Bill, your input is what we're looking for. Your last line is very true too: "Look, making an RC plane fly in a straight line is plain hard. I think if people accept that basic challenge and are hungry for more you may have a pattern participant. Otherwise, I'm not so sure.". We need the pilots either just starting pattern or even just thinking about trying pattern to voice their opinions and ideas. For an F3A pilot (me) to make an assumption about how to bring in more pilots that are on the fence about trying pattern is more speculation than fact (only cause I wasn't thinking to ask these questions at pattern contests earlier this year, but have a few club pilots I'm going to run this by this weekend). See I would assume that the current crop of Sportsman pilots would remain there, unless a pilot is really struggling with Sportsman and just has to move down to get more of a feel of flying with precision. This Club class would also only be offered if the CD of a contest wants to offer it. It would be more of an Unofficial event. I know at our club there were times when I heard of 4 or 5 pilots that would be willing to give pattern a shot but were afraid that their sport planes didn't have enough power or they were scared of the box. Yet I watch them fly and they don't even come close to the end poles and have more than enough power to make decent size maneuvers.

When you flew in your first contest, were you intimidated that you had to fly in front of judges, other pilots planes in your class or nothing at all? What's the mind-set of a new pattern pilot?

I was 7 when I entered my first contest, came in dead last, and most times the judges couldn't see my landings cause they were a quarter mile away (benefits of flying in Jamesburg, NJ at their county athletic park with 8 full-size soccer fields). I don't remember if my TF Headmaster trainer had enough power (Fox .40) to do everything properly, but I guess I did most things somewhat right cause I didn't have all 0's when I got my score sheets. I don't know what would have happened if I had to fly turnaround though.

While I'm not sure that a non-turnaround sequence is really going to bring more pilots to pattern (there are many other factors why pilots won't try competition), maybe this would help sway a few still on the fence. And if the Club class is too easy, nothing would be holding them back from jumping right into Sportsman.