In the Loop - National Points Series Winner Announced

By Bob Freeman, IAC 8532

The National Point Series Championship (The Leo Trophy) per P&P 227

The NPSC Trophy is named in honor of Leo Loudenslager and recognizes the highest ranking pilots in a category that fly in at least three different IAC regions in a competition year.

NPSC Champions are named in each of the 5 IAC Power Categories.  1st Place winners get Trophies, Recognition letters and stickers along with announcement in the magazine and their names added to the permanent Leo trophy which is on display in Oshkosh. The 2nd  and 3rd Place winners get Recognition letters and stickers and are announced in the magazine.

NPSC points are based on a ranking point system rather than raw scores or percentages.  To illustrate, higher ranking points are awarded to a competitor that ranks high in a large competitor field.  Finishing 1st in the standings in a field of 20 pilots (US Nationals for example) earns higher NPSC points than finishing 1st in a field of only 3 pilots. The purpose of the ranking point system to minimize the effects of varying weather conditions, use or lack of boundary markers, etc...  Each ranking is based on the actual conditions faced by each competitor in front of and judged by the same judges at the event in which those pilots are ranked.

The 2024 National Point Series Championship Results

The 2024 season saw an increase in pilots meeting the 3 region criteria for competing for the National Point Series Championship and the Annual Leo Trophies.   As a reminder, the NPSC is a National point series comprised of ranking points for pilots that fly in at least 3 different IAC regions.  It is no small commitment to fly in 3 different IAC regions and this series recognizes those who rank highly in doing so across the nation.  Pilots meeting that criteria are ranked at the end of the season by adding the ranking points they earned in their best contests in those 3 regions.  NPSC titles and trophies are awarded in Primary, Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced and Unlimited.  Bob Freeman, Tim Just and Tom Rhodes sponsor this series and trophies.

Per the IACCDB, we had 80 Primary Pilots that flew at various contests throughout the year.  What a great barometer for the future of our sport!  Of those 80 pilots, three flew in 2 different regions but unfortunately, none flew in 3 different regions and so did not meet the 3 region criteria for the National Point Series Championship.  The vast majority of Primary pilots fly multiple contests within their home region.  At the entry level of our sport, Primary pilots face the biggest challenge in getting to 3 regions and having access to an airplane.  Hopefully next year we'll see our first NPSC winner in the Primary category.

In our biggest category, as in 2023, 111 Sportsman pilots flew in IAC contests in 2024!  Of these, 14 pilots flew in two regions, one pilot flew in 3 regions and another pilot flew in 4 regions.  This year's NPSC Sportsman winner is Trevor Smith with a total of 2.49 championship points.  Trevor flew in the  Giles Henderson Memorial Challenge  (Mid America), James K Polk Open Invitational (North East) and at the US National Championship (South Central) contests.  Last year NPSC Champion, Mark Haven finished with 2.3 Championships points, tallying his best 3 regions.  Mark flew in 4 regions this year! He flew in the Giles Henderson Memorial Challenge (Mid West),  James K Polk Open Invitational (North East),  US National Championship  (South Central) and IAC East Open Championship (South East) contests.

This year's Intermediate category saw an increase to 67 competitors up from 53 in 2023.  Of those, 6 pilots flew in two regions and 2 pilots flew in three regions.  This year's NPSC Intermediate winner is John Shavinsky with a total of 2.27 NPSC points. John flew in the Green Mountain Aerobatic Contest (North East), US National Championship (South Central) and the  IAC East Open Championship  (South East) contests.   Second place goes to James Spaller with at total of 1.41 NPSC points.  He flew in the Michigan Aerobatic Open (Mid America), Acroblast (North East) and at the US National Championship (South Central) contests.

Fifty two Advanced Pilots flew in IAC contests this year. Of these, 10 pilots flew in 2 regions and 2 pilots flew in 3 regions.  This year's NPSC Advanced winner is David Taylor with a total of 1.83 NPSC points.  Dave is making a big move from his G200, to fly an MX in 2025.  Dave flew in the Yooper Looper (Mid America),  Green Mountain Aerobatic Contest  (North East) and the US Nationals Championships (South Central) contests.  In 2nd place this year is Barret Hines with a total of 1.13 NPSC points.  He flew in the Corvalis Corkscrew (North West), Hammerhead Roundup (South West) and at the US National Championship (South Central) contests.

We had 22 Unlimited pilots enter contests across the country this year.  Eight of these pilots flew in 2 regions and one pilot flew in 4 different regions. This year's NPSC Unlimited Champion is Ekaterina Volkova, a fast rising competitor at the Unlimited level.  She was the 2nd place finisher in the 2023 NPSC Advanced category.  She flew in 7 contests in 2024 with her best 3 contest regions being the AkroFest West Open Championships (South West), US National Championship (South Central) and the Mark Fullerton Memorial Bear Creek Bash (South East).

NPSC Winner Summary

Congratulations to everyone on a successful 2024 season!   For those on the fence about flying a 3rd region, just do it.  You may get your name on the National Trophy!