I have been spending a bit of time lately preparing and organizing for an Online Virtual Aerobatic Club. I still have a bit of work before everything is complete, meaning things are still a few weeks off. I am posting here to get an idea of how many people in our flight sim community would be interested in such an organization.After reading through this post and if this seems like something that you might be interested in and would look foreward to participating in, please reply in this thread and let me know.ThanksJB

Introduction

Who We AreThe “Online Virtual International Aerobatics Club”, (OVIAC) is an organization of fellow flight simulation pilots that use Microsoft Flight Simulator X, (FSX) in an online, multiplayer environment, to simulate real world aerobatic competitions. Within given limitations, we model the experience as close as possible to the, “International Aerobatic Club”, which is the primary governing body for aerobatic competitions in the United States. Our goal as OVIAC, is to bring an authentic representation of competition aerobatics to the flight simulation community, expand our member base and to present an opportunity for all flight simulation enthusiasts to become involved and have fun in the exciting world of competition aerobatics.Why Online Multiplayer Is BetterUnlike other simulated aerobatic organizations, OVIAC simulates the experience online in a multiplayer environment. This means that during our events, whether just a scheduled practice session, a full blown contest, or a sanctioned league contest, that you will be online in a multiplayer server participating in the event “live”. You will see other competitors fly, you will judge your competitors live and your competitors and peers will watch you fly and judge you as well. The “Live” format will bring you closer than ever to experiencing what it’s like to participate in a real aerobatic contest. It will test your flying skills, and push you to the limit, not to mention you will have an absolute blast while flying, judging and meeting new friends in the flight sim community.Does This Sound Interesting?If this sounds like something you might be interested in, or something you might want to try. Maybe you have played around with aerobatics in FSX and want to take it to the next step. You might be a proficient aerobatic pilot and need or want an outlet. Regardless, if you are mildly interested, please read through the rest of this post and reply in this thread letting me know if you would be interested in becoming a member and competing in OVIAC.What Is Competition Aerobatics?Competition aerobatics is an air sport in whichjudges rate the skill of pilots performingaerobatic flying. It is practiced in bothpiston-powered single-engineairplanes andgliders.An aerobatic competition is sanctioned by a national aero club, its designee, or in the case of international competitions, by theFédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).[1] The sanctioning body establishes the rules that apply to the competition, including entry qualifications for all participants, operating procedures and judging criteria.A pilot enters a competition in a category of his or her choice, which defines the level of difficulty of the aerobatic sequences flown. Within each category, a pilot flies one or more flight programs. Each flight receives a total score from the judges; ranking each pilot's combined total scores for all flight programs within each category determines that category's winner.[2]CategoriesFive power categories are flown in theU.S. (and other states that adopt the U.S. model). They vary by difficulty of the individualaerobatic maneuvers they contain, as well as the combination of those maneuvers within the sequence. In order of increasing difficulty, the power categories are:

• Primary
• Sportsman
• Intermediate
• Advanced
• Unlimited

Some aero clubs include a Classic category for airplanes without inverted fuel and oil systems. The sequences flown are similar to those flown in the Sportsman category.[citation needed]Three glider categories are:

• Sportsman
• Intermediate
• Unlimited

Categories flown in a competition are announced in advance.Flight programsWithin each category, each pilot flies one or more flight programs. They are:

• Known: Determined each year by the FAI or the national aero club. It is flown by all competitors at all contests all year long. This is sometimes known as the Q (for qualifying) program.
• Free: In this program, each pilot is given the opportunity to demonstrate his personal flying skills, creative talent and his aircraft performance by designing his own sequence.
• Unknown: This program is made known to the contestants only about 12 hours before the competition. The figures are chosen by either teams or pilots, each submitting a single figure. In Local contests often the governing body or the contest chief judge choose the unknown sequence. The pilots must not practice before flying the unknown sequence. (For classes Intermediate and above.)
• 4-minute Free: Only the top unlimited pilots might be invited to fly this final program. It is for this program that new figures are sometimes flown as pilots strive to display their creativity and superior skills as performers.

