Chad do you happen to have a link for the 2009 sequences? Or could you post them if not?

Archie's post was right on the money. Let me reword it a little so we're all on the same page.

From a design standpoint, the FAI F sequence and the wierd manuevers that are in the unknowns require a much different animal from a design standpoint. So when someone says designed for a particular sequence, it doesn't mean the exact set of manuevers being flown at that particluar moment, it means that "level" or designation. One could seriously argue that the manuevers with so many combined integrated elements are closer to freestyle than precision in many respects. It's simply extremely demanding of the airframe as well as the pilot. And the airframe is much more critical than the shape/size of a rudder or fuselage. Every single piece of the thing has to be designed well and matched. it's fairly easy to design a plane to do certain things extremely well, but usually this means giving something else up. It's balance.

The Twister is a really well balanced airframe from what I have seen, and the Integral looks very promising as well. However, some planes that took certain things to extremes made it difficult for the average guy to handle in certain conditions. The pilot, flying style and set up make a huge difference as well as anything else.

Pattern planes as a rule are designed by and for the top pilots in the world. They (you included) have specific requirements that a plane must meet for the FAI F sequence and unknowns in general. Just about any smaller and older plane will do very well in the preliminary pattern. But they don't necessarily have the best design in the world for all of the combined elements and rudder intensive/wierd angle of attack manuevers in the finals.

Large planes as a general rule are just harder for the average guy to fly in a nasty wind, that's really the bottom line. And that is a GENERAL statement, not specific to any particular plane. Some are better than others, that's a no brainer. Designs have transitioned through clean fast designs, through wide body bulbous drag-at-all-cost designs, and now evolving back to a large but clean(er) design. Yes, all of this is pretty general, but it's dynamic, ever changing.

You can't throw a good set of wings on a box and go kick tail anymore, the Kaos is pretty dated I am convinced the guys that make up the FAI manuevers are evil.

-Mike

PS wasn't this thread about the Tangerine? It was a blast, I can't wait until next year!