Sportsman

1) Takeoff (U)
2) Straight flight out (U)


After takeoff do you get a free (D) pass?

If yes, do you fly (D) and exit the box then make any turnaround of your choice before entering the box for #2 above???

Thanks

Thanks

I'm trying to piece this whole pattern concept togther so I don't look like too big a fool when I finally get the courage (practice) to enter a contest.

Just do it and have fun. You'll find the other fliers at the contest regardless of
class usually will be happy to help you. Don't be afraid , everyone has to start
somewhere. The judges are pretty easy on newcomers.

tommy s

A few practice sessions with a coach would undoubtedly clear up a lot of questions for you. I think of New Jersey as a lively pattern scene, compared to my part of the district where pattern flyers are few and far between. Most pattern competitions open their field to practice flying the day before the meet starts. If you just show up the afternoon before and ask for a caller to coach you through a couple practice rounds, I'm sure you'll find someone happy to help with all your questions. West Windsor has the District 1 season opener this year, mid-June as I recall. If you go to the NSRCA website and follow the link to the District 1 calendar, you'll find the details you need. My experience has been that pattern flyers like to help new blood get into circulation.

Takeoff and landing isn't box manuvers look at your call sheet, (EB) is for enter box and (EX) is for exist box, you can get a call sheet here,
http://www.rcpattern.com/call_sheet_1.htm
or here.
http://www.nsrca.org/scheduleA.htm
and here is a great beginners page from the NSRCA site
http://www.nsrca.org/technical/beginners/begin3.htm

Steve Maxwell

I just finished my Quest so I'm running out of excuses for not entering a contest. I'll have to check out the AMA mag and the NSRCA to get some details on that West Windsor meet.

Thanks for all the helpful info.

From a fellow sportsman heres a suggestion since you are talking about this part of the sportsman.
At the end of your free downwind pass use a 1/2 reverse cuban as your turnaround. It will allow you to establish distance out (From the runway) and elevation for your straight flights. I talked to Don Ramsey (NSRCA pattern rules chairman) over dinner about the sportsman straight flights at the Houston warmup a few weeks ago. Something he pointed out was that it is important that straight flight out and straight flight back be flown at the same altitude and the same distance from the runway. Which means that the 1/2 reverse cuban between straight flight out and straight flight back should be entered and exited at the same altitude.
This is different than normal. Normally on a turnaround maneuver you can enter and exit at different altitudes as long as the radii are the same, but not the sportsman 1/2 rev cuban. It is specifically designed to allow you to enter and exit at the same elevation.

Another pointer, when doing a centered maneuver like 2 loops, cobra, immelmann turn, being offcenter is a smaller downgrade than goobering up the symmetry (ie eggshaped loop. For example if you start your 1st loop 20' past the centerline, its better to do the loops 20' offcenter but superimposed over each other and symmetrically, than it is to screw up the shape of the loop(s) to get it back on center. Being offcenter will cost you a few points, being asymmetrical may cost you a zero. One thing I have done if I get offcenter is to make a humongous loop to maintain the center and symmetry. Only thing is theoretically all of the maneuvers in your pattern sequence should be sized similarly. Which means if your 1st centered maneuver is really big, the rest should be big too. I bet I get arguments on this but that was what I understood from judging school.

HAVE FUN!

Mike

Sounds like I need to read the AMA rules and scoring for pattern. I can imagine there is a whole strategy to getting your best possible score once you know all the deductions and their permutations.

YUP,
Call AMA and they will send you a free copy of the rulebook once you give them your membership number. It has all of the maneuvers and how they should be performed. Also, check with the contest directors before you go to a contest and see if they have a judging clinic going on or where you can find a class to attend. If they do GO. Its well worth the $25, especially if one of the NSRCA rules guys gives the class. Not only will it help you judge but moreso it will give you a much better representation of the intent of the rule so that you know what is expected of you while flying your pattern. If you can get to a contest a day early I would, grab an experienced sportsman (oxymoron) or any upper class flyer and they will make sure you are good to go. RC guys are so willing to help in general. Bad thing is that you may get frustrated at the judges for counting off when you actually performed a maneuver by the book. Pattern is so much fun to learn, and being at the sportsman level I can already see the difference in my flight skills in general. ESPECIALLY learning to use the rudder to correct heading and maintain a straight track back and forth and through maneuvers. [8D] Have FUN!

Mike

This is pretty much true. Unlike figure skating, which has a separate score for artistic merit, artistry in the pattern routine is judged along with the technical. One of the "artistic" criteria is maneuver size relative to the box and relative to other maneuvers. But I would start looking at the size from the first 1/2 rev Cuban 8, not the first centered maneuver. However, if the first was odd-sized compared to the rest of the routine, I wouldn't downgrade the rest! I'd perhaps downgrade the second because of the change in size, and leave the rest be. Might get irritating (also a judging criteria?) if the sizes were all over the place!

Ooops! Sorry. You had a SIMPLE question......