For a pilot to try, and or learn, any category of maneuver, they're going to have to practice them before they commit to the class. Integrated rollers certainly fall into that category. I've personally never attempted them because I just flat out don't like them and think they're ugly, with the possible exception of the rolling circle. I think the Cuban in the P schedule is about the ugliest maneuver FAI has come up with in a long time, but that's just me. If I liked that category of maneuver I'd have started flying FAI a long time ago because I really can't see anything in "P" that appears more difficult than Masters when you take the rollers out of the mix. Of course "F" is a different story.

I'll be the first to admit that it's entirely possible I'm not capable of integrated rollers and I'm certain that's the case with a rolling circle, but I'm pretty sure I could do the "loopy" type of rollers. Just don't like them, but I digress.

Bottom line for me is that at every level, there's something new to learn. Going from Masters to FAI currently means you have to learn rollers. If you can't, don't like, don't have the time, or whatever to learn rollers, stay in Masters. Obviously, that's a choice many have made, myself included. Based on the turnouts locally, at the Nats and wherever, I can't see the need for repairs in that class. Now if Masters doesn't live up to its name, we could change that to Old Farts, Geezers, Lazy Guys or whatever and use the Masters title for whatever is deemed more appropriate....

The other part of the equation is difficulty creep. If you start doing rollers in Masters, the next thing you'll hear is "what are we doing to prepare an Advanced pilot for it?" Make an adjustment there, and then you have to deal with preparing an Intermediate pilot for whatever you just did to Advanced. All of sudden, participation in the lower classes drops off and everyone wonders what happened. "Must be helicopters, 3D, IMAC, computers or whatever" Couldn't be anything we did....

I'm not trying to be argumentative either but my history in pattern forces me to speak up. I lived through the sudden and dramatic drop in participation in the 90's when turnaround was forced on a pattern population that mostly didn't want it. Fifty contestant contests turned into 15 contestant contests almost overnight. Sportsman (now Intermediate) participation in my area went from the largest class (10+ at every contest) to virtually nothing and it happened because the NSRCA leadership at the time decided to "fix it". Of course, at the time, the leadership blamed the economy, gas prices, and anything else they could think of. Those of us who stuck it out knew, and know better.

Verne Koester