IAIC 2026: Giant-Scale Aerobatic Aircraft at Sarre-Union

From 24 to 26 July 2026, the Victor Hamm airfield in Sarre-Union hosted the IMAC Alsace International Cup (IAIC), a round of the IMAC EuroCup held alongside the French Championship (CDF) for Giant-Scale Aerobatic Aircraft. Organised by Alsace Bossue AéroModélisme (ABAM), this edition brought together 38 pilots from six nations, including the best European pilots competing this season on the IMAC EuroCup circuit. Over three days, they delivered a top-level sporting spectacle.

The ambition

Following the success of the first IAIC, held in 2024 at its home field in Diemeringen, ABAM wanted to take this competition to the next level.

The ambition was twofold: to run an IMAC EuroCup round meeting the standards of major international competitions, while also hosting the 2026 French Giant-Scale Aerobatic Aircraft Championship. Such a project, however, required a venue able to offer more space for pilots, organisers and the public alike.

The choice of the Victor Hamm airfield in Sarre-Union quickly established itself. Thanks to its facilities and size, it offered the conditions needed to host an international field of this scale, while also providing what was needed to run a Public Aeromodelling Air Show (SAPA) alongside the competition.

This development marked an important step in the growth of the IAIC. By combining a EuroCup round with the French Championship on the same site, ABAM clearly signalled its ambition to establish this event among the season’s major fixtures in Europe.

Behind the scenes

Although pilots only took to the field from Thursday 23 July, preparations for the event had begun several months earlier.

Organising an event of this scale required extensive coordination between the club, local authorities and the various bodies involved. The town of Sarre-Union quickly gave its backing to the project, making it possible to carry out the many administrative steps required. The Grand Est Aeromodelling League also supported the process, alongside the French Aeromodelling Federation.

Using the Victor Hamm airfield also meant meeting several regulatory requirements. As the site does not host regular model-flying activity, every aircraft entered had to be fitted with an electronic tracking beacon. Thanks to a batch of beacons loaned by the French Aeromodelling Federation, pilots who did not own one were still able to compete in compliance with the regulations.

Les avions des participants mis à l'abris dans un hangar de l'aérodrome de Sarre-Union
Les avions des participants mis à l'abris dans un hangar de l'aérodrome de Sarre-Union

The first competitors arrived as early as Thursday to make the most of a full day of practice. With 38 pilots on site, flight scheduling had to be handled with particular rigour so that everyone could prepare for the competition under the best possible conditions. A flying order and a time limit on flights allowed every pilot present to complete at least one practice flight.

Throughout the competition, constant communication between the organisers and competitors was essential. Through a dedicated messaging group, pilots were kept informed in real time of flying order, briefings, flight organisation and any changes to the schedule. This tool proved indispensable in keeping an event bringing together nearly forty pilots over three days running smoothly.

The pilots

This edition of the IAIC brought together 38 pilots representing six nations, participation that confirms the event’s growing appeal on the European stage.

With 23 pilots entered, the French delegation was naturally the largest. It included competitors from many regions (Bretagne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Île-de-France, Occitanie and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur), reflecting the event’s national reach. The Belgian, Italian and German delegations were also well represented, while Switzerland and Saudi Arabia rounded out this international field.

All five official categories were represented: Basic (4 pilots), Sportsman (7), Intermediate (8), Advanced (6) and Unlimited (13).

From beginner pilots to Europe’s leading Unlimited specialists, the entire giant-scale aerobatics pipeline was represented.

Les pilotes et leurs avions
Tous les pilotes entourés de leurs avions

This edition also saw the participation of Belgian pilot Karen Dobbeni, one of the few women competing in the discipline.

The Unlimited category alone accounted for more than a third of the field, confirming the particularly high standard of this edition.

This category brought together the best European pilots competing this season on the IMAC EuroCup circuit. The simultaneous presence of the main contenders for the overall standings gave this round particular importance, with every point scored at Sarre-Union potentially decisive in the race for the European title.

The next generation was also on show, with six French cadets and two juniors, one French and one Italian, taking part. For several of them, this competition marked a new step after their first appearances in regional contests earlier in the season. Facing Europe’s elite in the discipline, they confirmed their progress and showed they could hold their own at this level of competition.

Their presence also reflects years of effort to support the renewal of generations within the discipline.

French cadet and junior pilots

Three days of competition

Over three days, pilots had to contend with particularly varied weather conditions.

On Friday, a crosswind demanded constant adjustment of flight lines. Saturday brought more favourable conditions, with a light to moderate headwind along the runway, allowing the various categories to run through their flight rounds according to the planned schedule. On Sunday, the wind picked up sharply, with gusts reaching almost 50 km/h, testing pilots right through to the competition’s final flights.

The sporting programme was particularly demanding. Each of the five categories flew five rounds of known compulsory sequences (three known and two unknown), with two rounds of Freestyle added on top. With nearly forty pilots in competition, keeping to schedule was a real challenge. The slightest delay could affect the whole day’s programme, making constant coordination between pilots, judges and organisers essential. Thanks to a streamlined pilot rotation system, thorough advance preparation and favourable weather for much of the weekend, the organisers managed to keep the competition running to the announced schedule.

The pilots in the preparation box

Judging was carried out by a panel of nine judges, including three international judges.

Pierre Berthié (France)
Patrick Bouard (France)
Yvon Boyer (France)
Paris Christodoulides (Cyprus)
Stéphane Dié (France)
Manrico Mincuzzi (Italy)
Denis Monot (France)
Gino Salvatore (France)
Martin Wrchlawsky (Germany)

A rotation system allowed five judges to be mobilised for each flight round, sharing the workload across the whole weekend. In total, nearly 4,800 scores were awarded across the known compulsory sequences and the Freestyle, illustrating the scale of the work carried out by the judging panel.

