Quote:" I loved the old ballistic pattern planes like the Curare, Atlas, Saturn and Phoenix. I loved the way they flew, even when I was just taking them out for sport. I dropped out for a few years, and when I came back, these big, beautiful, graceful birds were gone, and now everyone is hovering around with a bunch of sleds that look like flying pigs."

Courtesy of the video game generation.

Quote: "The real kicker is that we could have been doing this many years ago, instead of following the herd into turnaround with its very expensive models."

We don't really appreciate what we have until is is gone.

Quote: " Hey there Robert - You still have time to dig up one of your old birds for the contest in Alabama!"

I'm digging, but Alabama is a ways off.

Quote: "It was the screaming Pattern planes that got me interrested in R/C, if I had gone to field back in the late 70s and saw a bunch of farting 4-strokes and electric powered childrens toys lofting around in the breeze I would n't have got the bug."

Copy that.

Quote: "I think if there were as many contests today with the AMA patterns
instead of turnaround there would be a lot of people switching over. What I really would like to see is a
separate class for AMA maneuvers at the current contests. Seems that would make everyone happy. "

That is a great idea.