Crack aerobatic pilots from around Australia will be pushing the laws of physics this weekend above Murray Field airport, competing in the WA State Aerobatics Competition.
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The competition, which began Friday morning, saw 14 competitors running their machines through aerobatic manoeuvres from the simple to the complex.
Adam Gibbs, WA Aerobatics Club president said pilots would compete in four categories, from graduate to advanced.
“Pilots start with simple loops and rolls and then get into the fancy stuff like inverted spins and snap rolls,” he said.
“Pilots fly various routines, some they know before-hand, some are completely unknown, and some they make up themselves.”
Mr Gibbs, who is competing in the advanced category, said judges on the ground mark the manoeuvres out of 10 before adding a difficulty factor.
...if you do something stupid, it’s splat on the ground.
- Adam Gibbs, WA Aerobatics Club president
“It’s like making up your own roller-coaster,” he said.
“It’s a great experience and a great challenge.
“When you know the routine it’s calming and it becomes muscle memory, but you really have to concentrate for some manoeuvres.”
While admitting the sport was risky, Mr Gibbs said the competing pilots were well trained and had many hours of practice under their belts.
“Pilots are generally risk-averse,” he said.
“They like to take their destinies into their own hands and will spend hours checking over an aircraft to make sure everything is okay.
“The guys are all pretty sensible because it’s not a forgiving sport; if you do something stupid, it’s splat on the ground.”
The competition received support from the Royal Aero Club of WA, who made the airfield available for the annual event.
There is no entry fee for spectators wishing to view the competition and the public is welcome, as long as they stay off the tarmac.
For more information go to wacaac.org
