As a sportsman hoping to move to intermediate who is trying to help a few friends (who have even more limited time than I do to practice) get into pattern these are people who are exactly the right personality type for Pattern, but have limited practice time. The sportsman class as it stands now is daunting to them and they are afraid of embarrassing themselves at a contest (I keep telling them that you have to see a contest to know that you aren't going to embarrass yourself but that requires them to actually get out to a contest, which they won't do until they feel confident enough to try it...) Fundamentally, the sportsman sequence is too daunting for that first contest (after doing one or two contests in something easier, I don't doubt that they would be comfortable doing sportsman) . I took a full week off to practice daily before my first contest, with a bunch of advanced and masters guys giving me little pointers along the way, and I'd been flying regularly for a few years prior to that.

The guys I am targeting to get in to pattern have been flying sporadically for a few years and want to become better pilots and are into the concept of precision (German blood you know :-). They are still a little afraid of crashing and have trouble knowing instantly the difference between a half cuban and a half reverse cuban. They need a sequence that has a *few* turnarounds in it, but isn't 5 maneuvers in the box before you get a break. I'm thinking center + turnaround + center to out of the box for a total of 9 maneuvers other than takeoff and landing a simplification of the sportsman pattern something like this:

Takeoff:
2 consecutive inside loops
1/2 reverse cuban eight
2 point roll
Exit box (turnaround of choice)
Double immelman
immelman turn
45 degree downline
Exit box (turnaround of choice)
Vertical upline on center
Split S
Horizontal roll
Exit box
Landing


Peter+