Smooth Pilot

I started in Sportsman with a Big Stik .60 and won several contests early on. Got a Vanquish towards the middle of the season and really did fine, even developing a rival with several good friends on the pattern circuit in District 6. The biggest thing is not only practice, but "quality" practice and asking questions constantly. Anybody at a contest is fair game for advice and I cannot think of anybody in our district that will not pause and answer your questions or give some advice. Frequently, some of the more advanced pilots will offer advice without being asked. Moving from Sportsman to Intermediate is a big step and the manuevers start getting more complex. After competing in Intermediate, Sportsman seems elementary and not so difficult, but when you are starting out it can be quite intimidating.

Try to find some one in your local area to help coach even if it is not at your homefield. Attend a clinic in your area, or even travel to an out of town clinic to get advice and some training. Study the maneuvers and use a stick plane to see what the maneuvers look like, where are the trouble spots, and what is going to be the transition from one maneuver to the next. Remember, even the complex maneuvers start and end with a straight line. Do not be afraid to practice flying straight and level for several passes to get settled in and see that your airplane can fly with your hands off the controls. Start at Sportman with any decent sport plane, smaller pattern plane, or jump in with a Vanquish. Check around the contest and see if you can find a used plane (preferably one that has not been crashed). I recently purchased a composite plane that had three previous owners that was in good shape for a price lower than a Vanquish. Above all, remember we are doing this because it is fun.


Sheldon