[SPAM] Re: Does Pattern competition cost too much?

[Ed Alt]

Eric:
Re IMAC activity, in the NE, where they have an additional 3 states as compared to D1 (they include DE, MD) plus a good chunk of Canada, there were a total of 6 which have already passed by for 2005.  Can't tell much about attendance, since only one of those CDs filed a contest report that is on the IMAC website.  It had 14 pilots fly.  Most likely, the attendance at the other contests averaged in the low to mid-twenties at best, judging from past experience and past contest reports, but it's a guess.  As for the rest of the season, they have 6 more scheduled.  Of these, I would expect around 30 or so at the 3 of historically big contests left, maybe averaging in the mid-twenties for the remainder of the season for all combined.  So it's probbaly in the mid-twenties range for the season with 12 contests.

Now if you clip out the Canadian contests, it's only 8 contests.  Clip out DE and MD to construct a D1 overlay for IMAC and you have only 4 contests and they are in Pennsylvania, Maine and New Hampshire.  Of these, you would expect a total of roughly 90 or so participants, primarily at the two PA contests (they will draw about 60 of the 90 estimated).

Now NSRCA D1 has 9 contests on the calendar for 2005, 3 in the bag already, 6 to go.  I didn't see contest reports for the others, but mine had 33 pilots that flew.  One other was only a Sportsman/Intermediate primer with I think 9 or 10 pilots.  It might have been 14 pilots at Hamburg, but that was the week right before the Nats.  I know that's the reason that several of us couldn't go, including myself.  Two other upcoming contests will have less than all classes (401-403 only).  Personally, I think that hurts those contests because they won't have the benefit of Masters pilots as judges for Advanced flyers.  Regardless, it looks to me that Pattern is very much alive and well here in D1.  Imagine what the turnout for the 50th annual AGS contest will be!  We've got 4 IMAC converts tp Pattern (partial or full) since last season.  Imagine what would happen if we learned the ABC's of marketing ourselves even half as well as IMAC does it.  That is what they do best you know!

Ed




----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Grow Pattern 
  To: discussion at nsrca.org 
  Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005 5:47 PM
  Subject: Re: Does Pattern competition cost too much?


  Does anyone know how many IMAC contests there are relative to the same geo-area where pattern contests are run?

  Eric.
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: J.Oddino 
    To: discussion at nsrca.org 
    Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005 5:40 PM
    Subject: Does Pattern competition cost too much?


    From time to time I hear folks suggesting the reason the number of contestants is down is due to the high cost of pattern planes and support equipment.  Well I don't believe that is the reason.  This weekend I went to a relatively local IMAC contest in Camarillo California and there were somthing like 61 preregistered and 56 actually flying.  I'd guess 80% of the planes were 40% scale, meaning they had $1500 engines and $3000 airframes and $1500 worth of servos.  Then you've got the motor homes and trucks and trailers to transport them.  I still say the highest cost of flying is the driving to and from the field and that is probably why the park flyers are so popular.  
    So what is the reason for the drop in attendance and the drop in the number of pattern contests?  Or is that only in Southern California?

    Jim O
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