Go here:

http://www.mini-iac.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=78

Looks like there were 18 contests. Just click not the results links and count up to your heart's content.!!

BTW - Anna, in the SW is it fair to include the Shootout?? It is not really an IMAC contest per se, and it did not count in the points series. We still had killer participation even without the Shootout counted.

Something else that falls out of Anna's numbers is that only 17% (46) of the SW pilots flew in 5 or more contests. 43% (117) flew in only a single contest. Leaving 40% (111) who flew in between 2 and 4 contests. Even at the full 274 pilot field, that represents only 0.7% of the AMA members in the SW region. We are a very tiny (dedicated) group compared to the rest of modeling to be sure!

But the real point is that 57% of the pilots who flew in an IMAC contest in the SW last year chose for whatever reason NOT to compete again. Those are the folks I would like to talk to!!! And I doubt that the major reason was that they were scared off by all the big airplanes!! In the SW this year I did not see a single plane at a contest (even in Basic) smaller than a 27% to 30% plane. And everyone that I saw was a scale planes. I do not see this as the factor that stopped that 57% from coming back for even 1 more contest.

I am also convinced that the major sequence creep that happened for 2006 is not going to help the situation.

I was also interested in the class numbers in the SW. Healthy Basic (56) Nice Sportsman (77), BIG drop to Intermediate (47 - a 40% drop from Sportsman) then another big drop to Advanced (24 - 51% drop from Intermediate) then a 25% increase from Advanced to Unlimited, which dashes the classes get smaller as you go up argument.

2006 will be interesting.