ORIGINAL: jester_s1
I've seen a couple of times in this thread that Sticks won't do pattern aerobatics, which might imply that they aren't good to learn pattern with. But they aren't half bad for it actually. With meticulous flight trimming and the CG back, sticks are pretty neutral handling planes. A very experienced pattern pilot in my club likes to fly SPA events with his stick, and his slow rolls go for about 600 feet at roughly 4 feet of altitude (no, that's not a typo) with no heading changes. Sure, Sticks aren't as good a Kaos or a Skylark for precision maneuvers and they won't snap or spin worth a darn, but they are perfectly adequate for learning the vast majority of maneuvers even up to winning SPA events in the lower classes.
Didn't mean that you can't do pattern like monuvers with it, just that it will not fly like a Kaos or Dirty Birdy. Ihave done just about every monuver that can be done with a stick and it will do them, BUTit will not do them like a good pattern plane. They are a blast to fly and play around with and make for a very nice second plane and a 3rd and 4th or whatever. Ihave two of them right now and probably will always have some kind of stick flying around. It's also one of the easiest landing planes around and if you put flaps on it they open up a whole new world of flying with that thing. Ihave flaps on mine and love them. Wouldn't have a stick without them, but you can also fly it just fine without flaps. Ido get tired of seeing all the red ones with black crosses though.
Ed