new concepts

[Rcmaster199 at aol.com]

Ditto Jim's comments. And one more thing: pattern is so hard that it requires 
alot of patient work to get right. Some never really get it right. And some 
who do, actually lose it.

The payof "once you get it", is admiration
 of your friends and peers. There's hardly any money in it, after all. We 
simply "Fly for Trophies" as one fellow put it to me early in my flying. 

So you could ask yourself why expend the effort and the funds to do this? To 
me,  it is still some of the best fun I could have, even after all these 
years. And eventhough money is an obstacle, it is a minor one in my opinion. One 
could always learn to build these suckers you know. Or, better yet, design them 
and then build them. That's a great deal of fun also

Matt Kebabjian

> Subj:RE: new concepts 
> Date:7/29/2003 4:52:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
> From:<A HREF="mailto:James.Woodward2 at edwards.af.mil">James.Woodward2 at edwards.af.mil</A>
> Reply-to:<A HREF="mailto:discussion at nsrca.org">discussion at nsrca.org</A>
> To:<A HREF="mailto:discussion at nsrca.org">discussion at nsrca.org</A>
> Sent from the Internet 
> 
> 
> 
> Hi George,
> 
> Good comments, however, I can't resist.  FAI class was won by a Focus,
> compliments of Don Szczur.  A Futaba 9cap or JR 8 channel is all you need in
> a radio.  There have never been more engine choices.  Digital servos are
> generally accepted and not "exotic" any more.  It has never been cheaper to
> get a world class equipped pattern plane.  
> 
> That said, the problem is not equipment.  The problem is that (drum roll
> please) PATTERN IS HARD.  There is no way to side-step that flying straight
> and level is a tough thing for the average club pilot.  Pattern emphasizes
> the fundamental stuff that looks easy, but is very hard.  Winners in each
> class are generally separated by how well each has mastered the
> fundamentals:  straight and level flight, entering maneuvers with wings
> level, maintaining heading, matching radii, exiting maneuvers wings level on
> heading.  
> 
> Just a for instance:  A friend from the club came by my house a couple of
> nights ago.  We where talking about the nats, and then about simulators.  I
> got him to try to fly "pattern" on the Great Planes generation 1 sim.  Here,
> in the most non-threatening environment, he had difficulty trying to perform
> a 1/2 reverse Cuban eight.  Difficulty with entering wings level, pulling to
> a 45 degree line, "waiting.........",  1/2 roll, "waiting......." , then a
> gentle radius.  As soon as someone trys (if others are watching) their
> skills are immediately exposed and will either like it or not.  We take a
> lot for granted in the jump it takes from being a "good lander" or "safe
> flyer" to being an entry level pattern flyer.  
> 
> Equipment becomes a great excuse, then time, and these may be true.  But I
> believe the real reason is that pattern is HARD!  Only certain personality
> types are going to be driven to "practice".  
> Jim W.
> 
> 
> 
> The majority of your hobbyist aren't going to be "indentured servants", 
> they'll simply fly 40 or 60 sized sport planes or call it quits.
> 
> In the early 1990's the hot pattern plane setup (including full radio 
> setup) would cost about $2500.00 and the average family income of the 
> typical high end hobbyist was about $40,000/year.   The top fliers only had 
> to invest an average of 6.25% of their annual income in order to have the 
> top plane.
> 
> Today the hot pattern plane setup (including full radio setup) will cost 
> about $4000.00 and the average family income for the typical high-end 
> hobbyist is about $55,000/year.  Today in order to have the top setup it 
> will mean that you would have to invest 8.00% of your annual income.   With 
> other hobbies and expenses we have today that didn't exist in the 1990's 
> (i.e.: cellphone bills, Internet bills, computers) the average hobbyist 
> doesn't have 8.00% of his income to invest in the model aircraft hobby.
> 
> Now you're going to see some responses to the above statements say "You 
> don't need the best airplane in order to compete, you can compete with a 
> lessor airplane".   This statement might be true however that is NOT how 
> our hobby is perceived to be.   In general people don't compete strictly 
> for fun, people compete in order to have pride in themselves and to win, 
> its human nature and in order to do that its perceived that you need to 
> have equipment which is as good as the top fliers.
> 
> Lets face it, the people within the demographics who can afford and/or 
> interested in pattern are shrinking. Here's my suggest.  However before 
> giving my suggest I already know that 90% of you will think I'm full of 
> crap but so be it.   Set a cap on the price of a plane which you can use in 
> competition.   Lets say a top value of $3500.00, or pick a number.   That 
> would allow nearly every sport fliers plane to qualify even larger planes 
> with larger engines, that takes care of the new guy not having a 
> plane.   It would also put the top guys on a more even footing with the 
> newer guy.
> 
> After all most of you people on here say it doesn't take a high dollar 
> plane and top equipment in order to win.  Let put your money where you 
> mouth is and prove it......
> 
> George

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