What constitutes an FAI flyer.

[Bob Richards]

In reading this, two things came to mind (which have, to some extent, been voiced by others).
 
Making FAI fly two schedules at every contest is another reason for people to stay in Masters rather than get their feet wet in FAI. For some, it might be an attraction, but I suspect for most it would be a deterent.
 
You want competent judging, but having two schedules for FAI complicates that, at least for the local contests that use contestant judging. The Masters pilots are your best source for judges, and after a while they get used to looking at/judging FAI P schedules. And when they see the F schedule -- more reason for them to stick to flying Masters.
 
JMHO.
 
When I went to the '95 Nats, I flew in FAI. I decided early in the season that I was not going to practice the finals schedule -- AT ALL. My reason was that I would be lucky to make it into the finals (was actually a goal of mine) but I figured I would have to spend all my practice just on the prelims. I did not make it into the finals :-(  In my opinion, the only flyers that would be interested in spending time practicing the F schedule would be those bound for a nationals or team selection event.

I don't think Eric is arrogant, I just think he wants to start a dialog on the subject. In my experience, if you REALLY want to know what EVERYONE thinks, you have to say something that ticks everyone off. Just asking a simple question often does not get a response. Eric got a response!! :-)
 
Bob R.

Steven Maxwell <patternrules at earthlink.net> wrote:
 Instead of trying to discourage people from flying FAI you should trying to encourage it , all local contest that I have seen have many more Masters flyers than FAI, very unbalanced.
 If your intent was to make some of us feel bad about flying FAI congratulations you have succeeded. 
 Hasn't it been voted on many times that the masters want there own schedule not the P pattern.
 You stated that most FAI pilots only fly P , then in your next sentence you say then we're not FAI if we don't fly both.
If you think this is how you GROW PATTERN  you are really missing the boat.
Your arrogance is appalling.
 Steve Maxwell

 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Grow Pattern 
To: discussion at nsrca.org
Sent: 11/11/2005 2:24:58 AM 
Subject: What constitutes an FAI flyer.


This question has been going around in my mind since they came up with P-01 and F-01 and FAI wrote it up so that we, the USA, only fly the Finals at the Nat's or team trials.
 
In the (my) old days they had schedules A,B, C etc right up to E. The A-schedule  was flown for two years with the new B-schedule as the finals schedule. Then the B was flown for two years with the C as the finals schedule and so on.
 
Nowadays MOST FAI pilots really only fly the preliminary schedules. Next year it will by P-07. If most of the FAI pilots only compete with a P-schedule then I would submit that there is not much difference between an FAI pilot and a Masters pilot. Unless they make it into a Nat's or Team trials final (or semi final maybe).
 
So maybe we are only being typically liberal and just spinning our wheels with a 406 class or perhaps I have been ignoring the obvious for years and I should accept that the P-series should be our Masters series.
 
If not then maybe we should start running F-schedules on Sundays for FAI pilots flying AMA 406 at local contests.
 
Lets face it you either are an FAI pilot or you are not. Just flying P-07 next year is like being half an FAI pilot!!!!. 
 
Looking to create a debate and hear what you think. Don't really want to upset the middle order of FAI pilots or create a fight, but definitively wanting to be a shade contentious.
 
Regards.
 
Eric.
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