I have been flying pattern for years, and in my opinion, NOTHING flies as well as a pattern plane. I have a 40% Carden Extra 330 and have flown other brands and they all fly very nicely, but nothing locks in like a 2 meter pattern plane. This is directly related to the design. Pattern planes are typically longer than the wingspan so they have a much smoother pitch moment. Also the wing loadings are considerably lighter than even the 40% Extra/Yak/Edge. Scale aerobatic type do tend to snap a little cleaner and prettier in my opinion, but when a 2 meter plane is setup correctly there is nothing that flies smoother. At the end of the day though, you do need a well setup airplane, one that is properly trimmed no matter what you fly. A lot of people do not realize just how important really trimming a plane is. Most pattern planes fly well because they are trimmed correctly. If you have a plane no matter how nice it is, that is not totally trimmed as well as the proper throw settings, it wont matter what kind of plane it is, it will not fly smoothly. The two most important things I think for Pattern, or IMAC, are A: properly trimmed airplane, and B: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE and you have to be careful with the practice part. If you are out practicing but doing a maneuver incorrectly, then all you are doing is hurting yourself. You need to make sure someone is there that knows what to look for you to get your practicing correctly, and even after that is the case, make sure periodically you have someone come help, just to make sure you haven't developed any bad habits...There are a lot of good designs out there to choose from..just make sure its built straight, light, and properly trimmed and you'll be happy no matter which one you choose.

Arch Stafford