i have no pattern experience. my 1st plane was a trainer about 1980 or so. i flew a lot in the early 90's and then left the hobby until about 3 yrs ago. online research brought me to rcuniverse, the beauty of the planes in the classic pattern forum stopped me dead in my tracks. i stopped any forays into other types of rc planes when i found this forum. however, i don't like to see wheels. i'm not a good enough pilot to fly ballistic pattern but i can fly a plane with a pipe and retracts at senior pattern speed and enjoy my plane more because i don't see the wheels. i just like retracts.

david