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

Tue Feb 28 10:32:37 AKST 2006

I first met Dean in person at the Westover AFB pattern meet in '91 ??, the contest Dave Elsner used to put on. It was my second contest ever, I was flying a Phoenix 8 done up in Rick Mears Pennzoil livery in what was then the Sportsman class.  I had the pleasure of calling a few rounds for Dean with his P-51, if I remember correctly he won FAI. There have been a few moments in my RC career that dates back to 1962 at age 5 that I will never forget.  One of them is watching Dennis Donohue fly an El Tigre at what seemed to be at the speed of sound in Rockland County NY. The other was watching Dean fly that green P-51 in FAI.  
Ed M.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gray E Fowler 
  To: NSRCA Mailing List 
  Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 12:22 PM
  Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Cost-participation-or some such stuff

  Dean 

  In 1990 I was not flying, which is not important.  What is important is...did you win with that Mustang design? There are only TWO possible answers: 

  1. Yes you won due to superoir design 
  2. No, you lost due to poor "biased" judging and the Pattern community not undestanding how far ahead of the curve you were in 1990. 

  There are No other possible answers. 

  Gray Fowler
  Principal Chemical Engineer
  Composites Engineering 

        "Dean Pappas" <d.pappas at kodeos.com> 
        Sent by: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org 
        02/28/2006 10:59 AM Please respond to
              NSRCA Mailing List <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> 

       To "NSRCA Mailing List" <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>  
              cc  
              Subject Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Cost-participation-or some such stuff 

  Hi Gray, 
  You never saw my '90/'91 season Stand-off Mustang? 
  Dean 

  Dean Pappas 
  Sr. Design Engineer 
  Kodeos Communications 
  111 Corporate Blvd. 
  South Plainfield, N.J. 07080 
  (908) 222-7817 phone 
  (908) 222-2392 fax 
  d.pappas at kodeos.com 

  -----Original Message-----
  From: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org]On Behalf Of Gray E Fowler
  Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 10:48 AM
  To: NSRCA Mailing List
  Subject: [NSRCA-discussion] Cost-participation-or some such stuff

  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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