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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>so how do you get an "impressionist" affected judge
to be more objective? Seems that kind of person is just the sort not
interested in those pesky little things called "rules". </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>--Lance</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=bob@toprudder.com href="mailto:bob@toprudder.com">Bob Richards</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org
href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org">NSRCA Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, February 26, 2006 8:03
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Pattern
Longitevity</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>You say "the enemy is us". I agree. I feel compelled to share a couple of
my own experiences.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>When I got started (seriously) in pattern, I did so with a Cap 21. I had
several of the local pattern flyers (well meaning) tell me that I would never
get the scores I deserved flying a non-pattern plane. If I had ever felt that
was true, I would have dropped out of pattern. I flew that plane for two
years, in Advanced and Masters. I did well, I won just over half the
contests in which I flew, and managed to win the district points championship
in '92.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I decided to fly a pattern plane in '93, and ended up with a Hansen
Runaround. </DIV>
<DIV>For me, it was a big step up. However, it did not have a pipe tunnel, and
I decided to use a standard OS 1.20 with stock stubby muffler for most of the
season. I went to the '93 Nats with this plane. I had problems in the
early rounds, but for the fifth round I flew t! he absolute best flight I have
ever flown. I was feeling great! About 30 minutes after I flew, a rain started
that cut short the flying that day. I had a large tent just behind the flight
line, so most of the judges and scribes ended up under my tent. One of the
scribes, a well known FAI flyer (that probably subscribes to this list) looked
at my plane and told me that I would never get the scores I deserve, "flying
an outdated design". I told him that I was very pleased with the flight I just
had, and he said "you did not get good scores on that flight". I did not
show it, but it just ticked me off. I know it sounds like sour grapes, but I
decided that if I did not get good scores that round, I would quit pattern. I
ended up winning that round by 65 normalized points. Looking at the tare
sheets, I got great scores from all the judges that round. Now, I
don't like to use the phrase "pattern snob", but to this day that is the
opinion I have of that FAI flyer.</DIV!>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Now I know that a very small percentage of the pattern flyers are snobs,
but they typically are the ones that are more vocal and more in the limelight
than others, unfortunately.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>(climbing down off my soapbox).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Bob R.</DIV>
<DIV><BR><BR><B><I>Rcmaster199@aol.com</I></B> wrote:</DIV>
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<DIV>
<DIV>A few years ago, we had a winner in F3A with a wood and foam model
covered in plastic film. It wasn't a terribly expensive set-up and nowhere
near 5K. If that didn't dispell some notions about how expensive the sport
of pattern can be, not much will.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>On the opposite extreme we have the last two years where we have
seen a sort of rebirth of the extr! emely expensive custom built ARFie.
These past couple years have done nothing to dispell the notions of
expensive pattern. Why do these even exist?? The way I see it, we have seen
the enemy and it is us.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I would like to think that it isn't the judges' perception about
what a model cost that is driving this lunacy. I think it is the pilots'
perception of what they believe will score. Truth is the best judges don't
care much what the model looks like on the ground as long as the pilots'
presentation on the ground is competent. If the pilots' air presentation is
poor, it doesn't matter what the model looks like on the ground and how
professional the ground presentation was.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>MattK</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 2/26/2006 1:27:14 AM Eastern Standard Time,
seefo@san.rr.com writes:</DIV></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
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