Originally posted by aerobob
Chad, I almost agree with *most* of your position, except the part about size standards.
Without a MAJOR revamp of judging criteria, and rules about sequences, smaller WON'T *EVER* compare on par with the 2M pattern jobs.
If they COULD, we'd see LOTS more "smaller airplanes" in Pattern, for a host of reasons.
The game expanded due to F3A rules, period. F3A expanded it, who knows when and why?, but EVERYONE just followed along playing FAI wanna-bee....
It's only SLIGHTLY acceptable that the MAJORITY of Pattern rules right now in the USA have their roots in F3A architecture, since it represents competitively about 1.5% of Pattern fliers.
Anything wrong with that picture, guys??
(This is STILL a GREAT thread.....lots of really diverse perspective and opinion....thanks to RCU for letting this run!!)
I agree Bob, you cant compare the flying of a 2 meter to a 60 size.
What I am thinking of is if the lower classes were restricted, say to 60s in Sportsman and up to 120s in Intermediate then open it up for Advanced. This way the entry level guy could compete on a pretty good level with the others using probably a plane he already owns. As he progresses through the ranks and gets hooked (and learns more about it) he can move up into the larger models. By the time he reaches Masters he is setup with the latest and greatest, and has probably learned a lot about properly flying and trimming his models.
I can only base my thoughts on what I see at our local events, larger is not the issue, we never have Sportsman guys asking if they can fly their big Cap, just doesnt happen. Most of the time they are out there with their 4*40. I think the thought of "needing" a big model to compete in the next class up is what causes them not to return. If they know they when they move up to Intermediate they will not be competing against a 2 meter model, they are more likely to give it a go.
Unfortunately I am one of the causes of the problems, sitting out at the field with a pair of ZN Line Evolis's and 140 DZ's......and the Sportsman guy asks "what are those worth?".......if I tell him the right answer he is not going to be interested in competing
What to do ??? I dont know, but the local support thing I think has some big merit points. When I moved to Calgary there was essentially no one flying pattern, a year and half later I have 3 or 4 guys in our club that are going to give it a shot next year. The trick? Host a contest locally so they dont have to travel to try it out
