Does Pattern competition cost too much?

[Paul Horan]

John,
    I think one of the things that used to attract people to pattern was the NATS.  When it moved to various locations across the country it kind of tied things together and gave local activities a boost.  There was such a diversity of events that there was something for everyone.  And some people stumbled across pattern that way.
Just my opinion,
Paul
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: John Pavlick 
  To: discussion at nsrca.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 12:05 AM
  Subject: RE: Does Pattern competition cost too much?


  Yeah, all good points. There are lots of reasons. Basically we got blind sided. I think everyone thought patttern would just stay at the top all on it's own. In my neck of the woods, where there are a lot of new generation pilots (ARFs and electrics ONLY) almost nobody has even heard of pattern. Some think it's some kind of expensive racing event. Others think we're still flying loud, 150 MPH rocket ships with retracts. Not much IMAC stuff either. It's really kind of a no-mans land up here. Really, we need some exposure. I think we're making some positive effort in this direction, maybe even more so now than in the past, but there's still a long way to go. People need to know who we are and what we're about. OK, the good stuff. Not the rules interpretations and loopholes. Save that for later. To sum up pattern flying in one sentence: We're about helping each other to fly our best. That's really what it all comes down to. Why else would you practice with someone who flies in yor class, and let them borrow your airplane if they need it to possibly beat you at a contest? What's wrong with us (I guess that's what some people might say)? Keep in mind, pattern flying is not for everyone. Some people just can't drive a long way to 2-day contests. That's a problem. Some guys can only spend 1 day on a weekend flying. That's another problem. Some people have a hard time being judged and still others don't like to lose. Oh well. As long as we let as many people know who we are, what we're doing, why we're doing it and where the contests are, I think the rest will fall into place. 

  John Pavlick
  http://www.idseng.com
    
   -----Original Message-----
  From: discussion-request at nsrca.org [mailto:discussion-request at nsrca.org]On Behalf Of Keith Black
  Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 12:12 AM
  To: discussion at nsrca.org
  Subject: Re: Does Pattern competition cost too much?


    I think the reasons IMAC is so popular are:

    1. The huge amount of exposure the IMAC type of planes get in virtually every magazine.

    2. The big hoopla over TOC.

    3. Freestyle provides impressive video clips for the uninitiated to ogle over (even though that's not primarily what IMAC is about, the average guy doesn't know that).

    4. Huge availability of really cool looking planes.

    5. Ego factor. It's more in vogue and seems much cooler than pattern. Even the basic pilots seem to have the 40% planes, and it makes them feel special to show them off to their friends.

    All the other things that have been discussed, friendly people, too serious, rules, pattern being expensive, etc. are Red Herrings.

    My opinion.

    Keith Black
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