Good points, Ed. . though not the only ones to consider, and stil a very subjective case. that being noted, FAI is proposing the "Scale AErobatic" class (f3X ?) for up to 3m, 45 lbs and 250cc enignes. It's not just "150cc monsters" anymore. Now it's 200+ cc's 130"+ wingspans and yes, rollers are into the next county and our "Big Boys" take up a larger aerobatic box than the full scale planes a lot of the time. "The Box" is smaller yet the patterns and sequences continue to get "larger" There is really only one way to curtail that problem, fly in closer with a smaller plane.

It seems that a lot of people have gotten over the fascination of BIG planes and are starting to downsize. I, for one, am doing so. Except for a couple of special projects I have on the boards, I won't be going over 110" in the near future and will probably settle into the 35-38% range for competition planes. Much bigger, especially in Basic. just makes no sense. People are starting to pay attention to the practical aspect of smaller planes. . I'm sure the trend toward smalled and tighter will become prevalent.