[NSRCA-discussion] Header Brace

[Dean Pappas]

	Hi Ron,
	I get the message. I also admire Don Quixote.
	 
	It's just that I remember a lot of the discussion from back then. (almost 18 years ago)
	 
	For one thing, back when the 2-meter rule was proposed, there was a point of argument that larger ships would help transform Pattern into more of a spectator event. Boy I sure am glad that panned out so well!
	We never will be a spectator sport: because we don't televise well. It's because of the "tiny dot lost in the sky" problem. On the other hand, one fixed camera mount (maybe 2) can adequately cover a bowling match, turning that event into a televised money sport. Good for them.
	 
	2 meters was not a magic number. Some guy in Germany ( I really should remember his name!) had built a 2 meter ship with an OS 61, and even though it was generally agreed to be underpowered in the wind, and even though the 120 four-stroke ships of the day had not yet reached 2 meters, the rule got written that way because it didn't make sense to make existing planes illegal. As a result, the dimension was padded or rounded up a bit. If we always follow that precedent, I guess that means that our planes can only ever grow in size.
	 
	Maybe the people voting on it were all thinking of their aging eyesight.
	 
	In any case, the question is not how we could implement it. The real question is whether the event would benefit. I genuinely don't know, though I suspect that greater travel convenience and cost reduction could only benefit the event. 
	 
	Back when there was a displacement limit, we built airplanes at sizes dictated by the available horsepower. Now, there is a 2-m box and a weight limit. With either careful wood building or expensive composites the real limit is the 2-m rule. As we all know, the physics favors the bigger airplane for a variety of reasons.This forces everyone to build right up to the limit, so the only way to make smaller planes competitive is to make all of them smaller. So now I am back to the original question: will legislating plane size downward improve participation? Don't answer for yourself, as many of you have. Put yourself in the shoes of the prospective newbie. The newbie is the target.
	 
	later,
	Dean

	"I wish I was in de land ob cotton....."
	
	
	Ron Van Putte
	

			 

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