[NSRCA-discussion] Was Mini Brio, Now Pattern Longitevity
Mike Hester
kerlock at comcast.net
Sun Feb 26 06:46:33 AKST 2006
Well, we're working on it =)
Don't get me wrong, I'm as bad as anybody, the thought of owning an Oxai with a hacker set up really appeals to me. But I'm also practical enough to realize that it's not necessary, and really not within my price range. Therefore, I do something different.
And I think a few of us have come up with some really viable alternatives. It takes a lot of work on our part, a lot more than the casual flyer may realize. To take a blank sheet of paper and turn that into a good flying, attractive but most of all COMPETETIVE F3A plane is a real labor of love. And we constatnly tweak and refine, and the results speak for themselves I think., after some stumbling, learning and perserverance.
>From where I sit, I see a bright future for pattern, with more options than ever. Wood, composite, glow, gas, electric, ARF, or built from scratch in the basement, and ALL of them able to win the top prize in the hands of a well practiced pilot.
Well, here it is, almost the beginning of March. What are we doing to bring new guys into our ranks? I'm trying a totally new approach (at least in my time). The winner of the D3 sportsman championship gets a built Black Magic with quite a few extras. I can do it for a relatively small amount of money, but a good bit of work. but if it attracts even a couple of dedicated new pilots, it's worth it to me. I can't find any reason not to do it, so I cleared it with the pattern powers and now there it is...a HUGE prize to fly for in sportsman.
This could be "the" year, for all of us. Make something happen. Make it to all the contests you can. Go to the Nats if at all possible. Send a clear message that we're not dying. Take the initiative and train at least one new guy and take him to a contest. And most of all, make sure he has fun. Don't just get him there and then leave him to fend for himself. if you're going to be really busy, make sure you introduce him to the "cool" people that will take him (or her) under thier wing and see that he doesn't find it to be a bad experience.
It starts now. Spread the word, adjust the perceptions, and let's make 2006 THE year. This is a great game we play, fun, challenging, rewarding, competetive, and we need to foster the good parts and bury the bad as deep as we can.
Ok that was the soapboxiest soapbox I've ever stood on, but I'm done =P
-Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: Doug Cronkhite
To: 'NSRCA Mailing List'
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 1:25 AM
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Was Mini Brio, Now Pattern Longitevity
Truthfully.. competition will never be for the masses..
One thing that would certainly help pattern is for people to believe they can be competitive without having to spend $5000 on an airplane. They most certainly can do it.. but the PERCEPTION needs to be there for it to take hold.
-Doug
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From: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org] On Behalf Of vicenterc at comcast.net
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 8:28 PM
To: NSRCA Mailing List; NSRCA Mailing List
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Was Mini Brio, Now Pattern Longitevity
It is rewarding to read positive messages. This is one of them. Today, I got the K-Factor and Rusty Dose message was also positive.
Regards,
Vicente Bortone
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Mike Hester" <kerlock at comcast.net>
> Real quickly, I don't think pattern is dying, I think it is evolving,
> changing, shifting areas of activeness. While it's numbers are dwindling in
> some places, the numbers are on the increase in others.
>
> one thing I think would be a mistake would be to change the airframe rules
> in pattern. they are stabilized, and I don't think changing them would have
> any positive long lasting effect. if anything, it could worsen the
> situation. Stability fosters enginuety, and some people are rising to the
> challenge of both leading edge technology, and old school methods. When you
> learn how to seamlessly blend both, you create more options.
>
> Think about how wide open our airframe and power rules real! ly are: power is
> virtually unlimited, airframe is an empty 2 meter box with a maximum weight
> of 5 k or 11 lbs, and the noise requirement...but if they can get a 40%
> within the noise requirements, then that's no longer an issue.
>
> What we have to do, all of us, is foster a fun but competetive atmosphere.
> We need to reach out to people on a grass roots level and get them
> motivated. We need to slay the perception that you must have a $3000
> airframe and $2-3000 worth of electric power or you're wasting your time. I
> hate that crap. And we need to ALL make sure that we don't even
> subconsciously give the edge to a guy with the latest greatest electric set
> up, because by doing so think what message we'll be sending to the guy that
> really can't afford that kind of investment right now, today. in the future
> who knows.
>
> if you haven't heard, ZDZ is coming! out with a new 40cc f3A engine this
> summer. this thing will turn as large of a prop as the electrics. The weight
> increase over glow isn't even half as bad as electric. This alone could do
> great things for us in crossing certain invisible barriers.
>
> Then again, maybe not =)
>
> Sorry to ramble, must be the paint fumes.....
