[NSRCA-discussion] Pattern and Social Media

Fri Jan 4 13:02:42 AKST 2019

I think in order to bring new people you have to gear it more toward new people. Here are a few ideas I have;

Friday’s should be spent practicing for the contest but also helping the new people out with understanding pattern as well as setting  an airplane up to fly pattern. I know many including myself love to help people get into pattern and by spending time and having a little round table with folks you introduce them into what we do. Also you bring them into the pattern crowd and ease the nerves. 
I’m beyond thankful that folks like Mark Atwood, Verne Koester, and others helped me to understand pattern from the way to fly it but also how to setup the plane. This helped keep me interested in flying and feel like I was part of the group even when flying in sportsman with my 40 sized plane.

During the contest I think it’s critical to help lower classes fly more. For us it’s normal to show up to a contest and fly 6 flights and pay 40 dollars. But for someone who’s coming from the outside they need a bit more of incentive. I don’t see why we couldn’t have sportsman fly 8 rounds in a contest as there flights are much shorter. I think we have become to standard for 6 rounds and yet when there are only 10-14 guys who show up we fly 6 rounds and over by 3. 
Why not use this time to help coach more, even if there not scored rounds at the end of the day it’s about keeping folks interested and excited to come back. I know for me it’s the progress that really ignited me to stick with it and still does to the day. 

Andrew 
Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 4, 2019, at 3:46 PM, Phil Spelt via NSRCA-discussion <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> wrote:
> 
> + a whole bunch, Curt!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Phil Spelt, AMA 1294, Scientific Leader Member
> SPA L-18, Board Member, KCRC Emeritus
> Oliver Springs, TN (865) 435-1476v (865) 604-0541c
> 
>> On January 4, 2019 at 4:37 PM Stuart Chale via NSRCA-discussion <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> wrote: 
>> 
>> But at that time all you had was pattern and scale.  Even Helis were in their infancy.  Now look a all the disciplines available to dilute the number of RC fliers.  But that is only one of many factors that have caused the hobby to shrink.  It is not just pattern but R/C in general and one of the reasons that my other comment (What's a hobby store) has happened.
>> 
>>> On 1/4/2019 4:16 PM, Curt Oberg via NSRCA-discussion wrote: 
>>> John,
>>> 
>>> With everyone looking at a cure for the decline in pattern flying, I believe that you are closer to the cause than other factors being considered, including the price and size of our planes.  Before I started flying pattern in 1974, I knew who Don Lowe, Phil Kraft, Ron Chidgey, Tony Bonetti, Norm Page, and other great pattern flyers where from READING about them in all the model magazines.  In that time frame, all the model magazines, just about every month had pattern contest results in them that made great reading and made the entire modeling community aware of pattern flying.  At the present time, I'll wager that the vast majority of the modeling community never heard of or could tell you the name of the top pattern flyers today.  I believe that the basic reason for the decline in pattern flying is the TOTAL lack of exposure in the model magazines and other media outlets for pattern flying activities.  Even the AMA Model Aviation magazine has minimal coverage of even the NAT's pattern competition, even when it's held in their own back yard in Munci.  Probably the fastest growing part of all the modeling venues is the quad copter group and I believe that is likely because they are in the news all the time, mostly for negative  or bad news and occasionally for news about some beneficial use.  Even the Model Aviation magazine, just about every month is full of articles about the multi-rotor crowd and equipment.  Until the lack of coverage or information about pattern flying competitions, equipment, and people involved in it is corrected, I believe that ALL of the present efforts to curtail the decline, including the rotation of the NAT's location and mandating cheaper equipment for the beginning classes,  will be for naught.
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> Curt Oberg
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> From: NSRCA-discussion [mailto: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org ] On Behalf Of David Harmon via NSRCA-discussion
>>> Sent: Friday, January 04, 2019 2:07 PM
>>> To: ' General pattern discussion '
>>> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Pattern and Social Media
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> John….IMO….your last 3 lines are well said….+ a bunch.
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> David Harmon
>>> 
>>> NSRCA 586
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> From: NSRCA-discussion [mailto: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org ] On Behalf Of John Pavlick via NSRCA-discussion
>>> Sent: Friday, January 4, 2019 1:04 PM
>>> To: ' General pattern discussion ' <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
>>> Subject: [NSRCA-discussion] Pattern and Social Media
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> Increasing exposure to the entire aeromodelling community is, in my opinion, the BEST way to promote Pattern. Concentrate more on that than anything else. I flew Sportsman with a super Kaos 40 and I won more than a few contests with it (eventually). The airplane wasn’t what held me back from winning the District Championship in my first year - it was ME.
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> I didn’t even know that the NSRCA existed until one of my club members told me that he heard about a “Pattern Contest” in  a nearby state from someone that he met at a fun-fly. You guys are like a secret society – especially in Connecticut . Most people here still think that a Pattern plane has a 60-size engine with a pipe and retracts. When I showed up at my first contest with my Super Kaos 40 and I saw all of the 2-meter pregnant guppies on the flight line I wasn’t sure I was in the right place but I soldiered on and flew in the contest. I came in second out of 2 entries in Sportsman. The pilot who won was flying a 60-size Ugly stick.  A few years later I was the D1 402 District Champion (flying a second-hand Focus 1).
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> Please, focus on enlightening the rest of the World and let them know that Pattern EXISTS. This should increase participation more than anything else. Also be aware that not everyone will want to fly Pattern. Pattern flying is difficult. Those of us who understand this enjoy the challenge. People who want instant gratification will not. Don’t try to fix that - it’s not possible.
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> As far as I’m concerned, you don’t need to change ANYTHING to attract more (potential) Pattern pilots. Just make them aware of the NSRCA and let them know where the contests are.
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> John Pavlick
>>> 
>>> Cell: 203-417-4971
>>> 
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>>> 
>>> From: NSRCA-discussion <nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org> On Behalf Of Scott McHarg via NSRCA-discussion
>>> Sent: Friday, January 4, 2019 12:33 PM
>>> To: Dr. Mike Harrison <drmikedds at sbcglobal.net>
>>> Cc: ronlock at comcast.net; General pattern discussion <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
>>> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Price for a pattern plane...
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> Mike,
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> I've proposed and have had pass multiple rules.  I get it.  Concerning social media and what not, I wasn't suggesting that an individual do that, I'm suggesting that we as an organization (which certainly has more pull than any individual) do so.  Limiting planes is done at the 2M level and nothing more.  You're suggesting to further limit airplanes in classes that most people would want to try.  That is why I do not believe your proposal is better.
>>> 
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>>> 
>>> Scott
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>>> 
>>> Scott A. McHarg
>>> 
>>>  
>>> 
>>> Takeoff is optional.  Landing is mandatory!
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