I have no doubts that this will be the best TOC in a long time because of the extra year to prepare. In truth.. the every year format was very hard on competitors, especially those overseas. Seems like the moment you got home you had to start preparing for the next one.

First and foremost.. we need to make sure Mr. Bennet knows just how much we appreciate the TOC at all. Let's face it.. without the TOC I seriously doubt we'd have much of the innovations in the giant scale side of the world that we now enjoy as normal product.

Doug Cronkhite
Team JR

Mike McConville. It is his turn. He has been there for years but it seems to be just out of reach for him. Mike is a great guy as I am sure the rest of them are, but I have personal experience with Mike and I want him to come out on top this year. Come on Mikey we have faith in you. Lets show them what us Midwest (not the company but the area) guys can do. I agree that the Freestyle is by far the better part of the show but it is the precision that got these guys there. I love a very smooth show and some of the 3D stuff you just can't do with a gracfulness. I want to say a HUGE thanks to Mr. Bill Bennet for everthing he has done. We must agree that with out him most of the HUGE planes that we all love to fly so much would not have become so well done without his event the TOC.


Chris

It is like Figure-skating,it all started with cutting "figures in the ice" but does anybody care about that now.........
It is all about the Freestyle that gets the heart pumpin and that is where the sport is headed. I like pattern, but it has it's place
and a tad bit boring......lets go , and see what future holds...

i think pattern takes much more skill than just 3d freestyle... IMO

I guess if you're saying that skill to do both rather than just one would show who is the best pilot overall... I'd have to agree. I think the TOC shows that there are less guys that can do 3D well than there are that can do pattern well.

Alot of guys hotdog around... but there are very few (less than ten... probably) that make 3D look good.

The reason most people say that is because when you think of 3D flight, you think of just slamming the sticks around and not being precise. IMO...PRECISION 3D is VERY hard to do. Due to the stalled state of flight, it takes more effort to keep things precise.

What Chris said.

In my part of the country, (the southeast) 3D has become commonplace. There are very few innovators. I have flown Unlimited class IMAC for 5 years, and judges are sick of seeing the same old moves (especially torque rolls-eveyone can do that and touch their tail on the ground these days) that everyone has done for the past 8 years. To earn good scores in freestyle, you must go beyond the Dare devil aspect and fly well to your chosen music. Developing a good freestyle program requires tremendous effort and imagination. I often wonder how Quique must feel seeing all of his competitors doing the same moves that he pioneered back at the 1994 TOC. Flying good pattern definitely separates the men from the boys. I know plenty of guys that are great 3D flyers, but ask them to fly a simple loop centered in the box, or perform a one and a half snap on a 45 degree upline and they fail miserably. Once the thrill of 3D begins to fade(and believe me, after several years it will) much satitfaction can be found in pursuit of the perfect sequence. Ask any TOC flyer which part of the contest they prefer. Everyone will say that they enjoy the pattern portion the most. BTW, now that Quique flys for Team JR, he will be unstoppable!
My guess at the TOC is as follows:
1. Quique
2. Christophe
3. Chip
4. Jason
5. Sean

What exactly will flying JR do for Quique? Oh..will he feel more conected so therefore win TOC. Anybody notice that at the last TOC, only 1 of the top 7 flew JR. Rest were futaba. Go team JR!

Whoa there Tiger! The Team JR reference was just a joke. It cracks me up at the brand loyalty most of you guys cling to. I'm sure if you were offered an endorsement by JR you would accept it and praise JR as the best radio around. Give me a Futaba or a JR and I'll astound you with either. It's NOT the radio that makes a pilot good, but the amount of time he is willing to put into improving his skills.

OK..gotcha!

Same here... :spinnyeye

Exactly...

Never, never I say

Are you going to break them over your head, or something? I don't get it. Not to worry, though, you have astounded me with your BS... which is cool... because it saves me all the time, money, and hassle of shipping you a radio.

LOL

Just the thought makes me sick...

You and Can are cracking me up on this one.

I have a 9Z and an 8103... if JR offered me a sponsorship not only would I accept it... but this is what I would say:

“Honestly speaking, when I'm flying my 8103, I am surprised at how much more connected I feel with my model.”

LOL

LMAO!! :bananahea

Ya know, I wouldnt mind being given both for free, to try out and compare, plus all the servos and stuff. Strictly for scientific purposes of course

I made the comment about Quique because at that level, even the slightest mistake is going to be amplified, and can cost you points. He's an awesome pilot, a great guy to talk and listen to, and I wish him great luck. But when youve been used to switch locations, and the general feel of a specific radio in your hands, it leaves the door open when ya make a change.

Hey JBH, when you say how connected you are to the radio, do we wanna know where the trainer cord is???? Sorry, ya left yourself wide open there

No BS here JBH! I don't understand the comment about shipping me a radio, though.

I'd say it was alot of b.s.

You'd know, that's all that spews out of your mouth in these forums!

Yea but now it looks like someone else is doing it too. Which is pretty cool.

I heard that there were some new rules about scoring in TOC, anybody know them?

In KNIFE BROTHER's radio... you see... I have him on a buddy box.

I fly my 9Z WC2 and my 8103 all the time. And, I fly my buddy Chris's 10X all the time. When I'm flying I can't tell the difference. I even get used to the way we've setup the stick tension on all three pretty immediately.

Pretty funny that I have a 9Z... the CAP requires zero mix on anything. And, I only use one condition for take offs, landings, and flying... that be... bevel to bevel, baby! An 8103 is actually more radio than I need.