I have built and am flyng an all wood competitive pattern plane that will fly fai for no more than 1200 bucks... and i traded my time and a litl emoey and can fly imac with an investment of 600 bucks.

If you find it interesting and want to learn to fly IMAC or Pattern, you wil find a way that you can afford to learn, grow and enjoy either aspect. Both Imac and pattern have much o ofer, the people are the same.. both helpful, passionate and opinionated, the same if you went fencing, bowling or skeet shooting. Maybe our sport is not dying but often misunderstood and misrepresented by those who think they know what the heck they are talking about and run their mouth based on lack of facts, and their need to feel they know it all.

Chuck