2026 Rules
Section 1: About
Sanctioned by the Academy of Model Aeronautics
We will be flying five classes: Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced, Unlimited and Invitational; plus, Freestyle / Smack. Additionally, we will award The Desert Aircraft Cup, based on combined rankings for Invitational and Freestyle, and the Schroeder Prize for a pilot age 16 years or younger. The contest will be conducted using the current AMA RC Scale Aerobatics rules, with exceptions and clarifications as noted below.
Section 2: Field Logistics
The south edge of the parking lot is reserved for vendor booths. The parking lot itself is for loading and unloading only. All cars and trailers must be parked south of the vendor area. RV parking is to the east and south of the restrooms. Shade tents are allowed only in the RV area. No parking of airplanes under the Ramada.
Section 3: Sequences
Sportsman through Unlimited will fly a Known A and B which is prepared specifically for the Shootout. Invitational Class will fly a Known A, B, C, D, E. Both classes will have a new unknown for each day of the contest. Reference Contest Schedule below.
All sequences (knowns and unknowns) will have a maximum normalized score of 1000. Specifically, the unknowns will not be weighted to comprise 20% of the total normalized score.
Section 4: Starting Procedures
Pilots must be "on deck" at least four deep at all times. Your wheels must leave the runway before the pilot ahead of you finishes their sequence. Intentional or repeated violation will result in a score of zero for the round.
Section 5: Judging
Each flight line will have a minimum of three judges, with the goal of five judges assigned to the Invitational class. Judges may include both non-competing judges and participating pilot judges.
Judges are permitted to confer when determining a zero if they feel it is necessary. Any zero given in the IMAC classes will stand as called.
For the Invitational Class, two designated Hard Zero Judges will determine whether a maneuver was performed correctly.
Any violation of this policy will result in a zero for the round.
Section 6: Restricted Areas
The scoring office is strictly off limits to all pilots. Violation will result in disqualification from the entire event. Only pilots preparing to fly (and their callers) are allowed on the judge’s side of the flight line fence. This applies at all times, including during Freestyle. Please do not stand near the fence behind the judges. Conversations in this location are distracting to the judges.
Section 7: Pilot Order of Flight
The pilot order for Wednesday through Friday will be drawn by contest management prior to
the event. The same list will apply to both Knowns and Unknowns. The starting order for each round will be spread as equally as practical. Where a pilot cut is applied for Saturday and Sunday, a new pilot draw will occur. The original draw will stay in place if no cut is applied.
Section 8: Non-Contest Flying
The field is closed to all non-contest flying Wednesday through Sunday. Exceptions may include demo flights arranged by contest management. If for some reason, you feel a trim flight is necessary, contact the CD for approval. Additionally, no non-contest flying of any kind is permitted on contest days. This prohibition extends to all types of aircraft, all types of flying, and all flying sites, as well as flight simulators. All pilots will not be allowed to practice any type of flying (precision / freestyle) once the event starts on Wednesday.
Section 9: Aircraft
Aircraft features that are not present on the full-scale aircraft being modeled are not permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, counter-rotating propellers, reverse-pitch propellers, and side force generators.
Contest management reserves the right to inspect any aircraft at any time during the event.
Gyro checks will be conducted randomly throughout the contest. If it is determined that a pilot is flying with a gyro, the pilot will be immediately disqualified from the contest and permanently prohibited from competing in any future TAS events.
Section 10: Pilot and Instrument Panel
A realistic pilot figure and instrument panel are required to compete at the Shootout. Cartoon figures are not considered realistic and are not to be used. The pilot figure must be of scale size (similar scale to the model). Aircraft lacking these items will not be allowed to fly.
Section 11: Safety
Any willful violation of a safety related rule will result in disqualification from the entire event.
Section 12: Contest Jury
Any protests will be reviewed by a contest jury consisting of the Contest Director and four judges.
