I've been reading this thread with quiet interest and decided to throw in my two cents on the topic. Quite honestly, in Sportsman and Intermediate you could fly a Taurus, Kwik Fli III, T2A, Tiger Tail, or any of the "Kaos" variants and win. No reason not to. Pattern birds are by design, "pattern" specific. Sure, turnaround took care of the Brushfires, Atlantas, and EU1As, simply because they were too fast. Again, they weren't "designed" for turnaround. In the lower 2 classes, where the figures aren't flown as quickly, the "old" birds would do just fine. A loop is still a loop, a stall turn is still a stall turn..etc.... and any of these "dated" designs in the hands of a practiced pilot could win in any event in the country....in the lower two classes. Keep in mind that pattern is about lines and symmetry, not speed. Above that.. you better have better than Jedi reflexes!!! I fly both types of planes.. again, each type designed for a totally different use. You don't fly an A-10 to dogfight an F-16, but you don't do low level ground support with an F-16 either... again.. mission specific airframes.

Enjoy the differences guys...pattern needs to make a comeback...Fly what you have and enjoy every minute of it. Maybe I should stretch out an EU1 A to two meters??? Could happen....

Dan