ORIGINAL: 80sPattern
My two cents......
I think Classic Pattern is ''one menuever per pass.'' I do not think you have to fly an old plane to do this. The contest is one of flying skill isn't it? It is about the style of flying, not the airplane. In my opinion, if a guy shows up with a 47'' Osiris and wants to fly our pattern, we should welcome him.
Can we just limit the power plant like we did in the old days and let the chips fall where they may? I think we should allow up to .65 for two-stroke (to allow for the OS), 120 for a four-stroke and find a reasonable measurement for electric. (Maybe 1600 watts?) These restrictions will keep guys with IMAC or 2M planes for gaining an unfair advantage.
I personally could care less if somebody stratch builds a ''pattern'' plane and competes as long as he falls within the power guidelines above. Back in the day a bunch of guys flew their own designs. That was part of the fun.
Doug
Flight scores are the ultimate arbiter. Flight scores are used to determine the winner. And if you can whip my hiney flying a funky plane, you are The Man.
The requirements of flying the pattern maneuvers in a manner that gains the highest score will dictate and drive aircraft design. That is why we have the designs that we cherish today. They were bred to do just that. Bottom line is that there is not much likelihood that anyone will gain any advantage by flying a "non-classic" airplane in classic pattern competition. If you want to win, practice.
-Robert