There was a time when several popular "IMAC" offerings were more pattern-like than anything that I am aware of these days. The 37% Godfrey Extra 300 and the Aeroworks Extra 300 come to mind. If I remember right, the Aeroworks was 40% scale size. On a much smaller scale, Dick Hanson's DHModelsExcess was an extremely good flyer, and was (barely) "IMAC Legal" (met the AMA Scale Aerobatics rules) and was also "Pattern legal".Basically,it was the thinnest Extra 300 you've ever seen.In all of these examples, you saw the obvious reasons for why the models flew with greater precision than the rest in their class - mainly because they were stretched to the limit in length, and had proper attention to the placement of the wing and stab. There wasendless controversy about the "IMAC Legality"of the Excess and often, the other two I mentioned.

The Aeroworks and Godfrey were still capable of 3D, because they had oversized control surfaces, but not to the absurd extremes that you see now. It seems a shame that so much emphasis is placed on a $7,000 model that can flop around like a dying fish, when it sacrifices so much in precision. It's especially odd, since only a small percentage of pilots in Scale Aerobatics contests actually compete in Freestyle as compared to sequence flying. Anyway, I still have a 40% Carden Extra 330 that Ibuilt in 2001 - 2002, which performs well for sequence flying, mainly because it has the CG moved forward more than normal to help it lock. It's still capable of 3D, although it isn't as dramatic when set up forprecision flying. There was a time when I flew it with a more conventional "IMAC" setup and it would flop with the best of them. That and a$1.35 gets me a cup of coffeein the cafeteria at work..

As a side note, I always enjoyed the way the Lockharts used to make smoke emerge from the ears of a few hardcore IMAC types around here when they showed up with the Excess. I guess the best thing I ever witnessed as aScaleAerobaticscompetitor was when Dave won freestyle with a J3 Cub. Go figure.

Some survey responses:

Iuse a Dodge Grand Caravan to transport the 40% Extra.

There are roughly the same number of contests around here in the two events. Fewer venues areavailable to IMAC contestsin the NE (you are now required to call it an "IMAC"contest). Some locations were lost because the behavior of a few knotheads caused angry responses from neighbors,and they werebooted for all time. In other cases, clubs won't have them anymore, either because of noise and safety concerns being too great a risk for the security of THEIR field(asis the case with a club that I belong to, which once formed the nucleus of IMAC in the NE).In another case, IMAC contests are no longer welcome because the club never got their contest proceeds from the CD. Again, go figure.