The SPA has been pretty consistent regarding the planes of the organizations era. I've only flown SPA since 2008, so I don't know all of the reasons they set the cutoff dates where they did. I imagine as Mickey thought through the organization he wanted to create, that he had some specific thoughts regarding planes and maneuvers and set the dates accordingly. Of course there are planes that came out in the late 70's and early 80's that are gorgeous planes that I may build someday, I will just fly an SPA legal plane when I compete in SPA events. What Mickey has done consistently is allow subsequent versions of a plane to be legal as long as the original falls within the time frame. Whether it is the Phoenix series, the Lucky Flys, etc., he has allowed all of the versions. That's where the Tipo falls under a different category. While it's designer proudly owns up to the design he "borrowed and tweaked", it is not a Curare 2 designed by Hanno Prettner, it's a different model all together. It's an interesting thought and perspective given the Tipo's "heritage", and follows a logical path, but I understand and support the SPA's choice not to allow it.

How's the process going on your next plane, Blake?<br type="_moz" />