All decisions regarding weather delays or stoppages will also be made by the contest jury. In the event of a weather delay that requires the contest schedule to be shortened, rounds will be reduced in the following order:
Section 13: Pilot Workers
All pilots will be required to work as scribes, callers, runners, judges, etc. Any pilot that misses their work assignment will ZERO their highest Known Round Score or Freestyle Round. Being late for a work assignment will be counted as missing it. Official Work assignments will be posted every morning prior to the pilots meeting.
Section 14: Pilot Cuts
Only the top 5 IMAC pilots will fly in the IMAC Classes for Round 7 and 8. Only the top 7 Freestyle pilots will fly Round 5 Traditional Freestyle and Round 3 Smack Flight.
Section 15: Unknowns
Unknown A for all classes will be distributed Tuesday October 13th after the Pilot/Judges Meeting. They will also be available online on the website.
Section 16: Traditional Freestyle / Smack Flight
Freestyle is by invitation only. Contest management reserves the right to allow a pilot to enter only Freestyle (without competing in one of the precision aerobatic classes). Freestyle will be broken down into two scored components. Traditional Freestyle and Smack Flight.
Traditional Freestyle
The number of judges for each round of Freestyle will be a minimum of 5 judges. Each criteria will be judged from a (10) to (0) in 0.1 increments. Each Freestyle Criteria will have an equal K Factor of 25. The number of judges for each round of Freestyle will be a multiple of five (e.g., 5, 10, or 15). Rather than all judges scoring all criteria, each judge will be tasked to assign a score for only one of the five criteria described in the current AMA RC Scale Aerobatics rules. No portion of the aircraft shall touch the ground, except (the wheels) during take off and landing. Additionally, all personnel shall remain on the pavement. A violation of this rule will be deemed to have occurred if a majority of the judges believe it has.
All pilots must have a caller (multiple callers are not allowed). Only the pilot and the caller are to be on the runway during the flight. The pilot may only use extra personnel to assist with the starting and restraint of the model. Anyone assisting the pilot must be an AMA member and over 16 years of age (unless competing at this contest).
All pilot/caller teams will use standard signals to “start music” and “start time.” To "start
music" the pilot/caller will hold one arm well above the head and make a circular motion with the hand. The pilot/caller will then continue to hold the arm well above the head and the flight clock will start when the pilot/caller drops the arm. No other signals will be accepted.
Failure to use these signals will result in a DQ for the round. If the Four-Minute Freestyle
sequence begins while in flight, the pilot has a maximum of 30 seconds after breaking
ground to signal “start time.”
A freestyle attempt is deemed to have occurred when the aircraft breaks ground. Only one
such attempt is permitted per round.
The use of smoke during flight is highly desirable.
Freestyle music must be RECEIVED by the Contest Director in MP3 format no later than
Friday, October 9th.
Freestyle Naming should be as follows:
Freestyle: lastname.freestyle.1
Smack: lastname.smack.1
Drop schedule for Traditional Freestyle
2 or less rounds – 0 dropped scores
3 to 4 rounds – 1 dropped score
5 or more rounds - 2 dropped score
Smack Flight
The Smack Flight will consist of a 2.5-minute flight that will be solely judged on a “wow factor” score. The pilot may use music on this flight and the use of smoke is highly desirable. No portion of the aircraft shall touch the ground, except (the wheels) during take-off and landing. Smack Flight must be a ground start. Time starts when wheels leave the ground. A score of 0 will be given if the pilot does not complete the 2.5-minute flight. Same hand signals apply for starting music as listed in the Traditional Freestyle. High energy maneuvers towards the pits / crowds WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
Judging Criteria
A minimum of 5 judges will be used for the Smack Flight. The Wow Factor Score will be judged from (10) to (0) in 0.1 increments. A higher score will be given for those pilots that push the envelope of the aircraft, fly low to the ground, and perform a combination of maneuvers mixing both extreme aerobatics and traditional 3D aerobatics all while being precise. 25 K-Factor.
