Scoring rules inside the aerobatic box were not changed, yet out of the box we wanted to do everything differently. For the first time in the world, we ran a championship where the judges' scores were recorded electronically using an App, even with Nick Buckenham, President of the FAI Aerobatics Commission (CIVA), doubting that it would work. We also did the first world championship with narration sequences and partial results. In addition to creating a completely different qualifying format. The public understood and followed.
I had called Lucas Delcaro, who was the contest director to pass Keynote rules and validate the arguments. I was talking about Qualifying 1, the first flight of each category. That's a round. "It eliminates the laggards in the first phase and only lets the good move forward" I said, smiling. A while later I was in the flying Q1. Then came the strong winds and the rain started . I did not have the situational awareness to choose the right side of the box to turn. I made a quarter roll to the wrong side and went over the judges in the crossbox. I got a zero. I was one of the laggards.
It was the first time that I had lost a championship, yet still continued to be excited. Because I was the one who had conceived the competition.
The first Trophy Alberto Bertelli of Aerobatics was held in the Aero Club of Itápolis, country of S. Paulo, Brazil between 8th and 10th September 2016. The "old" (as he was known) Bertelli was the greatest aerobatic icon in Brazil. He started flying in the 40's, peaked in air shows in the 60's and 70's and died of natural causes in the early 80's. His memory is revered unanimously among Brazilian aviators.
Before explaining how the competition was conceived, it is necessary to undersand a little history of the Aero Club and what each person expected of the circus that had been arranged. Itápolis was one of the most respected aero clubs of Brazil, it was founded in 1941 and it is the most well-structured in the country. The Aero Club has nearly 20 aircraft. There, we also have the headquarters of the EJ School of Aeronautics, the largest in Latin America, with more than 50 aircraft. But what they really like doing is to party. Receiving people, pilots, aircrafts and open the lawns of the Aero Club for the people to enjoy the flights.
I have been an aerobatic competitor pilot since 2001, moreover, I do the communication planning of EJ, who were the main sponsors of the Trophy, and the Aero Club, who organised the event. Thus it was possible to bridge the gap between the needs of pilots and organisers.
Pilots want another place to compete and evolve the art of acrobatics, and of course, they also want to reduce their costs. The sponsored pilots want to justify to the companies the exposure of their brands. Those who are not being sponsored would like it to to be easier to get a sponsor for their plane. EJ and the Aero Club, who were the sponsors of the event, wanted people who love aviation to visit their facilities and learn more about their respective flight schools.
The Aero Club had previously successfully organised several air shows. They already had the expertise and several pilots who participate in air shows there, were requesting more events, meetings and championships. Josué Andrade, who is the president of the Aero Club and director of EJ, gave the green light: Organise a championship. I gathered a small committee of competitor pilots and I was playing the ideas one by one, that we should be looking at what might work or not.
In Brazil we have the CBA, the Brazilian Committee of Acrobatics, which organises the Brazilian championship with the IAC (International Aerobatic Club) package of sequences and categories. We did not want it to be just a regional, like Chapters in the US, we needed to be different. The Bertelli Trophy was not a regional championship.
First goal: reduce arbitration claims
We began to discuss what bothered us others competitions. In the Brazilian Championships we have about fifteen people in the Sportsman category normaly. And the results of the firsts are always very close, with little difference in percentage from the first to at least fifth place. And this invariably raises several discussions on arbitration because virtually no one gets a zero in a maneuver. This makes it very competitive. The same thing happens in the Primary Category.
Suspicions, founded or not, always take the edge off the competition and generates various gossip backstage. And this has a negative effect: just puttting off some pilots who could participate and evolve in its flights.
Our first thing was to increase the score for the distance between the top finishers, and we were one, as we know, few in the world, to have a championship with own drawn sequences. And we make only three categories, because its our reality, the first was the Traditional, which is something between the Primary and Sportsman of the IAC. We e created a new name because we felt better it we felt it better to take a trophy home and be rewarded not for being "Basic" or "Primary". In addition, we found the primary very short IAC, where the pilot himself almost does not even have fun with a flight ending so quickly.
The second category was the Super Sportsman, which is practically an intermediate without snap roll. The principle is as follows: Minimum aircraft to accomplish without loss of competitiveness should be the Decathlon 150hp, Cap-10 and RV's, which are planes of brazilian reality.
The difficulty was increased over the sportsman including points to maneuver, including a four point rolls, and including a part of the maneuvers category Intermediate of IAC, like the Chinese looping. Maneuvers that the planes not need to 200hp engines. The scoring distance between the top finishers increased. Causing the pilots themselves were aware of their mistakes and fewer complaints.
The third category was the Elite, which was Advanced that could be flown in with a Christen Eagle, ultimately, without getting too behind in the score against a Sukhoi or Extra. With the same principle, the increased difficulty of execution without the need for 300hp power.
Each category has three sequences defined before the competition. There was not the free or unknown sequences, which always generate discussions because they feel that harms or helps any particular type of aircraft.
And even in traditional, we had three sequences. The fact that they are different adds a certain excitement to the sport, that only intermediate pilots has normaly. Even the maneuvers being practically the same, but on different sides of the box. In addition to force more zeros without bringing risk to the flight.