Aerobatic boxhttps://lh5.googleus...ZBfyLAiiXo_6VJAThe aerobatic box is a volume of airspace in which the aircraft must remain while performing a sequence. Its length and width are each 1,000 metres (3,280 ft). Its height varies based on whether FAI, national aero club or local rules apply to the competition. White ground markers at each corner of the box make it visible to the pilot from the air. For most categories, penalties are assessed for flight outside the aerobatic box.The box has two axes, the identification of which is based on the location of the judges. The X-Axis (called the A-Axis by some aero clubs), runs across the line of sight of the judges. It is along this axis that most figures are usually flown. In some contests a center line is marked along the middle of the X-Axis.The Y-Axis (called the B-Axis by some aero clubs) runs perpendicular to the X-Axis, toward and away from the judges. This axis is used for cross-box position correction. The official wind direction is always declared by contest officials to be along the X-Axis. This, however, does not always reflect reality, and generally during the course of a sequence the competitor will drift either toward or away from the judging line. The competitor can extend or shorten maneuvers flown along the Y-Axis to obtain the desired positioning.The box floor is as high as 460 metres (1,510 ft) above ground level (AGL) for Primary level competitors and as low as 100 metres (328 ft) AGL for Unlimited level competitors. The box ceiling is as high as 1,000 metres (3,280 ft) above its floor. Before a category starts, a competitor will mark the box by flying along its boundaries at its floor. This allows the judges to visualize the box in the sky and prepares them to adjudge an aircraft flying below the box floor.At a groundspeed of 300 kilometres per hour (190 mph) the pilot has 12 seconds from entering the box on the one side before exiting the box on the other.Judginghttps://lh3.googleus...3zMwlvwAtR1BuNAAn aerobatic sequence in Aresti notation.Each category within a competition may have between 3 and 9 grading judges, each of whom is accredited by the contest's sanctioning body. They are positioned between 150 and 250 metres (490 and 820 ft) back from the edge of the box, at the center of the X-Axis and facing that axis. Each grading judge is assisted by an assistant judge, who readsAresti notation and verbalizes to the grading judge each figure to be flown, and a recorder (also called a writer or scribe), who records scores, commentary and ancillary information on a competitor's score sheet. For some flight programs, a single individual may serve concurrently as assistant judge and recorder.A grading judge assesses the quality of each figure flown according to well-defined criteria and assigns it a numerical score between 0 and 10. Under FAI and some national aero clubs' rules, the judge may also assign a score of "hard zero", indicating that the wrong figure was flown. At the conclusion of each flight, the grading judge assigns a presentation score based on the competitor's placement of figures throughout the aerobatic box. A grading judge also determines if the competitor has flown below the floor of the box or above its ceiling. Each grading judge is further charged with assessing whether a competitor is flying safely and advocating for the competitor's disqualification if not.A chief judge oversees the operation of the judging line. He or she is often responsible for sequencing competitors into the aerobatic box, identifying and resolving judging and safety issues, reviewing competitors' score sheets, assessing penalties, monitoring the aerobatic box for traffic conflicts, conducting briefings for pilots and judging line personnel, and certifying scores. A chief judge is typically assisted by 2 or more individuals. In some competitions, a chief judge may concurrently serve as a grading judge.Corner judges (also called boundary judges or line judges) are positioned at the edge of the buffer zones, 50 metres (160 ft) along each axis beyond marked corners of the aerobatic box. They monitor and record each excursion beyond the buffer zone; the competitor earns a penalty for each such excursion. Each corner judge guards 2 of the 4 lines that define the box. In most competitions, 2 corner judges are used, located at opposing corners. In FAI competitions, 4 corner judges are used, one at each corner. Two judges guard each line; they must agree that a competitor has crossed a boundary in order for the competitor earn a penalty.Deadline judges are positioned along a deadline, if one has been established by the contest's sanctioning body. They monitor and record each infringement of the deadline. The competitor earns a penalty for each such infringement, that penalty being more severe than an excursion out of the aerobatic box.

Just a bump for those that just got home from work.JB

I would be very interested in this Aerobatic Club.I enjoy aerobatics and to be competing in it would be great fun.Please message me back if this is still going.

Thanks

Jordan