Drop schedule for Smack Flight
2 to 3 rounds – 1 dropped score
4 or more rounds - 2 dropped score
Scoring
Traditional Freestyle will be worth 80% of the final score. Smack Flight will be 20% of the final score.
Section 16: The Desert Aircraft Cup
The Desert Aircraft Cup will be awarded to a pilot that competes in both Invitational and Four
Minute Freestyle. For each such pilot, their final ranking (placement) in Four-Minute Freestyle will be added to their final ranking in Invitational to yield a combined ‘score.’ The pilot with the lowest such score will be declared the winner of the Desert Aircraft Cup. In the event of a tie, the pilot with the best ranking in Invitational will be declared the winner. For example, suppose PILOT A places 2nd in Invitational and 3rd in Freestyle, while PILOT B places 4th in Invitational and 1st in Freestyle. Each pilot then has a score of 5. Since PILOT A has a better ranking than PILOT B in Invitational, PILOT A is the winner.
Section 17: The Shroeder Prize
All pilots of age 16 years or younger will be eligible for the Schroeder Prize, which honors John
Schroeder, who was active in the mentoring of young scale aerobatics pilots. Among all eligible pilots, the prize will be awarded to the pilot that achieves the highest percentage of perfection (pp), as computed per current AMA RC Scale Aerobatics rules.
Section 18: Pilot / Judges Test
All pilots and judges are required to complete an open-book rules test covering the IMAC Scale Aerobatics rules and TAS-specific contest rules. The test will open on August 1 and must be completed prior to the start of the contest.
Completion of the test is mandatory for participation. Any pilot or judge who has not completed the test before the contest begins will be disqualified from competing or judging in the event.
Freestyle pilots will be required to complete a separate test focused specifically on Freestyle rules and guidelines.
Sanctioned by the Academy of Model Aeronautics
We will be flying five classes: Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced, Unlimited and Invitational; plus, Freestyle / Smack. Additionally, we will award The Desert Aircraft Cup, based on combined rankings for Invitational and Freestyle, and the Schroeder Prize for a pilot age 16 years or younger. The contest will be conducted using the current AMA RC Scale Aerobatics rules, with exceptions and clarifications as noted below.
Section 2: Field Logistics
The south edge of the parking lot is reserved for vendor booths. The parking lot itself is for loading and unloading only. All cars and trailers must be parked south of the vendor area. RV parking is to the east and south of the restrooms. Shade tents are allowed only in the RV area. No parking of airplanes under the Ramada.
Section 3: Sequences
Sportsman through Unlimited will fly a Known A and B which is prepared specifically for the Shootout. Invitational Class will fly a Known A, B, C, D, E. Both classes will have a new unknown for each day of the contest. Reference Contest Schedule below.
All sequences (knowns and unknowns) will have a maximum normalized score of 1000. Specifically, the unknowns will not be weighted to comprise 20% of the total normalized score.
Section 4: Starting Procedures
Pilots must be "on deck" at least four deep at all times. Your wheels must leave the runway before the pilot ahead of you finishes their sequence. Intentional or repeated violation will result in a score of zero for the round.
Section 5: Judging
Each flight line will have a minimum of three judges, with the goal of five judges assigned to the Invitational class. Judges may include both non-competing judges and participating pilot judges.
Judges are permitted to confer when determining a zero if they feel it is necessary. Any zero given in the IMAC classes will stand as called.
For the Invitational Class, two designated Hard Zero Judges will determine whether a maneuver was performed correctly.
- If both Hard Zero Judges assign a zero, the maneuver will be recorded as zero for all judges.
- If only one Hard Zero Judge assigns a zero, then all other judges’ scores will stand as given.
Any violation of this policy will result in a zero for the round.
