[NSRCA-dist7] To all D7 pattern pilots

[LuvtheRocs at aol.com]

Are we going to discuss  this at the NSRCA meeting next weekend?
 
 
In a message dated 1/2/2012 1:48:07 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
joncarter60 at comcast.net writes:

 
Happy New Year to  all!!! 
Here is an e-mail I have been  working on for the last month. I am finally 
sending it out to start the  discussion process. If there are pilots who I 
have missed, please feel free to  forward this e-mail to them. 
FAI and Masters in District 7:  Issues and Opportunities 
I want to start some discussion  among FAI pilots, Masters pilots and CDs 
about the FAI and Masters class in  District 7. Please keep in mind that this 
discussion needs to focus on our  experience here in District 7. This is a 
revision to a section of my K-Factor  article that will appear in January. 
Given publication deadlines, I did not  have the opportunity to get very much 
feedback before I had to submit the  article! I have since received some 
feedback which I have added and this  e-mail is my attempt to get more. 
In 2010 I heard from some of our  local FAI pilots that they would like to 
fly the finals or “F” sequence at  local meets. They felt that getting the 
opportunity to fly judged “F”  sequences at our local contests would help 
them improve their flying and  enable them to be more competitive at the 
Nats. I also heard that “FAI has two  sequences so we really should fly them 
both in order to “really” fly FAI” I  polled and spoke to most of the FAI 
pilots in our district and came up with a  proposal. In 2010 we flew two rounds 
of judged “F” at local contests but if a  pilot did not want to fly “F” he 
could fly “P” for those two rounds with no  penalty. (We worked out a 
K-factor modification in an attempt to score “P” and  “F” together)  In 2011 
we went one step further and had everyone fly two  rounds of “F” at local 
contests. If a pilot did not want to fly “F” he took a  zero for those two 
rounds. I definitely heard some feedback about that! I  think the attendance 
numbers speak for themselves. In 2009 (“P” only) we had  the highest number 
of pilots fly FAI since I have been the district  scorekeeper. At some local 
contests we had more FAI pilots than Masters. This  number dropped in 2010 (
“P” and “F” sort of “fudged” together) and it fell  even further in 2011 
(“P” & “F”). Concurrently, we have a LOT of Masters  pilots! This creates 
real problems for the CDs in balancing the lines, and for  the judges, 
usually FAI and Advanced pilots, who spend way too much time in  the chair. I 
have heard from many pilots this year that they do not have the  time or the 
inclination to fly the “F” sequence but they really enjoy the  extra 
challenge of the “P” sequence. This leads me to a discussion of some  proposed 
solution for 2012. Please keep in mind that we are just discussing  proposals 
at this point.  
Option  1 
Don’t do anything. We continue to  fly FAI with 4 rounds of P and two 
rounds of F. At local contests last year we  flew this way and simply counted the 
best 4 rounds. That way you do not have  to “keep” an F score. At the 
district championships you must keep an F score.   
Advantages 
Keeps things the same as last  year, we continue to fly the “full” FAI 
pattern. 
Gives our local pilots who want to  fly at the Nats a chance to fly judged “
F”  patterns. 
Disadvantages 
Many pilots don’t seem to want to  fly F and so they stay in Masters 
creating a “bulge” that makes the CDs and  the contestant judges lives more 
difficult. 
We seem to be having a declining #  of pilots in FAI. 
Option  2 
Go back to the way we did it in  2010 and let some people fly P and some 
fly F and do some sort of score  “fudge”. 
Advantages 
Kind of a middle ground solution.  Might get some pilots to leave Masters 
and try FAI.   
Disadvantages 
I don’t really care for  “fudge’ing” scoring. It just doesn’t seem right 
in a competitive  sport. 
Option  3 
Split FAI into two “divisions”  let’s call them “Gold” and “Silver” 
these two divisions are competed for and  scored separately. Here’s a simple 
description. 
FAI  “Gold” 
This class will fly 4 rounds of  the “P” sequence and two rounds of the “F”
 sequence at each local contest.  Their final contest score will consist of 
their best 3 out of 4 “P” rounds and  their best 1 out of 2 “F” rounds. 
This will also be the format used for FAI  “Gold” at the district 
championship contest. If there is enough interest we  could even fly an unknown round 
at the season  championships. 
FAI  “Silver” 
This class will fly 6 rounds of  the “P” sequence at each local contest. 
Their final contest score will consist  of their best 4 out of 6 “P” rounds. 
This will also be the format used for FAI  “Silver” at the district 
championship contest. 
A pilot may enter either class at  any contest. You cannot fly in both at 
one contest though! You can change back  and forth as many as you want to 
during the pattern  year. 
Advantages: 
Possibly increase the pilots  flying FAI and reduce the pilots in Masters. 
This will greatly simplify line  balancing and judging assignments. Gold 
pilots are perfect judges for Silver  and vice a versa. Masters pilots can 
judge Gold, Silver or Advanced.   
Reduce the length of time spent in  the judging chair. Judging 10 Masters 
pilots is not an easy task and requires  you to be in the judging chair for 
almost an hour and a half. Not very fun at  a local contest! 
Make the CDs job of finding and  assigning judges much easier. 
Might improve competition within  FAI (Gold and Silver) and Masters. 
Disadvantages: 
The CD needs to provide one more  set of trophies. Extra cost is “bad”! 
Depending on who shows up the CD  might have extra trophies that he will 
have to  “eat” 
Further splits a small pool of  competitors. How many pilots will fly “Gold”
, maybe not enough to have a fun  competition? 
I think the trophy problem can be  worked around. By the time we get to be 
a Masters or an FAI pilot do we really  need to get a trophy at a local 
contest? I know I don’t! A simple group photo  or a medal or a simple metal 
plaque that lists the event and the class would  be fine. At my contests this 
year I intend to simplify the Masters and FAI  trophies regardless of what we 
do with FAI. In regards to the other issues I  don’t know. 
Please bear in mind that I am  looking for ideas and proposals. If you are 
a Masters or FAI pilot and you  don’t think that anything is “broke” just 
let me know! If most Masters and FAI  pilots think it ain’t broke then we won’
t “fix it”!!! (Option 1) Or if you  don’t like any of my proposals but 
have another thought in mind just let me  know. So to you FAI and Masters 
pilots and Cds out there, think about it and  please let me hear from you. 
Jon  Carter 
NSRCA D7  VP 


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