[NSRCA-discussion] Cost-participation-or some such stuff

[Gray E Fowler]

I have never flown non turnaround pattern. When I first got in to pattern 
I saw all the comments flyin' around about how turnaround kills 
attendance. To this day I cannot figure out why the older guys (which if 
you flew non turn around you were either very young then or old now) wank 
so much about this change. Perhaps the decline of pattern from its heyday 
has more to do with with other RC interest than stinkin' turnaround 
changes. When I was young, we had 3 TV channnels, and when MASH came on 
EVERYONE watched, unless Nixon was giving us a speech, which was on all 3 
channels, in that case we were all screwed.....Would MASH be so popular 
today competing with 150 other channels, INCLUDING "The Food 
Channel????!!!!!"  I think not!  Learn how to make a quiche......or MASH. 
As you can see this is quite a quandary.

I will say that when I first investigated pattern and found out everyone 
had $550 engines instead of my $99 two stroke-I was flabergasted. I still 
might be.

To me turnaround is the coolest and not the problem.....when does this 
argument end? I would guess in another 10 years, because at that time all 
that flew NON turnaround will be dead or quit due to age.

When I started Ed Hurt was flying Masters at age 75......He told me alot 
but NEVER told me that turnaround sucked........

Billion Dollar Batteries, Electric gear motors, $650 engines and pristine 
"works of art" scare the average sport flyer (by showing/thinking they 
cannot do that) much more than turnaround......

Scenario #56.....Sport flyer thinking about pattern......Lets see, No 
problem with powerplants costing 5-15X of my OS.45, just won't feed the 
kids for a week, 300 hours to build and paint a flying master piece, and 
of course $2500 for that kit -semi arf deal, then I gotta learn turnaround 
too!!!! No WAY.....Dealing with the French for the plane was bad enough, 
now I gotta learn turnaound too????...I am out for sure......

Now I am off in search of the perfect P-51 lookin'pattern 
plane.............I think that that bottom air scoop makes for better 
Knife Edges, increases rudder authority, slows the plane down better, 
increasing smoothness and gracefulness (thus increasing scores), makes 
snap entrances better, AND better throttle response (far superior to ANY 
electric). I conducted these tests myself, collected data so I know I am 
right. I cannot believe that the rest of you have not seen the wisdom of a 
P-51 pattern plane. No wonder you find turnaround so difficult.

Gray Fowler
Principal Chemical Engineer
Composites Engineering
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