Artistic Aerobatics

[Dean Pappas]

Adam, I couldn't agree more!
The battle cry that, "We need to make Pattern more spectator-friendly!" has always been with us.
The problem is that it is in the nature of this event to have a limited appeal.
The change to larger two-meter ships was, at least in part, driven by the conviction that larger airplanes and better visibility would make the event more engaging, to a spectator. I seem to remember this language from a copy of the original "no engine displacement limit" proposal that Ron Chidgey showed me, as written by a British member of the Technical Sub-Committee. I don't remember the man's name, but this was in the mid or late eighties!

An event based on discipline and patience (but that does not involve an imminent wreck or bodily danger!) will never please the "crowd". We are lunatic fringe, and we should rejoice in that fact ... and I believe that it's only in our weak moments, that we feel the need for validation by the non-involved masses. Besides that, the lunatic fringe is the only place that isn't boring!

Heck, my own moderate success level, in the eighties would have made me rich, had I put that same effort into Bowling!

a perplexed Pattern apostle,
	Dean P.

-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Glatt [mailto:adam.g at sasktel.net]
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 1:22 PM
To: discussion at nsrca.org
Subject: Re: Artistic Aerobatics


I fly pattern for myself, not the fame, prestige, or monetary payoffs, 
and in its present state it encourages social gatherings of people like 
myself.  There are extremely few 'sports' that focus on equipment and 
mental skill to extent pattern flying does, and of them, pattern seems 
to be the cheapest I can participate in (alternatives being some form of 
car or motorcycle racing, which are MEGA $$$ and don't exist within 
2000km of me).

I'm left asking: What is wrong with pattern that we are trying to fix?  
If one wants to make a contest weekend interesting for spectators it 
would require a lot more than intermission entertainment - too much 
more, I think.


White, Chris wrote:

> I'd have to ditto the concerns voiced by Bob..... If you are trying to 
> get support (unless you are willing to pay for it yourself) you have 
> to draw spectators.  As in the days of the barnstormers and aerial 
> circuses....the crowd wants to be thrilled.   Although I love the pure 
> contest of maneuvering accurately without thrill appeal (subjective 
> comment:)) Any comment I've ever heard from non-contestants is:  
> "Boring".   Why don't they fly it?  Expensive & boring.  Obviously it 
> takes a special addict to "Want" to put the effort forth to fly 
> pattern.   We may always have to finance ourselves....but maybe the 
> answer is to invite demo pilots if we want to attract crowds....(Top 
> Gun & others do....)
>  
> I think model aviation would benefit from the old appeal of AAA 
> contests.... So have demo pilots of heli's, imac, scale, jets, c/l 
> team race, combat or whatever your mind can dream up and your field 
> can support.
>  
> Spoken here as a club promoter and president who is always trying to 
> build PR for Model Aviation.
> Chris White
> NSRCA 3601
>  
>  
>
>     -----Original Message-----
>     *From:* discussion-request at nsrca.org
>     [mailto:discussion-request at nsrca.org]*On Behalf Of *Bob Kane
>     *Sent:* Friday, January 23, 2004 10:05 AM
>     *To:* discussion at nsrca.org
>     *Subject:* Re: Artistic Aerobatics
>
>     My opinion, and it is just that, is precision aerobatics is a
>     sport for the competitor, not the spectator. To the uninitiated,
>     it has all the excitement of watching paint dry. If we don't do
>     something to spice it up a bit, it will go the way of Olympic
>     Figure Skating.
>      
>     I organized a pattern contest at a local municipal airport (former
>     Naval Air Station) a few years ago. They closed a runway for the
>     weekend for our use. After two years the airport board was
>     unwilling to give up the weekend because we did not "draw a
>     crowd". My competition was a Jet Rally started by Michigan
>     Jets that same year. They generated enough revenue from paid
>     parking to donate a few thousand dollars to Ronald McDonald House.
>     That event is still going strong.
>      
>     I believe we need to introduce something "watchable". Not so much
>     change what we do during a regular contest, but add a
>     special event at the end where music, smoke, and ooh-ahh manuevers
>     would entertain a crowd. A club could advertise it as an airshow
>     and maybe generate some revenue.
>
>
>     */"Henderson,Eric" <Eric.Henderson at gartner.com>/* wrote:
>
>         As some of you may know I ran an FAI-FG1 event a couple of
>         years ago at the Nat's after the finals. Quique, Troy and Chad
>         Northeast put on a really great show for us while we waited
>         for the Masters and FAI results.
>          
>         I have not heard much about this event type since then. I was
>         wondering if the FAI adopted it or not.
>          
>         Flying a pattern type plane to music is very attractive. It is
>         one of the few times where the plane does not drown-out the
>         music! More correctly said, the planes have to comply with
>         size weight and sound FAI regulations. They do not actually
>         have to be what we fly in a pattern contest. Some guys use the
>         same planes and swap-in 3-D wings and stabs. They often change
>         their props.
>          
>         It is, of course, the rest-of-the-world's version of IMAC
>         freestyle.
>          
>         I have written, /not without a shot or two across my bows/,
>         that the delineator between precision aerobatics and scale
>         aerobatics is that pattern is based on practicing the routine,
>         a lot!
>         I see IMAC pilots practicing tailslides and Harriers and
>         torque rolls, but rarely the routines they fly. In particular,
>         wannabe IMAC pilots fly the hover stuff for most of their
>         flights. Once in a while I "push my luck" and I ask them why
>         they practice most, the thing that they will do least, in a
>         contest. (Maybe once in a freestyle routine at the end of an
>         event).
>          
>         The answer always is, "Because I want to get better at it and
>         it is fun".  Are they having more fun than us? I know that
>         watching a loud plane hover over the runway is fun for a while
>         but it gets old pretty quick and even becomes annoying. A bit
>         like when we played our 45's on repeat. We coul listen to the
>         same song, that we had just purchased, but our allegedly
>         tone-deaf fathers were soon motivated to become "discus"
>         throwers!!!!
>          
>         The question is still out there however, "Are we boring?" and
>         "Do we, (pattern pilots), need be more watchable"???
>          
>         Regards, it is still winter - Eric.
>
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