moderator....

[Jon Uhler]

This was my reply to Anthony.....

Anthony,

All very valid points.  However, I would disagree with just one aspect of your theory (and this is coming from real world experience).

This past year was the year that I was going to get into competing.  I choose IMAC and Pattern as my platforms for achieving this.  I have flown in 2 pattern contest, and several IMAC contest.  They both had their merits, and distractions.  Now, one of the reasons I choose to try out both disciplines at once was because I was working out of state, away from my family, and I had a lot of free time.  Later in the year I had decided that enough was enough, and I would get back home to the family at a lower paying job.  In preparation for less income, and less time, I needed to decide which discipline to continue with.  The decision was really easy when you looked at it from the pure flying side of the house.

I was flying a Focus that I bought second hand.  It was Andrew's old plane, and man could it fly.  Andrew and Charlie (the builder) had really done a great job with this bird, and it was almost like cheating it flew so well.  However, as an everyday flyer it was not so much fun.  It was too stable.  So, knowing that I would have future cash flow issues, and would need my competition plane as an everyday flyer, the IMAC plane won out.   So the bottom line of this long ramble....if the low level classes would allow guys to fly their everyday plane, you may attract new blood.

Also, in my case, a factor that helped in my decision was the schedules.  After flying IMAC, I just could not imagine flying the same schedules for 5 plus years.  Knowing that I only had to suffer through a schedule, that I may or may not like (ie. hard! lol), for a year was nice.  I also enjoy the aspect of the unknowns.  

Now, keep in mind I only flew in a couple contest, and that I didn't get to see as much of the pattern world as I wanted.  My whole outlook may have changed after a couple of years of flying pattern.

Just a couple of random thoughts of an ex-pattern rookie.  Hopefully this will change as the employment thing improves.

Jon
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jon Uhler 
  To: discussion at nsrca.org 
  Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 12:59 PM
  Subject: moderator....


  Is there a reason why my response to Anthony's email is not coming through to the list?

  Jon
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