Hi all,

I'm planning on entering my first Sportsman event almost 25 years after my last competition. At that time there was no such thing as the "box" (at least not in my country where we flew FAI).

Is there any website where I can get a good explanation on how to 'see' the box? The maneuver sequence is quite easy but the 'box' is still too invisible for me!

Thanks in advance for any help!


Arthur

http://www.nsrca.org/technical/tip_tricks/layout.htm

OK...I think what you are asking is, how to define the "box" that you fly in (the sky). I am not a pattern pilot, but I too am interested. The "box" is an imaginary box that you perform your aerobatic sequences in. Roughly speaking, as I do not know what would be considered the actual dimension by the judges, but...The top of the box is as high as you will fly, from left to right or right to left. The two vertical "upline" and "downline" of the "box" are the ends. The lowest altitude you fly left to right or right to left is the bottom of the "box". The center of the "box" is an imaginary vertical line directly in front of you. To establish your "box", you will make your turns at each end of the field in the same place the same distance from your "center". At the ends of the "box", up and down lines are vertical. I think up and down lines in the middle of the "box" are at a 60 degree angle. Hope this makes sense to you. This is about all I know about the "box".

You guys are on it. That link I think explains it fairly well. We also use the 60 degree lines. We got a marker 150m from the pilot on the centre. And then you fly 60 degrees to the left, right and of course up.

Arthur, which competition will you be attending?

I'm in Woodstock Ga. and plan on attending the one in Andersonville, Ga. I probably won't be flying, so if you need some help, someone to call for you etc, let me know.

-Mike

what about calling the sequence how is it done these days, do you still have to call them out to the judges like you used to, seems like you would have to do it pretty fast, was just curious

I believe so. I do have the sequence printed out and I made a wood practice plane so now I read the sequence and do the maneuver with the model.

In competition I believe the caller calls for you AND the judges. Mike?

wasnt sure how it was done these days, in the old days the caller called them to you and you called to the judges, was thinkin of attending a local pattern meet here, and did want to enter unprepaired

Your Caller/helper will place the plane on the runway for take off. The caller/helper will then stand behind the pilot and call the maneuvers for the pilot not necessarily for the judges. After the flight the caller/helper will retrieve the plane after landing while the pilot is being very pleasant and cordial to the judges and collecting the score sheets.

The "BOX" is an area approximately 150 meters straight out from the pilot and 60° to the right, left and up from the pilot. The closer in you fly the shorter the box and the farther out the larger the box but you ideally shoot for 150 meters out.

You can get all the info you might need at http://www.nsrca.org/

DEG

thats pretty much how it was sed to be done, but do you the pilot call the sequence out to the judges? after your caller calls them to you

The caller will call the maneuvers to you the pilot. The judges will use a scribe to help them if needed. It is amazing how much you can forget while flying in front of the judges.

The pilot only has to call In and Out of the box, and Take Off and Landings.

Take offs will be called like.... "My first maneuver will be a take off" and then "Take off complete" after you get to a altitude of two meters.

Landings are called "Landing Now" at Two meters altitude and "Landing complete after a 15 meter roll out.

DEG

Yep all the pilot calls is takeoff begin/complete, Entering and exiting the box, and landing starts at 2 meters/complete. The caller does the rest, sometimes even calls the box if the pilot is extremely nervous.

The hardest thing about turnaround style pattern is keeping everything in the box, all the while maintaining smoothness and a straight line between manuevers. It takes practice, practice and then more practice. The best bet is to fly no matter what. Too windy? Bullsh...if it's under 30 mph, FLY because God has deemed that no pattern contest will be flown without at least a 20 mph crosswind. I think it's like the 11th commandment or something....

Andersonville is the first weekend in June, and I'll be there Saturday for sure.

Burn some fuel,
-Mike

well its been awhile since Ive flown pattern did it alot back in the low to mid 80,s of course trun around was just coming on line when I was getting out of the sport, but now im trying to climb back in, so everything has changed, I was used to flying a mile out come back to the center do your thing and then fly a mile out and so on, im sure everyones been there

Yep, "Ballistic Pattern" I think is the term.....

Ya know it's funny how many people loved that style of pattern, maybe it was the speed (probably). I miss it sometimes. I'd love to see it return to SPA, but the old guys won't have it. It's funny how a small 6-7 year chunk of pattern history is so conveniently hushed.....I understand the reasoning behind the SPA's rules, but they allow any plane designed before '76 to be used, yet they exclude pipes and retracts....I hate to tell them, but both the Curare and the Mach One were designed before then, and BOTH had retracts and pipes.....but no, we can't have that.....it'll drive up the cost and ruin SPA!!!??? They have no idea how many people would LOVE to dust off thier Tipos, UFOs, Curares etc and have some fun.

I still say we should start the BPA (Ballistic Pattern Association). Hehe.

And all that said, I LOVE the current style of pattern more than anything. It's much more challenging, but if done correctly, not much fun to watch for an outsider.....

-Mike

well was much fun to watch from the outside either back in the rocket days, but it was sure fun to do, I had an MK arrow that was true to its name wish I could find another one, but it would be way to fast for todays standards

Good to see more people who flew F3A in the "old" times!!!

Here's a photo (hope it uploads OK) of Hanno Prettner, his dad Hans, and me in 1981. Near Klagenfurt, Austria, Hanno's hometown. Notice the various Curares and Curare-type tails around...