The reason some of the more "experienced" pilots also fly in Fun Scale is for more opportunities to fly at a unfamiliar location. This can allow "us" to feel out the overall layout of the surroundings, runway orientation, wind conditions and sometimes even see what the judges are looking for while being able to relax a little by flying a older plane or an ARF. Having these extra flights can help us improve our presentation during our Designer Scale or Sportscale flights with our other models. It can also give the "newer" fliers something to brag about when they place higher in an event than a known competitor. Wouldn't you like to say "I beat (insert a name) last weekend at Mint Julep" at the next club meeting? Many of the larger contests, like the NATS, offer beginner and advanced classes of Fun Scale to offer the true newbies a chance to compete on a more even playing field. I also think that many of "us" do it to stay busy between rounds so we don't have time to sit around and think about " If I had just...."

The judges should score independently, the only item they should discuss is the "realism in flight" score after the flight is complete.

David Hayes