Section 6: Restricted Areas
The scoring office is strictly off limits to all pilots. Violation will result in disqualification from the entire event. Only pilots preparing to fly (and their callers) are allowed on the judge’s side of the flight line fence. This applies at all times, including during Freestyle. Please do not stand near the fence behind the judges. Conversations in this location are distracting to the judges.
Section 7: Pilot Order of Flight
The pilot order for Wednesday through Friday will be drawn by contest management prior to
the event. The same list will apply to both Knowns and Unknowns. The starting order for each round will be spread as equally as practical. Where a pilot cut is applied for Saturday and Sunday, a new pilot draw will occur. The original draw will stay in place if no cut is applied.
Section 8: Non-Contest Flying
The field is closed to all non-contest flying Wednesday through Sunday. Exceptions may include demo flights arranged by contest management. If for some reason, you feel a trim flight is necessary, contact the CD for approval. Additionally, no non-contest flying of any kind is permitted on contest days. This prohibition extends to all types of aircraft, all types of flying, and all flying sites, as well as flight simulators. All pilots will not be allowed to practice any type of flying (precision / freestyle) once the event starts on Wednesday.
Section 9: Aircraft
Aircraft features that are not present on the full-scale aircraft being modeled are not permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, counter-rotating propellers, reverse-pitch propellers, and side force generators.
Contest management reserves the right to inspect any aircraft at any time during the event.
Gyro checks will be conducted randomly throughout the contest. If it is determined that a pilot is flying with a gyro, the pilot will be immediately disqualified from the contest and permanently prohibited from competing in any future TAS events.
Section 10: Pilot and Instrument Panel
A realistic pilot figure and instrument panel are required to compete at the Shootout. Cartoon figures are not considered realistic and are not to be used. The pilot figure must be of scale size (similar scale to the model). Aircraft lacking these items will not be allowed to fly.
Section 11: Safety
Any willful violation of a safety related rule will result in disqualification from the entire event.
Section 12: Contest Jury
Any protests will be reviewed by a contest jury consisting of the Contest Director and four judges.
All decisions regarding weather delays or stoppages will also be made by the contest jury. In the event of a weather delay that requires the contest schedule to be shortened, rounds will be reduced in the following order:
- IMAC Classes
- Freestyle
- Invitational
Section 13: Pilot Workers
All pilots will be required to work as scribes, callers, runners, judges, etc. Any pilot that misses their work assignment will ZERO their highest Known Round Score or Freestyle Round. Being late for a work assignment will be counted as missing it. Official Work assignments will be posted every morning prior to the pilots meeting.
Section 14: Pilot Cuts
Only the top 5 IMAC pilots will fly in the IMAC Classes for Round 7 and 8. Only the top 7 Freestyle pilots will fly Round 5 Traditional Freestyle and Round 3 Smack Flight.
Section 15: Unknowns
Unknown A for all classes will be distributed Tuesday October 13th after the Pilot/Judges Meeting. They will also be available online on the website.
Section 16: Traditional Freestyle / Smack Flight
Freestyle is by invitation only. Contest management reserves the right to allow a pilot to enter only Freestyle (without competing in one of the precision aerobatic classes). Freestyle will be broken down into two scored components. Traditional Freestyle and Smack Flight.
Traditional Freestyle
The number of judges for each round of Freestyle will be a minimum of 5 judges. Each criteria will be judged from a (10) to (0) in 0.1 increments. Each Freestyle Criteria will have an equal K Factor of 25. The number of judges for each round of Freestyle will be a multiple of five (e.g., 5, 10, or 15). Rather than all judges scoring all criteria, each judge will be tasked to assign a score for only one of the five criteria described in the current AMA RC Scale Aerobatics rules. No portion of the aircraft shall touch the ground, except (the wheels) during take off and landing. Additionally, all personnel shall remain on the pavement. A violation of this rule will be deemed to have occurred if a majority of the judges believe it has.
