just ran across this and thought it might need to be seen by some here.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=U5GEJovJTXA

I hope you all enjoy. I did!

Robert

Great video!

I enjoyed it. However, I wouldn't recommend it to someone who knows nothing about control line. All we saw of flight was airplanes flying around in circles. That impression of CL is well established in RC circles.

Yeah, there is certainly a good point in what you said. I showed a friend one of the DVD's the AMA was pushing about a year ago ( I bought several LOL!) and there was a CL segment on it. Unfortunately it was poorly done because the videographer kept focusing on the guy in the center of the circle. Poor videography not withstanding, my friend was blown away by what little bit of the actual stunt pattern he saw. He said something like: I thought those things pretty much just went around in a circle.

Yeah, video of a stunt flight usually blows people away, especially if the camera is fixed.

Place it about where the judges usually sit and don't pan it. Fixing it shows up the maneuvers two ways. There is a definite "between" time that is obvious while the airplane is flying level, then the airplane does the maneuver and it stands out, then it goes back into level flight. Pan and that is lost and the whole video is just an airplane moving around against a blurred background. And when the camera is fixed, the shapes of the maneuvers are distinctive. Most people can see a triangle easily. Can pick out and describe most of the maneuvers. When the camera pans, they don't know they're seeing anything other than a crazy turning model.

And fixing it gives the viewer better reference to the ground. They seem to notice where it is better. And that wingover that starts the pattern can make 'em wet their pants. And they're usually flinching all the way through the flight.

Stunt guys tried to use film as a training aid long ago. At least a couple did. And they found out any viewer was knocked outa' their socks watching the fixed camera. And they didn't seem to even notice the turns at the ground when the camera was trying to follow the airplane.