First, NSRCA is a good a starting place as any.

www.nsrca.org

Next.. regarding straight and level flight, well, that's a scoring point for pattern competition. It is an absolute must, and is the only way to enter into a maneuver. You can enter in other ways, but you will spend more time trying to make corrections than if you go with a straight and level entry. The 1/2 reverse cuban eight was last years first maneuver. Try one by entering with a slight roll attitude. The beginning of the maneuver must be straight or it will just not work.

A lot of this depends on the flyer. Learning to do a proper trim so that the plane flys straight and level with the hands-off, is a great beginning. However, this takes a bit of time to learn to do quickly and correctly. And, of course, constant corrections on the sticks is not a good thing either. Not only does it show sloppy lines, but it eats up battery power.

Learn to fly straight and level. Learn to make smooth and clean turns that do not have any climb or dive during the turn. Then, learn to exit the turn in a straight and level line. Once you master that, then start with a basic maneuver, a loop. Make the loop clean, round, and learn to remove throttle at the top of the loop so that you are not pushing the loop but allowing the plane to finish it for you. Then learn where to add throttle, how much to add to maintain a straight and level flight along the line where you entered the loop.

All this takes time. My instructor/mentor told me that the key to this is burning fuel. Lots of fuel.... in other words, an awful lot of practice. And, of course, attend competition events. Watch, or better yet, just enter the Sportsman category (NSRCA) and fly. (of course, you do this after you know the maneuvers and are able to do them, no matter how good, from the take-off to landing (all are scored by the way). A crash is not a landing, by the way, and a smooth transition from flying to landing is an absolute necessity.

As I said, it takes time, practice, and lots of fuel. But, it's worth it. Many say that pattern flyers (either IMAC or NSRCA) are much better pilots because they are more disciplined pilots and learn to focus on what they are doing. And it shows up in all their flying.. the polish, the finesse.. is obvious.

CGr.