All pilots must have a caller (multiple callers are not allowed). Only the pilot and the caller are to be on the runway during the flight. The pilot may only use extra personnel to assist with the starting and restraint of the model. Anyone assisting the pilot must be an AMA member and over 16 years of age (unless competing at this contest).
All pilot/caller teams will use standard signals to “start music” and “start time.” To "start
music" the pilot/caller will hold one arm well above the head and make a circular motion with the hand. The pilot/caller will then continue to hold the arm well above the head and the flight clock will start when the pilot/caller drops the arm. No other signals will be accepted.
Failure to use these signals will result in a DQ for the round. If the Four-Minute Freestyle
sequence begins while in flight, the pilot has a maximum of 30 seconds after breaking
ground to signal “start time.”
A freestyle attempt is deemed to have occurred when the aircraft breaks ground. Only one
such attempt is permitted per round.
The use of smoke during flight is highly desirable.
Freestyle music must be RECEIVED by the Contest Director in MP3 format no later than
Friday, October 9th.
Freestyle Naming should be as follows:
Freestyle: lastname.freestyle.1
Smack: lastname.smack.1
Drop schedule for Traditional Freestyle
2 or less rounds – 0 dropped scores
3 to 4 rounds – 1 dropped score
5 or more rounds - 2 dropped score
Smack Flight
The Smack Flight will consist of a 2.5-minute flight that will be solely judged on a “wow factor” score. The pilot may use music on this flight and the use of smoke is highly desirable. No portion of the aircraft shall touch the ground, except (the wheels) during take-off and landing. Smack Flight must be a ground start. Time starts when wheels leave the ground. A score of 0 will be given if the pilot does not complete the 2.5-minute flight. Same hand signals apply for starting music as listed in the Traditional Freestyle. High energy maneuvers towards the pits / crowds WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
Judging Criteria
A minimum of 5 judges will be used for the Smack Flight. The Wow Factor Score will be judged from (10) to (0) in 0.1 increments. A higher score will be given for those pilots that push the envelope of the aircraft, fly low to the ground, and perform a combination of maneuvers mixing both extreme aerobatics and traditional 3D aerobatics all while being precise. 25 K-Factor.
Drop schedule for Smack Flight
2 to 3 rounds – 1 dropped score
4 or more rounds - 2 dropped score
Scoring
Traditional Freestyle will be worth 80% of the final score. Smack Flight will be 20% of the final score.
Section 16: The Desert Aircraft Cup
The Desert Aircraft Cup will be awarded to a pilot that competes in both Invitational and Four
Minute Freestyle. For each such pilot, their final ranking (placement) in Four-Minute Freestyle will be added to their final ranking in Invitational to yield a combined ‘score.’ The pilot with the lowest such score will be declared the winner of the Desert Aircraft Cup. In the event of a tie, the pilot with the best ranking in Invitational will be declared the winner. For example, suppose PILOT A places 2nd in Invitational and 3rd in Freestyle, while PILOT B places 4th in Invitational and 1st in Freestyle. Each pilot then has a score of 5. Since PILOT A has a better ranking than PILOT B in Invitational, PILOT A is the winner.
Section 17: The Shroeder Prize
All pilots of age 16 years or younger will be eligible for the Schroeder Prize, which honors John
Schroeder, who was active in the mentoring of young scale aerobatics pilots. Among all eligible pilots, the prize will be awarded to the pilot that achieves the highest percentage of perfection (pp), as computed per current AMA RC Scale Aerobatics rules.
Section 18: Pilot / Judges Test
All pilots and judges are required to complete an open-book rules test covering the IMAC Scale Aerobatics rules and TAS-specific contest rules. The test will open on August 1 and must be completed prior to the start of the contest.
Completion of the test is mandatory for participation. Any pilot or judge who has not completed the test before the contest begins will be disqualified from competing or judging in the event.
Freestyle pilots will be required to complete a separate test focused specifically on Freestyle rules and guidelines.