Marty, at SAM's you have a random draw with everyone's names in the hat. If you end up racing the same guys that was just the way the luck played out. With the Nats format it is exactly the same thing except for each pilot the "draw" has 3 less names in the hat provided a field of 20. No matter how you slice it, the Nats format is not as random as SAM's.
As as far as your " not a bad thing " if you and I are in the same flight group and at the end of the day we have the same points but you had a cut, I win. Wouldn't you have preferred an opportunity to beat me in the air? I realize at any given race I am not going to race everybody in my class. Although I have come very close to do so in the past but why reduce the odds even more? I understand what you are trying to do here and that is provide a format that has already been run at the Nats and people racing Q40, Q500 and EF1 are familiar with in hopes of making Warbird more attractive and making it easier on the staff. I just hope you are successful in getting those guys to cross over. I know the format was a turn off for some guys, me included that could have been a contributing factor in not going to the Nats. Obviously not the only thing but one of them.