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<DIV><SPAN class=398193016-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I'd
have to ditto the concerns voiced by Bob..... If you are trying to get support
(unless you are willing to pay for it yourself) you have to draw
spectators. As in the days of the barnstormers and aerial circuses....the
crowd wants to be thrilled. Although I love the pure contest of
maneuvering accurately without thrill appeal (subjective comment:)) Any comment
I've ever heard from non-contestants is: "Boring". Why don't
they fly it? Expensive & boring. Obviously it takes a special
addict to "Want" to put the effort forth to fly pattern. We may
always have to finance ourselves....but maybe the answer is to invite demo
pilots if we want to attract crowds....(Top Gun & others
do....)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=398193016-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=398193016-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I
think model aviation would benefit from the old appeal of AAA contests.... So
have demo pilots of heli's, imac, scale, jets, c/l team race, combat or whatever
your mind can dream up and your field can support.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=398193016-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=398193016-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Spoken
here as a club promoter and president who is always trying to build PR for Model
Aviation.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=398193016-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Chris
White</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=398193016-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>NSRCA
3601</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=398193016-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=398193016-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> discussion-request@nsrca.org
[mailto:discussion-request@nsrca.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Bob
Kane<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, January 23, 2004 10:05 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
discussion@nsrca.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: Artistic
Aerobatics<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>My opinion, and it is just that, is precision aerobatics is a sport for
the competitor, not the spectator. To the uninitiated, it has all the
excitement of watching paint dry. If we don't do something to spice it up a
bit, it will go the way of Olympic Figure Skating.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I organized a pattern contest at a local municipal airport (former Naval
Air Station) a few years ago. They closed a runway for the weekend for our
use. After two years the airport board was unwilling to give up the
weekend because we did not "draw a crowd". My competition was a Jet Rally
started by Michigan Jets that same year. They generated enough revenue
from paid parking to donate a few thousand dollars to Ronald McDonald
House. That event is still going strong.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>I believe we need to introduce something "watchable". Not
so much change what we do during a regular contest, but add a
special event at the end where music, smoke, and ooh-ahh manuevers would
entertain a crowd. A club could advertise it as an airshow and maybe
generate some revenue.</DIV>
<DIV><BR><BR><B><I>"Henderson,Eric" <Eric.Henderson@gartner.com></I></B>
wrote:</DIV></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN class=698583514-23012004><FONT face=Arial><FONT
color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN class=698583514-23012004>As some of you may
know I ran an FAI-FG1 event a couple of years ago at the Nat's after
the finals. Quique, Troy and Chad Northeast put on a really great show
for us while we waited for the Masters and FAI
results.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=698583514-23012004><FONT face=Arial><FONT
color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=698583514-23012004></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=698583514-23012004><FONT face=Arial><FONT
color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN class=698583514-23012004>I have not heard
much about this event type since then. I was wondering if the FAI adopted it
or not.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=698583514-23012004><FONT face=Arial><FONT
color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=698583514-23012004></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=698583514-23012004><FONT face=Arial><FONT
color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN class=698583514-23012004>Flying a pattern
type plane to music is very attractive. It is one of the few times where the
plane does not drown-out the music! More correctly said, the planes have to
comply with size weight and sound FAI regulations. They do not actually have
to be what we fly in a pattern contest. Some guys use the same planes and
swap-in 3-D wings and stabs. They often change their
props.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT
size=2></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=698583514-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>It
is, of course, the rest-of-the-world's version of IMAC
freestyle.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=698583514-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=698583514-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I
have written, <EM>not without a shot or two across my bows</EM>, that the
delineator between precision aerobatics and scale aerobatics is that pattern
is based on practicing the routine, a lot! </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=698583514-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I
see IMAC pilots practicing tailslides and Harriers and torque rolls, but
rarely the routines they fly. In particular, wannabe IMAC pilots fly the
hover stuff for most of their flights. Once in a while I "push my luck" and
I ask them why they practice most, the thing that they will do least, in a
contest. (Maybe once in a freestyle routine at the end of an event).
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=698583514-23012004><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=698583514-23012004>The answer always is, "Because I want to get better
at it and it is fun". Are they having more fun than us? I know that
watching a loud plane hover over the runway is fun for a while but it gets
old pretty quick and even becomes annoying. A bit like when we played our
</SPAN>4<SPAN class=698583514-23012004>5's on repeat. We coul listen to the
same song, that we had just purchased, but our allegedly tone-deaf fathers
were soon motivated to become "discus"
throwers!!!!</SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=698583514-23012004></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=698583514-23012004>The question is still out there however, "Are we
boring?" and "Do we, (pattern pilots), need be more
watchable"???</SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=698583514-23012004></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=698583514-23012004>Regards, it is still winter -
Eric.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=698583514-23012004><FONT face=Arial><FONT
color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=698583514-23012004></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Bob
Kane<BR>getterflash@yahoo.com
<P>
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