The judges

In the Basic category, Belgian pilot Karen Dobbeni flew a consistent competition from start to finish, topping the IAIC standings with three « 1000s », the best score of a round, used as the reference for calculating normalised results.

The Sportsman and Intermediate categories also produced fine contests throughout the weekend. The standings changed hands several times over the course of the flight rounds, and narrow margins were often enough to separate competitors, illustrating how closely matched the field was in these categories.

In the Advanced category, junior pilot Enzo Esposito dominated proceedings, winning every flight round and taking victory at both the French Championship and the IAIC. This result confirms steady progress over several seasons, the fruit of intensive, consistent training. By claiming the French Championship title, Enzo Esposito reaches a new milestone in his development. His move up to the Unlimited category next season promises fresh clashes with Europe’s best pilots.

The Unlimited category, the true showcase of giant-scale aerobatics, lived up to its billing in every respect. Facing a field bringing together the best European pilots competing this season on the IMAC EuroCup circuit, Italy’s Sacha Cecconi took the IAIC title through remarkable consistency. Posting the best score on each of the known sequences, then on one of the two unknown sequences (figures revealed to pilots during the competition), he held on to his advantage right through to the end of the event.
This win strengthens his position among the leading contenders for overall victory in the 2026 IMAC EuroCup. Behind him, the margins remained extremely tight, underlining just how fierce the fight is this European season.

Among the standout moments of the weekend, the Bossion family illustrated the cross-generational nature of the discipline. Jacques, Jonathan, Hugo and Nolan were entered in three different categories, with the two youngest even sharing the Sportsman podium. A vivid illustration of a shared passion for aeromodelling passed down within a family.

Freestyle once again proved to be one of the highlights of the competition. Despite the wind becoming particularly demanding on Sunday afternoon, pilots delivered a show of the highest calibre.

The battle for Freestyle victory remained undecided until the end of the second round. The top two pilots shared the round wins, each posting a « 1000 ». After two performances of exceptional quality, only a handful of points ultimately separated them.

Sunday afternoon also drew a large crowd, who came to watch the competition’s closing stages, including the final Freestyle round, which brought the sporting weekend to a close in particularly demanding conditions, with strong winds and gusts reaching up to 50 km/h.

The SAPA

On Saturday evening, the IAIC gave way to the Public Aeromodelling Air Show (SAPA), organised by ABAM.

Making the most of the Victor Hamm airfield’s exceptional availability, the club treated the public to an evening celebrating the diversity of aeromodelling. Spectators were able to watch a succession of demonstrations featuring very different types of aircraft: giant-scale aerobatic planes, gliders, jets, helicopters, as well as formation flying.

The evening showcased other facets of the discipline and shared the richness and diversity of aeromodelling with a large audience.

It closed with the traditional night flights, always a crowd favourite. Fitted with special lighting, several giant-scale aerobatic aircraft flew in the darkness, offering a particularly striking display and a chance to appreciate the technical capabilities of the aircraft and the pilots’ skill under unusual conditions.

A collective achievement

Beyond the sporting results, this 2026 edition shows how effectively everyone involved in the discipline can come together around a shared project.

For Alsace Bossue AéroModélisme, organising an event of this scale was a major challenge. Despite limited manpower, the club managed to mobilise its volunteers and draw on everyone’s commitment to coordinate the training days, an IMAC EuroCup round, the French Giant-Scale Aerobatic Aircraft Championship and the SAPA, all while managing the logistical and regulatory constraints involved in using the Sarre-Union airfield.

Some members of ABAM

This success is down to the commitment of many different organisations. The support provided by the Town of Sarre-Union, the Grand Est Model Aircraft League, the French Model Aircraft Federation, partners and sponsors has complemented the work carried out by ABAM’s volunteers. Thanks to this collective effort, nearly €4,000 worth of prizes was awarded to participants.

Les lots disponibles
Les lots disponibles
Un chanceux

Mais une compétition internationale n’existe que par la présence de ses compétiteurs. La qualité du plateau réuni à Sarre-Union, l’implication des juges et le niveau sportif proposé par les pilotes ont largement contribué à la réussite de cette édition.

But an international competition only exists because of the competitors who take part in it. The quality of the field gathered at Sarre-Union, the judges’ dedication and the standard of flying shown by the pilots all played a major part in this edition’s success.

IMAC France and the Giant-Scale Aerobatic Aircraft working group extend their sincerest thanks to Alsace Bossue AéroModélisme for the quality of its organisation, as well as to all the volunteers, judges, pilots, partners, sponsors, the town of Sarre-Union, the Grand Est Aeromodelling League and the French Aeromodelling Federation for their contribution to the event’s success.

Through its sporting standard, the quality of its organisation and the mobilisation of everyone involved, the 2026 IAIC confirms its place among the major fixtures on Europe’s giant-scale aerobatics calendar.

Podiums of the IAIC and the 2026 French Giant-Scale Aerobatic Aircraft Championship

At the end of three days of competition, the standings determined the rankings in each category. Two separate classifications were established: one for the 2026 French Giant-Scale Aerobatic Aircraft Championship and one for the 2026 IMAC Alsace International Cup (IAIC).

French Giant-Scale Aerobatic Aircraft Championship

Under federal regulations, the Basic category, reserved for regional-level flying, is not eligible for a title. For the other national categories, the awarding of the French Champion title is subject to a minimum number of participants. Where this condition is not met, the winner is instead named National Winner.

Basic