipment, stakes, clothes pins, etc... are home based in the Seattle area. If you, the CD, are not in the Seattle area and want to use this stuff make FIRM arrangements with a DEPENDABLE Seattle area pilot to bring it all to your contest. Then, when it is all over on Sunday, you must make absolutely sure that this DEPENDABLE pilot does not leave for home without this stuff and that it gets back to the Seattle area.
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