[NSRCA-discussion] NSRCA Dues Increase

[Fred Huber]

Well... I'm seeing things from a different region's perspective...  Maybe 
things are headed downhill for pattern where you are...

Around here, Pattern is alive and well... and attracting "new blood."

There's a few people in the local club expressing interest in starting to 
compete.  The local "Pattern Gurus" are very supportive. (the only real way 
to encourage Pattern newbies...)  With the guidance of the more experienced 
competitors, a newbie can have a positive experience thier first 
competition.  Without the guidance, the newbie has a good chance of being 
embarrased by thier performance in front of the judges.

I haven't been very active in Pattern... mostly helping out at the local 
contest... "playing at" flying Sportsman in a few contests, mostly flying 
Pattern as a way to improve flying skill... and its VERY GOOD for improving 
flying skill!

But I have observed the trends locally...  The contests have a fairly stable 
number of contestants, with some years several flying Sportsman.. then a 
couple of years later those move up and Sportsnam is empty, then the next 
year... 5 or 6 new guys in
Sportsman.  We lose some flyers for various reasons, and we gain some.  When 
a new contest came up just outside the sanction range of the local club's 
event last year, we had a slightly lower turnout at our local contest beause 
some of the guys who had been making the trip every year lived very close to 
the new contest. (I'd make the 20 mile trip instead of the 200 mile one too)

Yes, IMAC can draw some Pattern guys and have thenm change disciplines. 
People's interests change over time.  Pattern can draw some of the IMAC guys 
too... You hit a plateu in the competition and can't seem to get past it... 
and you might move over to something else.

I'll probably never fly Pattern beyond Sportsman level... My real goal is to 
go into scale.  Its pointless (in my opinion) to spend 3 to 7 years 
perfecting a scale model and not having the skills to keep it intact, so 
Pattern is my training ground to cure some bad flying habits I developed. 
(and it works....)

If the Patern flyers in your area are viewed as elitist and snobby... look 
in the mirror.  You're one of the pattern flyers... why do people see YOU as 
elitist and snobby?  YOU can do something about that... I can't.

FHH

> I want to lend support to Wayne's assessment of what is going on with
> Pattern.  Since I started in the early 90's I have seen pattern lose 
> ground
> to IMAC and other areas of interest.  I can remember going to contests 
> with
> 50 + participants and three lines running all day Saturday and Sunday.  We
> had raffles with radios and kits and we still made money.
>
> I think we have allowed our sport to shrink into a nationwide good old 
> boys
> club mentality.  We are viewed as elitist and even snobby.  We have failed
> to interest significant numbers of new members as well as put up barriers 
> to
> entry into the competition with high cost of entry, the very same problem
> IMAC is facing.
>
> I must applaud Mike Hester's donation to three planes to promote our sport
> to District three Sportsman. His example is a clear commitment to growing
> our sport.   I fully support an increase in dues if we see a difference in
> how we advertise, promote, and represent our sport.
>
> I would like to see clubs set aside a weekend for pattern clinics and
> contests.  The NSRCA district leadership should be there to mentor new CDs
> and help new contest sites have good contests and make money for their
> clubs.
>
> I would like to see kit manufactures introduce reasonable cost kits that 
> fly
> well and are competitive in the Sportsman and Intermediate levels.  There
> are a few out there but there could be more.  I think we could grow with
> competitive setups if we can keep the equipment costs in the $1200.00
> neighborhood.
>
> We need to improve the perception of pattern fliers from the elitist and
> snobbery to those committed to mentoring new fliers and teaching them to 
> be
> successful.  Frank Kelly in Las Vegas did this for me and I feel that I
> should do it to the new sportsman as well.  It would be a powerful 
> statement
> if every Masters or FAI pilot mentored a new sportsman pilot each year to
> grow our sport.
>
> These are only my ideas and I am sure there will be the barrage of excuses
> of why we can't however, unless we get past the excuses and move on to
> commitment and actions to grow, pattern will consume itself and will 
> wither
> and die on the vine.
>
> Randy Bearden
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> NSRCA-discussion mailing list
> NSRCA-discussion at lists.nsrca.org
> http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion
>
>
>
> -- 
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.15.27/602 - Release Date: 
> 12/25/2006
>