Regarding the issue of Basic points at the regional level. This has been discussed and debated to a great extent in the past, and the current system (at least in the NC region) has been put in place to encourage new pilots to give IMAC a try. When we had a points system in place in the NC region a couple of years ago, Basic was a very intimidating class for the newcomers. There were guys in that class who were very skilled and were attending contests solely for the purpose of gaining points and winning the season's championship. The only problem with this is that it is very discouraging for a "new" IMAC pilot to show up with a 40-sized (not 40%) airplane, and to be competing against very skilled pilots with 35 and 40% airplanes. And I do mean VERY SKILLED. So the points championship for Basic was srubbed to encourage participation from more folks. Is it working? I think it is here, but I don't know about the rest of the country.

OK, having said that, there is no question that we need to continue to foster competition in the Basic class. The Basic class should be treated BETTER than the other classes when it comes to flight time, help, encouragement, whatever. In our region, we give out about 7 or 8 awards at the end of the year for pilots who flew Basic in at least one contest. All of the pilots' names from throughout the season are put into a hat, and they are drawn at random at the end of the year. Prizes are mailed to those who aren't present. So we definitely need to encourage participation in the Basic class, we need to make sure the judging is fair, and we need to make sure these pilots get all the help they need to enjoy themselves and improve.

As for 10channels comments about the lack of representation of the Basic class on the IMAC board. Most pilots remain in Basic less that a full season (though this isn't always the case). Most of these pilots join IMAC during that season. I have never seen anyone this new to the organization run for a board position, but certainly they are eligible. Perhaps you could run for a Regionial Directorship at the end of the next season (nominations are closed for the upcoming year as of about 1 month ago) and then have more influence over these decisions. It would be great if there were more candidates to choose from! I can assure you though that just about every board member has flown in Basic sometime in the past (I flew in Basic 4 years ago), and the thoughts of new pilots are top-of-mind when discussing the Basic class. You may not agree with the decisions, but nobody is trying to shaft the Basic pilots.

Wayne is superhuman and his comments are irrelevant to the NORMAL new Basic pilot!

I can't speak for the Nats.

Ken