I never said it wasn't fun Brett, if it wasn't fun I wouldn't do it, but it's quite a bit
different now days and the decline seemed to start when turnaround came into being.
I know there are lots of different opinions about this, I'm just giving mine, and I don't
expect it to or want it to change back the way it was. I'm sure everyone who flew pattern
back in the "old" days will remember how large a turn out we would have at all the contests.
I remember one year with Max at the Southwest Championships in Dallas there were so
many contestants we flew four flight lines at once just so we could finish on time. During the
spring and summer months there seemed to be a contest somewhere in Texas every weekend
and sometimes would get TV and newspaper coverage. When the Fort Worth Thunderbirds
hosted a contest there were contestants from all over the country. You can't blame people who
flew back then for comparing it to the way it is now. There is no single reason for the decline ,
it's just everything, life in general, it's just the way it is.
I'm not one who wants to go back to the old 60 size rocket pattern ships, the new designs do fly
better, I would just like to see a little more imagination in the pattern sequences, might just make
it a little more interesting for the spectators. If I remember right you stated in this forum when you
were flying intermediate you were looking forward to moving to advanced because intermediate
was "so boring" !! If it's boring to us imagine what it's like to the spectator.

tommy s