2018 World Championship
USA Team Selection
1. The qualification process for the 2018 USA IMAC World Championship Team is as described below. The United States, and all other participating countries, may field a team of up to 36 pilots, 9 pilots maximum in each class, (Sportsman – Unlimited) in the 2018 World Championship. Those attempting to qualify for the USA Team must be a current AMA and IMAC member (Rule 1).
2. The 2017 Scale Aerobatics (SA) National Championship, being the premier events of IMAC, will be used as one (1) of two (2) opportunities for the USA pilots to gain a spot on the USA IMAC World Team.
a) In order for a pilot to qualify for the Worlds Team at the 2017 Scale Aerobatics (SA) National Championship, they must have competed in at least three (3) contests as an IMAC member between April 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017. The top three (3) in each class (Sportsman – Unlimited) will qualify for the USA World team.
3. The second qualifying process is; each of the 6 IMAC North American Regions separately will be able to send one (1) USA pilot per class (Sportsman – Unlimited). Provided that pilots have fulfilled qualifying Rule 1 above.
a) The Competition Season will begin on January 1, 2017 and ends when each Regional Finals Contest is held or on December 31, 2017 whichever comes first. The Regional Finals contest date will be determined by the Regional Director and any contest after the regional finals contest will not count towards regional points.
b) The top 5 contestants in each class (Sportsman – Unlimited) in the IRPS, having competed in three (3) 2017 regional qualifying contests, going into the Regional Finals for 2017 will be competing against each other for a spot on the World Team. Those 5 contestants’ results will be separately scored to determine placement on the Worlds Team. The highest placing person among those 5 contestants during the 2017 Regional Finals will be selected to the 2018 Worlds team. If that person is not available to attend the 2018 Worlds, the Regional Director will work down through the remaining 5. If none of those 5 is available, the Vacancy Rule will be used to fill the open spots.
Vacancy: Should a pilot make the US World Team from the 2017 National Championships, then also place highest in their class at the Regional level in 2017, the Scale Aerobatics (SA) National Championship will take precedence over 2017 Regional Points and the next in line at the Regional level will be qualified. If none of the top 5 regional pilots under 3.b are available to compete in the 2018 IMAC World Championship, the pilots from the 2017 SA National Championships will be used to fill all vacancies not sent from the Regional Points process, provided they are still in compliance with all qualification rules. No USA team spots will be issued after May 30, 2018.
Notes: Per AMA Scale Aerobatic Rules, pilots winning 5 or more contests with a minimum class size of 5 pilots during the 2017 season will be forced to move to the next higher class. For the singular event, the World Championship, USA Team pilots qualifying in 2017 and later forced into a higher class by current rule will be permitted to compete in their original 2017 qualifying class using the Regional Director's option stipulated in Rule 9.1.
Notifications: All qualifying pilots will be contacted by email by the designated 2018 USA Worlds Team Manager starting January 1, 2018. If a qualifying pilot does not confirm to attend the 2018 IMAC World Championship within 60 days of being given notice, the next pilot in line from the class having the vacancy will be given the notice of opportunity to enter to compete provided they are still in compliance with all qualification rules.
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