<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">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.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">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.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">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.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">When I started Ed Hurt was flying Masters
at age 75......He told me alot but NEVER told me that turnaround sucked........</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">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......</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">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......</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
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.<br>
<br>
Gray Fowler<br>
Principal Chemical Engineer<br>
Composites Engineering</font>