Personally, I think if you have parallel classes for current SPA birds, and the evolution birds, you'll eventually see the evolution birds make the SPA birds extinct, which is what SPA is trying to avoid. Enough flyers will be lured out of the current SPA classes when they see the Evo planes that the current SPA classes won't be viable. This is why my proposal is to only have one upper level class flying the evolution birds. As an earlier poster said, in the early-mid 70s it was usually the upper classes that had the pipes and retracts anyway.

Regarding attending Knoxville, Steve B was nice enough to suggest bringing down my tipo even though it is too new under current SPA rules. I don't have a .61FX, but several club members do where I fly. The Rossi that's in my Tipo is quite a bit stronger with regards to RPM, and even on a muffler I'm skeptical it would make the Knoxville noise regs. I don't have noise monitoring equipment, and I'm not willing to drive 6.5hrs to find out I can't fly, nor am I willing to jeopardize an established and prominent club out of selfishness. In fact, if my Irvine .53 on a Jett Engineering muffler is a fair comparison, the piped Rossi is quieter than it would be on a free flowing muffler. I do run the Rossi "quiet" pipe, which has some packing. The Rossi carb venturi is very large to turn RPMs, the catch 22 is that I've found it needs more back pressure then a straight thru pipe provides for reliable throttle transition.

Honestly, I think since they allowed 4-cycles they should have allowed .61s to be piped (obviously where noise regs alllow) as well so the playing field was more level, though still not quite.

For the record, even the piped "missles" like my tipo, although close, aren't unlimited vertically, it's about flying smoothly to maintain energy. The 11" props just don't make the static thrust the .91s do.

Times have changed regarding building techniques and radio installations, and mostly battery technology. A lot of weight can be saved now compared to the old days. My current fleet of classic birds are all fiberglass and foam. While they are light for their day, a muffled .61 isn't going to pull an 8lb 65" plane thru very graceful 3 outside loops, and there is a point where the maneuver gets so small that it looks rushed, doesn't present well, thus doesn't score well. Just ask anybody from that era that ever had a motor go lean in a contest before that maneuver. I've tried it before on my daddy rabbit, back in 84' as I mentioned in an earlier thread, it didn't pull well then, and would be a waste of my time now. As I mentioned earlier, I enjoy the fun and fellowshipping as much as the next guy, but if I'm competing, I'm no different than anybody else, I want to do my best.

I'm not looking to cause trouble, I'm looking to create conversation about it. I said I'm willing to do what it takes to get a plane together for next year. The point is, there are many more potential flyers that aren't that SPA is missing out on. More options for flyers means bigger contests, more events, national expansion, national exposure....it's out there, if we're all willing to talk about it.

If you look back thru all the Classic Pattern threads, I'm certainly not the first guy to bring this up, and I won't be the last. There is a market for this "evolution class" and if SPA isn't willing to bend on it, I think eventually somebody will. We've seen fun fly events start to crop up geared toward this, and I think it's just he beginning, and I think SPA has a chance to hitch up it's wagon and ride.

Living in Ohio and growing up when I did, I lived in the mecca of the classic pattern era. We had Dave Brown, Don Lowe, Mark Radcliff, Mike McConville, Tony Frakowiak (sorry Tony if I butchered that), Mike Kline, Harry Rowe, and the list goes on. We had more contests per year in our district that you could count. You know, I looked up the NSRCA schedule yesterday and we have 2 contests in this state now, and it appears one may be canceled. NC used to have a bunch, this year they had none listed. To me, this means there are a lot of competition minded individuals out there that have been chased out by rising costs, unwillingness to fly the box, etc. There is just a whole group of guys that are waiting for something like this to happen so they can get back in the game. Thanks for listening,
Eric