Troy -
Feedback on the step from Intermed to Advanced - (and from Advanced to Masters)
I did it in '03 and thought it was a big - but NOT unreasonable or terrifying - jump.

It DID take a different airplane setup - moved the CG back slightly, some more throw to get a real snap... the plane flew better after that though...

Lots more inverted flight- good but very tough -
and some very subtle (to me at least) lessons in trimming andairfram behavior upright versus inverted... GREAT prep for becoming a Masters pilot, I think!

The inverted 45 neg snap was a real toughie after the 'modified' Intermediate schedule that dropped the 45 upright snap... that took some dedicated practice... and once or twice I almost killed the plane by pulling instead of pushing... almost...

Imho, the step from the current Advanced to the current Masters is kind of disappointing. Still some new skills to learn but they seem to (pardon the expression) revolve around rolling maneuvers and big old 8's of various kinds... -- overall it doesn't seem as challenging as last year's Masters- nor is it nearly as pretty.

bottom lines:
- I like the current advanced sequence for its challenge and its potential flow.
- I'd like to see the Intermediate get back having a snap in it...
- I could go to another Masters sequence tomorrow and not shed a tear...

That said, flying Pattern -- with these sequences - is STILL the second best way I know to spend an afternoon, or a weekend.

-Rick