IMAC, more than just competition
There is no question that IMAC is a competition between scale pilots. We spend a lot of time setting up our airplanes to fly as best as we can. And to top that off, we spend money on equipment and travel. That includes fuel cost, food, and lodging. When we all go to a competition, I cannot think of one person that goes with the goal of placing last place. Especially when we consider the time and expense that is involved. We all want to perform and score well. If we don’t, we want to learn where we need to improve.
For me, there is no doubt that I want to fly and score well. If I do not, I really want to know where I need to improve. Butthere is a bigger part of me that looks forward to getting away with my wife and hanging out with friends at the field. I now have friends that covers several different states, and so does my wife. The reason for that is IMAC in our district is not just a dude fest. When I first got into IMAC years ago, it was mainly just guys with a few spouses, but now we have a large gathering of significant others. This makes it much more fun for all of us. The girls hang out while the guys fly. Then we all hang out after the contest over dinner and evening fun. To me, having this giant family like gathering is in describable and makes for a wonderful weekend.
A side effect over the past few years from IMAC is I now have interest in some different styles of airplanes. For a while I just wanted to fly giant scale IMAC style planes. Over the past few years, I have watched friends fly electric foam jets, foam warbirds and even foam gliders. For the longest time I never would have thought of buying them. Now, I have an electric jet, foam warbird, and foam glider. And guess what, I love flying them. What I find fascinating is, is if I never went to an IMAC contest, I would not likely have those planes and never understood the fun in flying them.
So next time you see advertisements for an IMAC contest, put some thought into going. It not just a few snobby dudes flying expensive airplanes. It is family-oriented contest where we fly a broad range of airplanes and enjoy the entire weekend hanging out and having fun.
James Hugg