Participation

[John Pavlick]

Hank,
 I could fly the same plane in a SPA contest that I flew last year in
Sportsman - my Super Kaos Jr. (.40 size!) I flew against 2-meter planes but
the fact is you don't NEED one in Sportsman. Anyone who is holding back
because they think it's too expensive - PLEASE DON'T. Sportsman is entry
level. Sure there are some guys that are really good pilots and have
expensive stuff, but more often than not the Sportsman ready-line looks like
a typical Sunday at the field. In fact, there are a lot of ARFs that are
fine for Sportsman. Yes, you can even fly an Ugly Stick. You don't need to
spend a lot of money! Bring whatever you're flying now to a contest and
enter. You'll be surprised. When you're ready to move up, look for some used
equipment. This is a good way to save some money and ease the learning
curve.
 I actually did OK with the little plane last season - 2nd in D1 Sportsman,
flying in Intermediate this season. OK, NOW I have a Focus but it would
probably be overkill if I were flying in Sportsman next year.

John Pavlick
http://www.idseng.com


BTW - You might want to check out Bob Pastorello's site:
http://www.rcaerobats.net  if you haven't already. I don't think he's caught
up in the "mess" you described.




 -----Original Message-----
From: discussion-request at nsrca.org [mailto:discussion-request at nsrca.org]On
Behalf Of HankPajari at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 11:17 PM
To: discussion at nsrca.org
Subject: Re: Participation


  I am a lurker here.  Belong to the NSRCA but haven't started competing
yet.  I am one of those types that learn by reading and listening.  Doesn't
mean I get any better but I have one heck of a good time anyway.

  I absolutely agree with Ed.  The maneuvers ought to be such that a pilot
can be competitive in the first several classes using an affordable aircraft
and radio.  I don't think it is reasonable to expect someone to pop for a
$2,000 plane and engine just to find out if he wants to play.

  Back in the caveman days I was able to compete in A pattern with a
straight wing Ugly Stick!  I didn't win of course but I didn't come in dead
last either.  We had a whale of a time!  My buddy flew in C pattern and
usually placed fairly high.  We all worked together and had a good time.  Is
there a thread showing here (fun)?

  Really, to the great majority of guys I have met in the past 30 odd years
of playing with toy airplanes, the idea was to relax, learn, and have a good
time.  Now we seem to be mired in the yuppie mess of one upmanship, showing
off, and conspicuous spending.  I find that sad.

  I miss those "good old days."

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.516 / Virus Database: 313 - Release Date: 9/1/03
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.f3a.us/pipermail/nsrca-discussion/attachments/20041230/1744d32b/attachment.html