[NSRCA-discussion] Fwd: Advancement System

Thu May 7 16:52:55 AKDT 2009

I have now been flying pattern for 4 years now, having flown a full year in 
each of the classes and starting Masters this year.

So... here are my thoughts..

I flew advanced at NATS and did well, 3rd but I felt there was much for me 
to learn before making the jump to Masters, I was able to manage my flights 
without having to make too much rudder correction.  I could have stayed in 
advanced and learned more.... but I pointed out.  I didn’t fly much for a 
year and don’t have much time to practice.

Masters here I come.... ha... let see, set oven to 350 and deliver pie hot 
out of the oven.  Yes, I was able to fly some 8's, some 9's and a few 0's, 
couple of 5's etc.  So, am I ready for Masters, probably.... but being able 
to fly in advanced might have given me more time to prepare.  We have a 
large number of advanced pilots and I would have pointed out in one year but 
chose to fly FAI just so I would not have to move up last year.

So, forced to move up kinda stinks, I would have moved when I felt 
comfortable because of the challenges and need to improve.  I think some 
will be comfortable competeing in the class they are currently in and find 
it challenging enough to fulfill their goals, others will move until the are 
comfortable.

Rules to move out of sportsman seem ok but from there it’s a journey, enjoy 
it at a pace which suits your personal goals for your enjoyment in our hobby 
and special interest group.

Done rambling.  See you at the next contest... (no 0's!!!!)

Chuck Hochhalter

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Matthew Frederick" <mjfrederick at cox.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2009 6:17 PM
To: "General pattern discussion" <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Fwd:  Advancement System

> Well, speaking as someone who just made the leap from Intermediate to 
> Advanced for no reason other than boredom, I find that the current 
> Advanced schedule is just about as easy as the Intermediate schedule. 
> Truth be told, I find the Advanced schedule kinda boring already... no 
> inverted exits mixed in. Granted, I don't think there should be as many as 
> Masters, but even Intermediate has one!
>
> Matt
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <verne at twmi.rr.com>
> To: "General pattern discussion" <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
> Cc: <CHV69 at aol.com>
> Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2009 1:42 PM
> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Fwd: Advancement System
>
>
>> Carl's perspective from Intermediate is interesting and one not heard 
>> from often enough. For him, and I suspect many others, the skill level 
>> required for Advanced is a little intimidating to say the least. Yet, on 
>> the other end of that scale, we have some Advanced pilots saying that 
>> Advanced isn't hard enough which makes the move to Masters too difficult. 
>> This is exactly the dilemma faced by the sequence committee every time 
>> one is formed and charged with the task of developing new schedules.
>>
>> To be successful and fair about it, the committee has to step outside of 
>> their own individual skill levels and pay close attention to what they've 
>> seen, particularly from judges chair. They have to forget about what they 
>> can do and pay attention to what others are capable of at a different 
>> level. Each level should be a training aid to prepare a pilot as much as 
>> possible, for the next level. All the while it's doing that, it shouldn't 
>> be so difficult as to discourage and drive away someone just entering the 
>> next higher class.
>>
>> It's not a directly proportional scale. A pilot leaving Advanced for 
>> Masters should be prepared for a more difficult jump than someone leaving 
>> Intermediate for Advanced. The skills required for turnaround flying 
>> should have been pretty much mastered by someone leaving Advanced for 
>> Masters, a fact overlooked and/or taken for granted by many. The task at 
>> hand for someone entering Masters should be pretty much limited too 
>> learning some new, challenging, and sometimes scary maneuvers. Staying in 
>> the box shouldn't be an issue for the most part.
>>
>> The Intermediate pilot entering Advanced has to learn some new, 
>> challenging, and sometimes scary maneuvers from his frame of reference 
>> which is different than an experienced Advanced pilot. In addition, he 
>> must continue to master the skills associated with staying in the box. 
>> From that perspective, I would argue that the move from Intermediate to 
>> Advanced is just about as difficult as the move from Advanced to Masters, 
>> maybe more so.
>>
>> I still remember moving (by force) from the old AMA Advanced to the then, 
>> newly created Expert Turnaround class. There were only eleven maneuvers 
>> and I had already been performing all the higher-K in Advanced and 
>> winning on a fairly regular basis. The only task at hand was learning the 
>> end maneuvers and keeping the whole mess in the box. That was without 
>> question, the single biggest challenge I've ever faced flying pattern. 
>> Anybody creating schedules that advances some from Intermediate to 
>> Advanced needs to remember it as well. My opinion is that the last 
>> committee (I wasn't on it) got it just about right.
>>
>> Verne Koester
>>
>>
>>
>> ---- CHV69 at aol.com wrote:
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