Thanks for the great inputs. All are appreciated. My first pattern contest is in dayton at the end of May. Lets hope by then I can fly a straight line! By the way, at the two different fields where I fly, hardly anyone is interested in any form of precision in there flying; their planes are all over the sky. I have found that by trying to fly a line, do decent turnaround maneuvers, and use the center of the box, I am enjoying my flying more. Also, I have not had a single crash since I started doing this. You are just in better control of the plane.