Sounds great Arch. I'll take some of that on board, and it reminded me of a couple of other things.

My first flight of the practice day is always a schedule (that's what usually happens at a comp.! Why not practice that way? IMO ).

I have found (also, my opinion) that when learning NEW maneuvers . . before and after maneuvers certainly helps with positioning and flow, but kind of a waste if you can't nail the vertical snap after the stall turn, or smoothly transition the opposite 2 of 4 point roll . . and sometimes doing the maneuver before CAN compromise the maneuver you are trying to learn (Certainly has happened to me).

The reason I usually fly 5 flights is because we occasionally get 5 rounds done on a competition day (lucky aren't we?). Hate my mind to be telling me "whooaa . . I have only practiced 4 ! !" ).

I have found this sport to be not unlike another two I have been competitive in (R/C 1/8th scale circuit cars and Kart Racing - sponsored driver in both). There is a lot of mental conditioning required followed by preparation (both with equipment and physically), testing (read: trimming), quality equipment, and seat time (read: flying time). We need ALL of those things. The BEST Kart racing drivers do a LOT of laps in testing . . and usually on the same day when conditions are the same. They cut laps often within 0.1 (1/10th) of a second lap after lap, even at the end of a long day? Why is this? Because they are mentally (and physically) fit. The actually racing in competition is only a fraction of the time they spend testing (practicing) on a given day.

I think physical fitness is something that may get overlooked in Pattern Flying. No question that physical fitness improves concentration, reflexes and stamina, and I think these things could come in handy in competition (I am sure I remember Ivan Kristensen talk of this).

There is one thing that can short-cut a lot of this . . TALENT. Some drivers and pilots I have met have "buckets" of it and can make pretty average equipment perform very well, and with not a lot of practice. BUT these individuals are definitely a minority. The rest of us have to work hard at it [].

There are possibly almost as many ways to prepare for a competition as there are individuals competing (did that say "everyone's different? ). I guess it's really a matter of what works for you and what you are comfortable with.

JB (Mr. Controversy )