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<DIV>To me -</DIV>
<DIV>- Sportsman is as much about the contest environment as the actual flying - how to prepare the plane, get mentally prepared, flying in a controlled environment with judges, etc. The requirements for flying skills are pretty limited and mostly about positioning in the box.</DIV>
<DIV>- Intermediate requires more inverted elements, rolling, and loop/roll combos (and there are plenty of places to practice rudder, but good rudder technique isn't required to get through the schedule presentably).</DIV>
<DIV>- Advanced introduces more complex figures, and demands a great deal more of rudder use (to make the pattern look nice).</DIV>
<DIV>- Masters is the whole enchilada.</DIV>
<DIV>- F3A is another step generally accepted to be a grade above Masters.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There should always be new manuevers in each class (moving upwards). Just because Advanced has a snap does not mean Intermediate should - the classes are about teaching different elements and skills (in a progressive manner).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>So far as improving skills flying inverted, and getting more comfortable with a new class, etc......</DIV>
<DIV>- periodically fly the class above (or below)</DIV>
<DIV>- fly your class, or the one below entering the box inverted - keeps familiarity of a schedule, but introduces a lot of inverted stuff (unless you are flying F3A in which case you may spend less time inverted....<G>).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Regards,</DIV>
<DIV><BR>Dave Lockhart</DIV>
<DIV><A href="mailto:DaveL322@comcast.net">DaveL322@comcast.net</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">-------------- Original message -------------- <BR>From: jonlowe@aol.com <BR><BR>> I've been looking at the 2007 advanced schedule, since it looks as <BR>> though I will move up from Intermediate next year. One thing that <BR>> struck me is that the new Advanced schedule has NO inverted exits in <BR>> it, down from 4 or 5 in the existing schedule. As it stands, if the <BR>> new schedule passes the contest board vote in June, the new <BR>> Intermediate schedule will have one inverted exit, Advanced none, and <BR>> Masters eight, if I counted right. I'm not sure the degree of <BR>> difficulty change between the schedules is what was contemplated. <BR>> <BR>> It may be that with the different options presented for the NSRCA <BR>> survey, that we ended up with a harder intermediate pattern, an easier <BR>> advanced, and a harder Masters, I'm not sure. But now the
change from <BR>> Advanced to Masters will be huge, while the difference between <BR>> Intermediate and Advanced is not so big anymore. <BR>> <BR>> It appears that the only thing that could be done now would be to <BR>> encourage the contest board to vote down the new Advanced schedule <BR>> since it is too late to update the proposal, if others feel the same <BR>> way I do. If it is voted down, then the old Advanced schedule would <BR>> remain in place, as I understand it. Each new schedule is a separate <BR>> proposal, so they are voted upon separately. The current Advanced <BR>> schedule would appear to be a good transition from the new intermediate <BR>> schedule, and would be hard enough that the new Masters schedule <BR>> wouldn't be so intimidating. <BR>> <BR>> Comments? <BR>> <BR>> Jon Lowe <BR>> _______________________________________________ <BR>> NSRCA-discussion mailing list <BR>> NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org
<BR>> http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion </BLOCKQUOTE></body></html>