I'm new to this, just three pattern contests under my belt, but my favorite thing is the atmosphere. I've flown in lots of contests in different forms of model aviation, but the friendly, helpful atmosphere of a pattern contest can't be beat.
I've never flown in a contest where most of the contestants go out to dinner together after Friday practice or Satrday's flying.

Maybe it's because pattern flying is hard and we're all struggling with the same problems. It builds a sense of brotherhood.

Scott

All kidding aside, Jason the biggest improvement is something, that unfortunately, you cannot do anything about. When I started seeing my wife about six years ago she was ambivalent towards R/C. When we got serious, she started getting jealous. (same thing happens to guys that fish and golf, I guess). Only now that I have a workshop at home where she can keep me close, has she come to accept it. Every time I see the rare guy whose wife or girlfriend is at the contest helping, calling, I just gotta say "that lucky SOB".

we go because of the people we get to hang out with( My wife and I). A great bunch of people. We stopped taking our normal two-week vacation because we enjoy hanging out with pattern folks, we can't say enough about the caliber of people in district 4. I can fly many many pattern flights in practice and it's all quite casual but when I stepped into the box at the contest with my wife behind me calling the maneuvers I seem to go into a concentration zone that is both excitement and nerves and it is a tremendous rush. That's the best way I can describe it but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I just wish I could explain this to casual flyers better so they could understand. Jim

I forgot to answer the original question. It's definitely not the prizes or the trophies it simply to spend time with great people and to continue my quest to once and for all discover why I cannot fly what I can see in my head. If I can only compete with a stick plane. The year I soloed with my trainer my wife and I went to the Nats just to watch. We saw combat, control line aerobatics, control line speed, pylon racing and precision RC aerobatics. We pulled our lounge chairs on-site 4 to watch and a guy named Tom Wedon came up to us and said he didn't think this was a spectator sport. After watching for about a half-hour I knew this was for me. I knew there was something besides boring holes in the sky with a trainer plane. I would like to thank Tom for being a great ambassador to the sport and introducing me to my addiction. Jim

What I'd like to see is a pipe dream... [&o]

I'd like to see improvements in our judging - good, consistent judging is needed without bias... since we've moved to a contest environment where we only (mostly) use contestant judging I've seen too many of the "payback" scores in play. Bias is still prevalent in our sport - I'd like to see our judges distance themselves from that bias and give fair scores.

I think judging has come a very loooong way from the early TLAR method to the present. Nevertheless, I think you have a point Derek (actually 2 of them). I also think that there is a better answer somewhere in this sport regarding how scores are assessed. Don't know where it is or how we'll find it but improvements are lurking. We need to continue to look for them

Matt