Prize
Volunteer and Lucas Delcaro
The APP for Scores
Planes arriving
Briefing
Winners of the Traditional Category
Vadico
Briefing
Part of the Volunteers of the Aeroclube de Itápolis
I had called Lucas Delcaro, who was the contest director to pass Keynote rules and validate the arguments. I was talking about Qualifying 1, the first flight of each category. That's a round. "It eliminates the laggards in the first phase and only lets the good move forward" I said, smiling. A while later I was in the flying Q1. Then came the strong winds and the rain started . I did not have the situational awareness to choose the right side of the box to turn. I made a quarter roll to the wrong side and went over the judges in the crossbox. I got a zero. I was one of the laggards.
It was the first time that I had lost a championship, yet still continued to be excited. Because I was the one who had conceived the competition.
The first Trophy Alberto Bertelli of Aerobatics was held in the Aero Club of Itápolis, country of S. Paulo, Brazil between 8th and 10th September 2016. The "old" (as he was known) Bertelli was the greatest aerobatic icon in Brazil. He started flying in the 40's, peaked in air shows in the 60's and 70's and died of natural causes in the early 80's. His memory is revered unanimously among Brazilian aviators.
Before explaining how the competition was conceived, it is necessary to undersand a little history of the Aero Club and what each person expected of the circus that had been arranged. Itápolis was one of the most respected aero clubs of Brazil, it was founded in 1941 and it is the most well-structured in the country. The Aero Club has nearly 20 aircraft. There, we also have the headquarters of the EJ School of Aeronautics, the largest in Latin America, with more than 50 aircraft. But what they really like doing is to party. Receiving people, pilots, aircrafts and open the lawns of the Aero Club for the people to enjoy the flights.
I have been an aerobatic competitor pilot since 2001, moreover, I do the communication planning of EJ, who were the main sponsors of the Trophy, and the Aero Club, who organised the event. Thus it was possible to bridge the gap between the needs of pilots and organisers.
Pilots want another place to compete and evolve the art of acrobatics, and of course, they also want to reduce their costs. The sponsored pilots want to justify to the companies the exposure of their brands. Those who are not being sponsored would like it to to be easier to get a sponsor for their plane. EJ and the Aero Club, who were the sponsors of the event, wanted people who love aviation to visit their facilities and learn more about their respective flight schools.
The Aero Club had previously successfully organised several air shows. They already had the expertise and several pilots who participate in air shows there, were requesting more events, meetings and championships. Josué Andrade, who is the president of the Aero Club and director of EJ, gave the green light: Organise a championship. I gathered a small committee of competitor pilots and I was playing the ideas one by one, that we should be looking at what might work or not.
In Brazil we have the CBA, the Brazilian Committee of Acrobatics, which organises the Brazilian championship with the IAC (International Aerobatic Club) package of sequences and categories. We did not want it to be just a regional, like Chapters in the US, we needed to be different. The Bertelli Trophy was not a regional championship.
First goal: reduce arbitration claims
We began to discuss what bothered us others competitions. In the Brazilian Championships we have about fifteen people in the Sportsman category normaly. And the results of the firsts are always very close, with little difference in percentage from the first to at least fifth place. And this invariably raises several discussions on arbitration because virtually no one gets a zero in a maneuver. This makes it very competitive. The same thing happens in the Primary Category.
Suspicions, founded or not, always take the edge off the competition and generates various gossip backstage. And this has a negative effect: just puttting off some pilots who could participate and evolve in its flights.
Our first thing was to increase the score for the distance between the top finishers, and we were one, as we know, few in the world, to have a championship with own drawn sequences. And we make only three categories, because its our reality, the first was the Traditional, which is something between the Primary and Sportsman of the IAC. We e created a new name because we felt better it we felt it better to take a trophy home and be rewarded not for being "Basic" or "Primary". In addition, we found the primary very short IAC, where the pilot himself almost does not even have fun with a flight ending so quickly.
The second category was the Super Sportsman, which is practically an intermediate without snap roll. The principle is as follows: Minimum aircraft to accomplish without loss of competitiveness should be the Decathlon 150hp, Cap-10 and RV's, which are planes of brazilian reality.
The difficulty was increased over the sportsman including points to maneuver, including a four point rolls, and including a part of the maneuvers category Intermediate of IAC, like the Chinese looping. Maneuvers that the planes not need to 200hp engines. The scoring distance between the top finishers increased. Causing the pilots themselves were aware of their mistakes and fewer complaints.
The third category was the Elite, which was Advanced that could be flown in with a Christen Eagle, ultimately, without getting too behind in the score against a Sukhoi or Extra. With the same principle, the increased difficulty of execution without the need for 300hp power.
Each category has three sequences defined before the competition. There was not the free or unknown sequences, which always generate discussions because they feel that harms or helps any particular type of aircraft.
And even in traditional, we had three sequences. The fact that they are different adds a certain excitement to the sport, that only intermediate pilots has normaly. Even the maneuvers being practically the same, but on different sides of the box. In addition to force more zeros without bringing risk to the flight.
Prize
Volunteer and Lucas Delcaro
The APP for Scores
Planes arriving
Briefing
Winners of the Traditional Category
Vadico
Briefing
Part of the Volunteers of the Aeroclube de Itápolis
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