2008 Acro Team Updates are In!

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The Four Winds Aviation Aerobatics Team participates in Competition Aerobatic events in Texas and neighboring states. Our team of pilots compete in various levels of competition ranging from the Primary through Advanced categories.

Primary

Known Compulsory

This is a set of figures published each season. Every pilot flies the same set of figures.

Sportsman

Known Compulsory and Free Program

Sportsman pilots fly the Known sequence and also have the option to fly a Free sequence of their own design if they so choose.

Intermediate

Known Compulsory, Unknown and Free Program

Intermediate pilots not only have to fly a more complex Known sequence, they must also fly the Unknown compulsory.  The Unknown sequence is distributed to the pilots only a few hours before the flight and it can not be practiced.  Flying the Unknown is a test of the pilots ability to fly a specified sequence and group of figures without having a chance to practice.  At this level, each pilot should already be very good at most all of the Aresti figures and be comfortable in memorizing the sequence.

In competition aerobatics, every competitor flies at least 3 flights of specific maneuvers that are graded by a team of judges. These judges score each individual maneuver that is flown in a sequence as to how well the pilot flies the figure and how well the pilot is positioned within the aerobatic box.  These judges, score each maneuver on the precision of the lines, symmetry of each figure, (this refers to the ARESTI figures), and how well the pilot uses the aerobatic box during the sequence.

Over the last several years our aerobatic team competed in the following IAC aerobatic competitions, and below each, we have a listing of how well our pilots flew in each event.

Lone Star Aerobatic Championship - Sponsored by IAC Chapter 24

2006 - 3 of our pilots placed  in the Top 5 in the Sportsman Category

2007 - 2 of our pilots placed in the Top 5 and 2 in Top 10 in Sportsman and 1 placed 1st in Primary

2008 - Team Lead Dave Honaker became the Lone Star Champion when he took 1st place overall in

          Sportsman. Another team member placed 2nd overall in Sportsman. In Intermediate, 1 pilot placed

          6th overall. This was a tough contest as all pilots faced 40 knot winds in the box on both days.

Okie Dust Devil - Weatherford Oklahoma

2006 - 2 of our pilots placed in the Top 5 and 1 pilot placed in the Top 10 in the Sportsman Category

2007 - 3 of our pilots placed in the Top 5 in Sportsman and 1 pilot placed 1st in Primary

2008 - 1 pilot finished 6th in Intermediate, 2 pilots placed 3rd and 5th respectively in Sportsman.

          Darren  Behm took 1st Place in Primary and took home some very nice "WOOD"!

Llano Hill Country Hammer Fest - Sponsored by IAC 107

2006 - 2 of our pilots placed in the Top 5 in the Sportsman category

2008 - 2 Team members placed 2nd & 3rd respectively in Intermediate & 2 pilots placed 4th & 5th

          in Sportsman. Darren Behm took 1st in Primary. Darren now moves to Sportsman for

          Nationals! The team racked up some nice trophies.  This was a very "HOT" Texas weekend,

          with temps reaching 101and the ramp a bit hotter. The team prevailed and put up a great showing.

U.S. National Championships

2006 Nationals - We had 5 pilots competing at the U.S. Nationals in the Sportsman Category, and 1 pilot in the Primary Category. Dave Honaker Placed 11th out of 22 competition pilots.

2007 Nationals - We had 5 pilots competing at the US Nationals again in Sportsman category, aerobatic team leader Dave Honaker placed 11th out of 22 of the nations best Sportsman competitors.

2008 Nationals - Pilot commitments are about in. We should have 5 very strong Competition pilots at this years Nationals.  Stay tuned!

Competition is tough and we applaud those who show up and lay their piloting skills on the line. Just so you know how competitive it can be, in the Sportsman Category at the 2006 & 2007 National's, our Decathlon Drivers went up against some of the worlds premier aerobatic aircraft. They included, Velox Rev II, Extra 200, Extra 300L, Pitts S2B, Pitts S1S, Pitts Model 12 and the Christen Eagle II.  These were some serious aerobatic machines, but our team and Decathlon gave them all a run for their money. Of course our team lead and the Pitts S2B didn't show bad at all either.  We also had one team member fly the Pitts in Intermediate.

***  We are proud of our 2006 - 2008 Aerobatic Team and their efforts to promote

       the sport and for their hard work in mastering Aerobatic Competition and

       Flight. We look forward to the 2008 season and the excitement it will bring.

For our aerobatic team, we are always seeking additional team members to fly Primary through Advanced Level competitions.  We have the Super Decathlon and Pitts S2B aircraft in our school fleet that are available for training and at competition. Our current team consists of 9 pilots, and we are seeking to expand the team and bring on additional members for local and non-local aerobatic competitions.  We seek like minded pilots that have an interest in aerobatic training as well as have the desire to compete in aerobatic's.  If you, or someone you know is interested in getting involved in competitive aerobatics, Please Contact Us!

TEAM SPONSORS COMING SOON

To request information on becoming a Team Sponsor for our aerobatic team, and to see your company name and logo on our Pitts S2B and team member jersey's, please contact Dave Honaker via email at fourwindsflight@yahoo.com or via the phone at 469-766-3500