>
> -Mike
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ryan Smith"
> To:
> Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 12:51 PM
> Subject: [NSRCA-discussion] Was Mini Brio, Now Pattern Longitevity
>
>
> I honestly don't think that you have to spend out the butt to have a
> competitive setup. The keeping up with the Joneses syndrome is the prevalent
> factor that makes everyone think that pattern is so ungodly expensive. There
> are plenty of options out there for people to create a cost-effective,
> competitive two meter! rig. But alas, people out there think they HAVE to
> have the biggest best and fastest everything, when in reality, there is no
> way in hell most newer fliers out there can discern between a slightly
> inferior and cheaper product and a top of the line product (a big example
> here would be digital servos as opposed to analog servos). There are
> certainly MANY viable options out there for a cheap two meter setup that
> will be competitive in the long run. The best example I can see of this is
> Mark Hunt, down in the Houston area. His airplane, the Insight, is all wood
> and foam, and can be built with maybe $150 worth of wood (I'm throwing a
> generous estimate out there), not to mention the plans are like $25. He is
> actually running an OS 1.60 on a standard muffler and is still making the
> noise restrictions. Mark exemplifies what people just starting out in
> pattern need to look in! to, not only because it's cheap, but the airplanes
> are simple to maintain and I would venture to say bulletproof. I bought a
> set from him a while back and haven't had the chance to build one, but I
> really would like to. I would like to do what he's doing and and outfit it
> with analog servos and make it otherwise plain jane and see just how it
> stacks up to the rest of the field out there. There are also several other
> wood airplanes out there that are a little more extravagant, such as the
> Black Magic v2 by Mike Hester and the Quest and Shindin by Bryan Herbert
> that are being drawn in CAD and being kitted. Look at the airplanes that the
> Japanese team members fly- they're all wood. And look at where they place.
> Most if not all are always in the top ten, and young Tetsuo Onda even placed
> second this year. That's a heck of a feat for anyone, mu
> ch less an eighteen year old who is flying against people who have been
> modeling twice as ! long as he's been living.
>
> Another point, the theory of everyone flying the same thing has
> never worked, not in fullscale and not in models. The One Design class never
> caught on in full scale, however there are many examples of that airplane
> flying. In IMAC, there are worries about everyone using consistent
> batteries, motors, servos, and such, and if you have to be dictated that
> much on what you can and cannot fly, it takes the fun out. Also, in IMAC, it
> is commonplace to see high end airplanes in Basic and Sportsman just because
> people want to get that advantage that they really get through burning fuel.
> I know everyone hates to hear that, but it is the truth. Once you start to
> see improvements in your own flying after having flown a lot, then you see
> what everyone preaches about when they say fly a bunch. I really don't think
> that pattern dying is really dir! ectly related to cost, but if you want to
> make it such let's break down Jay's idea. How cost effective is it to make
> someone buy something that they can't use in upper classes and would have to
> buy a new setup every year. Shouldn't we be showing people that they can go
> and get a nice setup that they can actually use and enjoy? Not to mention
> the fact that you can reuse the equipment should you decide (or your thumbs
> decide) to get a new airframe. I think the cost factor is implemented by
> people who don't really have the desire to succeed and have to use that as a
> scapegoat to cover what they see as their failures.
>
> I honestly think pattern needs an overhaul. It's not the cost
> that really drives people away, it's the ideology surrounding it that does.
> People see pattern as being boring and too easy, and generally not exciting.
> However, with the advent 3D flight, and people becoming attracted to model
> airplanes because of ! it, they really want to hone their skills. I have seen
> a lot of subtle hints dropped by some past pattern flyers who write for
> magazines telling people to look into pattern if they really want to become
> better at 3D. I also think that we need more promotion. Model Aviation has
> cut down the pattern column in the magazine to every other month, yet there
> are other facets in there that get full coverage that really don't need it.
> If we want pattern to survive, we really need to get publicized where it
> counts- where we're going to be attracting people. Advertising in the K
> Factor does nothing for the growth of pattern because we're all already
> interested enough in it to subscribe. But there are people out there who
> don't know and maybe would like to. I can't tell you how many times on RCU
> I've seen someone post in the Pattern Forum "What is Pattern Flying?". Most
> are usual! ly creative in what they think it is, but nevertheless, the same
& gt; group sets them straight. I think we should get on the AMA to get us more
> coverage and other magazines as well, such as Model Airplane News, 3D Flyer,
> etc. I believe THAT is what will help us, not making people buy some little
> electric that they won't be competitive with.
>
> Thanks for taking the time to read this guys, please feel free
> to respond.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
> Ryan Smith
>
>
>
>
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