For Phaedrus:

I'm years out of date on IMAC competition, so I'll accept your suggestion that folks in the advanced class don't all understand how to do / score / judge snaps..

My rudder cheat, my 'why'.... again I guess I'm out of date, but 'back when' .. the unlimited guys I flew with taught me this as a way to correct on upline snaps - since I never encountered an upline snap (in my class - not Unlimited) before, I just added that 'hint' to the list of things available to correct problems.

I use the opposite yaw to ensure that I come out of the snap with no yaw offset in flight - yes the plane is on a different out line, but exactly parallel to entry. My snaps (I have 3 IMAC (gas powered)planes right now, and putting together number 4 as we 'speak ) vary a bit plane to plane, but on my latest IMAC plane -> a little 'cheat' , then usually full elevator (get a big snap stall), an a micro second later full rudder with reduced elevator - the snap end is usually opposite rudder just to track straight, sometimes aileron to help stop the rotation - if I don't use the 'cheat' I find that I have to hold opposite rudder for a few moments after the snap ends in order to correct the line, and in my thinking the chance of downgrade is much greater there than with the chance they (judge) saw the initial cheat. I'll have to spend more time thinking about this I can see, and trying different things - heck, I have the gas!

FWIW - Unless I mess up, or the snap is too slow (I mean flight speed at entry), I don't use any aileron until I get to snaps over a full rotation - for those I am thinking I may need more entry speed, I'm open to that.

Again, my biggest 'challenge' is that I don't have anyone from whom I can get feedback these days- well, I get the local guys saying stuff, but..

(IMAC planes - main one right now is a 4 month old 33% Edge 540, and being built is the QQ 102" YAK)

I expect to get dinged (at least a bit) from my lower than usual flight speed, but for me a lot of the fun is in trying to do the figures with the very controlled speed. Actually, I guess that is A LOT of the joy for me.. I have seen IMAC folks carry so much speed that they don't even use rudder for VERY basic moves, because they're going so fast - fine for them, but not the way I want to fly, and if I lose points, I have no issue or problem - my choice, I know that.

It occurs to me that the rudder cheat I have usually used is not 'the way'. I do know that my first contest this year will teach me A LOT - I just want to be well prepared - or at least feel I am well prepared for it.