Artistic Aerobatics suggestions

[Keith Black]

Actually Lance makes a very good point comparing pattern to golf. Channel
flipping Sunday I went past a golf tourney and was stuck by HOW boring it
really is (to watch). One guy lines up to drive/put/chip (whatever).
Everyone has to get quite, be still, wait, wait, wait... put.... oh boy
watch that ball roll up and stop three feet from the hole. Now the next guys
goes up, be quite, wait, wait, wait... HEY WATCH THAT BALL ROLL WON'T YOU.
It's only two feet from the hole this time.

One thing they do to try and compensate for the boredom factor is jump from
hole to hole and replay the "good" shots by the top named players after the
fact so they can pack more "EXCITING" ball rolling/flying action in.

Same thing for figure skating and pretty much every Olympic sport other than
baseball or culturally popular team sports. Just show the "top" competitors.
This make for good TV but I challenge anyone to sit through all the
preliminary rounds of an ice skating, shooting, curling, ping pong, weight
lifting, <you name it> competition. Yea, it's a novelty for the first few
competitors, but then... Hey, I'm getting hungry, you about you? Yea, me
too, wonder how the ball game's going?

The only thing, in my opinion, that allows Golf to draw a crowd is that SO
many people play the game and are fanatical about it. Fans want to see
up-close the top players doing what they themselves are so fanatical about.
However, don't expect to see droves of fans turn out at the local golf
tournament. ;-)

BTW, Dolzine, that was pretty good commentary, you want a job at the next
Dallas pattern event?

Keith

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Dolzine" <Dave.Dolzine at dalsemi.com>
To: <discussion at nsrca.org>
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2004 8:03 AM
Subject: RE: Artistic Aerobatics suggestions


> I could see it now....
>
> "Van Nostrand, a Cinderella story out of Dallas Texas, only needs one more
> 4-point to secure his victory.... OHHH NO, an over rotation. He not going
to
> be happy with that one."
>
> -DD
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: discussion-request at nsrca.org
> [mailto:discussion-request at nsrca.org]On Behalf Of Lance Van Nostrand
> Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2004 10:52 AM
> To: discussion at nsrca.org
> Subject: Re: Artistic Aerobatics suggestions
>
>
> If it wasn't for the announcers building up each golf shot and describing
> what's at stake and recognizing beauty or exaggerating the problems of
> hitting a ball inthe rough, watching golf would be far more boring.
>    When you are at a golf event as spectator, you can stand in one place
and
> watch each player approach you and you can observe their travails.
>    I think we need in pattern to connect to spectators more.  Not to
ignore
> their presence.  We could also use some commentary on what is happening so
> the observer can develop "favorites" and root for something.
>    In scale and large jet events, there is a line up of planes and pilots
> and the public can examine them and talk to the pilots.  We could have a
> corner where we place an announcer and some observation seats where one of
> us describes what is going on, what place the current flier is in, what
> mistakes are seen, etc.  Just like golf - to make it interesting to watch.
>
> Thoughts?
> --Lance
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Peter Pennisi" <pentagon.systems at bigpond.com>
> To: <discussion at nsrca.org>
> Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 6:27 PM
> Subject: RE: Artistic Aerobatics
>
>
>
> Look at the following Golf has. I enjoy my game of golf occasionally but I
> can't think of anything more boring to watch unless I am playing. Pattern
is
> the same, unless you're involved in some capacity it is boring to watch.
Why
> is golf so popular? - not sure, maybe because it is easy to understand and
> the top players in the world have become household names, draws a lot of
> corporate interest etc.
>
> Pattern will never reach those heights. As long as you enjoy the hobby for
> yourself that is the main thing. If only we could draw an international
> celebrity into flying pattern the public may start to take a little
> interest.
>
> Pattern to the uninitiated is far too complex to understand. It is too
> precise and specialised to become a public domain interest. How will a
> spectator ever understand why Joe Bloggs only received a 4 instead of a 6
> for a 4 point roll?
>
> AAA at a pattern comp would be fun. The only reason why I would do it is
for
> me. If the general public find it interesting to watch - that would be an
> added bonus.
>
> PP
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: discussion-request at nsrca.org [mailto:discussion-request at nsrca.org]
On
> Behalf Of Rcmaster199 at aol.com
> Sent: Saturday, 24 January 2004 9:07 AM
> To: discussion at nsrca.org
> Subject: Re: Artistic Aerobatics
>
> Eric,
> Unless we are judging and have to watch the flights (or at least should
> watch the flights), we often don't look at the other pattern flying much.
At
> least that's been my experience in nearly twenty five years of competitive
> pattern flying.
>
> It seems about the only time we carefully observe or even scrutinize a
> flight when we are NOT sitting in the JC, is when the fellow just above us
> in the standings is flying or when a name flier is flying. But even then,
we
> seldom actually observe a complete flight
>
> Is Pattern boring to watch ? Yeah, probably, to the uninitiated observer
it
> probably is. If anyone of the Pattern people performed a perfect Cuban
say,
> the observer could just as soon yawn. I doubt the observer would fall
asleep
> if a plane was coming down to touch the rudder under full control, making
> all that racket, at the far edge of the runway. Lets be brutally blunt
about
> danger appealing to many.
>
> Are "they" having more fun? Sometimes I think they do, especially when we
> are having a problem with that alky burning, glow plug blowing, bearing
> chewing cantakerous bunch of metal parts. We get upset when our trim
doesn't
> hold. They just fly or hover or whatever. We get right down anal about
noise
> reduction and distance out and weight and 2x2 meters and "they" don't!!!
>
> I did the IMAC thing for a short while but came back. The plane flew well
> enough even though it was a 10 lb overweight ARF(kinda reminded me of me
> actually). It was just too damned big and heavy and a real pain to haul
> around. Not my idea of "FUN"
>
> BUT, I still love Pattern and all its self induced variables. That's my
> bottom line. It's irrational to feel this way but I just do. I guess it
> appeals to my desire for geometric precision and to the discipline it
takes
> to strive for perfection.
>
> IMHO
>
> regards
>
> Matt K
>
>
> Subj:Artistic Aerobatics
> Date:1/23/2004 10:07:44 AM Eastern Standard Time
> From:Eric.Henderson at gartner.com
> Reply-to:discussion at nsrca.org
> To:discussion at nsrca.org
> Sent from the Internet
>
>
>
> 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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