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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>In an effort to break apart the two subjects we’ve
been talking about the last few days I offer the following.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Since the dawn of man we’ve had a competitive side (At
least that’s what RVP told me he was there after all). Some are more
competitive than others and that’s fine. Since our sport has developed
over the years we’ve made major changes along with many minor ones. Given
man’s thirst for ever increasing challenge we’ve come from old
school pattern through what seemed like a decade fight over going to turn
around. We lost a fair amount of pilots during that time yet the sport survived.
We picked up some new pilots and that’s a good thing. Then the TOC came
along to decide the best of the best. It started with Pattern planes, and then
someone decided to add a 10% bonus for using a scale airplane. From that day
forward Pattern was divided and IMAC was born. Many of our former pattern
fliers joined the IMAC ranks. I don’t pretend to know why, they just did.
That diluted Pattern and no longer did we see contests with 50+ contestants. I
for one am glad we don’t get 50 plus pilots anymore as that creates a
nightmare contest. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> I returned to Pattern after a decade lay off and can
honestly say the level of competition, airframes, engines, and radios has
increased at an exponential rate. I think the current fliers are more dedicated
to the sport than ever. The flying skills across the board have come up in
every class by an order of magnitude larger than I ever thought possible. I asked
myself why this was.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> After thinking for a year or more and talking with
those that have been in the trenches since going to turn around I’ve
formed an opinion about why. Right or wrong here it is.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> FAI drives everything we do. Don’t think
so? Let me explain.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> The guys at the top of the game have nowhere to go,
FAI is it. To keep those guys interested and to separate the players from the
wannabe’s they had to make the sequence progressively harder. Those that
won all the time can easily become bored and move on to something else. For a case
in point, one only needs to look at the amount of top pattern fliers that
jumped ship to IMAC.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> Let’s look at our sport from top to bottom. We’ve
made FAI so difficult to keep the top guys happy we’ve out stripped the
ability, or perceived ability, of masses to fly that class. Some might say this
is a good thing. Harder keeps the numbers low and from top to bottom a better
overall flier.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> Masters became the top class for guys that didn’t
think they could, or just didn’t want to fly FAI, yet masters flew the
old FAI schedule for a time. So now we had to make Masters hard enough to
keep those pilots happy and interested. Seems we did the exact same thing for
Masters that we did for FAI.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> Now were on the classes that we hope will lead fliers
into the upper classes through a natural progression. Let’s look back a
few years and see what we really did. We’ve made every class with the
exception of the lowest class harder. I don’t see any real problem with
that. If we look back at what FAI flew the first year, that schedule isn’t
any harder than the current Advance schedule.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> So what does that tell us? It tells me the level of
flying has moved up by leaps and bounds. I think it’s a good thing.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> The question I have is this. Are we to continue
to develop two distinct top classes when they should or could be channeled into
one? Are we so afraid of what FAI flies that many master pilots are just happy
to remain in Masters and never try FAI? If so then this discussion is a moot
one. Is the jump from Advance to Masters not as hard? Does it not require the
same level of dedication to join the ranks of the cream of the crop? If you’re
not willing to put forth the effort to try to crawl your way to the top, then
like me, you’ll end up being just a guy out having fun. Nothing
wrong with that either. A zero in FAI is the same as a Zero in Masters.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Tim<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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