[NSRCA-dist7] FAI in D7

[Anthony Frackowiak]

Hi,

I have felt before and I still feel that F3A Pilots should be prepared  
to fly both. If not, fly Masters. As a CD I am totally against  
creating classes in this District that are not also National. So I am  
completely against this idea of a "silver" and "gold' F3A classes.  
There are other ways to handle the overload of Masters if that is  
indeed what happens. I also feel that our District Championships in  
F3A should include Unknown rounds. How in the world does an F3A pilot  
prepare to fly Unknowns with no competitions including them?

As to the drop off in F3A pilots, I went back and looked at who was  
flying in 2009, 2010 and 2011. I think that the drop in F3A  
competitors are for a lot of other reasons then just having to fly  
both patterns.

I agree with much of what Chris said. The real problem is not F3A or  
Masters. It's Sportsman and Intermediate. If pattern and hence the  
NSRCA does not start to try to do something to increase the interest  
in flying pattern, it really doesn't matter. We are a dying event.  
Making Advanced and Masters more difficult is also not a solution. I'm  
starting to help Jean Greear work on Intermediate. That in itself is a  
huge jump from Sportsman. What will making Advanced more difficult do  
to someone in Intermediate?

The problem that I see in a very big way lately is that the powers to  
be who are controlling the event, and by that I mean the NSRCA and the  
Contest Board, are set in their ways and are apparently happy with the  
status quo. Any significant change that could really help  
participation in pattern gets shot down very quickly. Until this  
changes we need to just be ready for more of the same.

BTW, I have been flying P-13 and starting to work on F-13. P-13 is  a  
much better pattern then P-11 but it is definitely more difficult then  
the current Masters pattern. F-13 is crazy hard. It will take a big  
commitment to fly F-13 well. But if a current F3A pilot or someone  
thinking of flying F3A can't handle it, then work to get that event  
changed or fly an AMA class.

Tony Frackowiak