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<DIV>I agree with you Bob 100% well said.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=rcaerobob@cox.net href="mailto:rcaerobob@cox.net">Bob Pastorello</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=discussion@nsrca.org
href="mailto:discussion@nsrca.org">discussion@nsrca.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, January 09, 2005 5:37
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: adding interest and
complexity to Sportsman ... again and again and </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>And this issue is EXACTLY why the "progression of classes" needs to be
managed, and (caps by intent)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>WE MUST STOP ESCALATING THE OVERALL COMPLEXITY OF SEQUENCES TO KEEP UP
WITH CHANGES IN FAI !!!!! The "trickle down" of FAI difficulty drives
Masters. Then that drives Advanced, then it drives Intermediate changes,
and finally Sportsman, where we lose potential entrants because it overwhelms
them.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There are people who monitor this list who I have been coaching. If
they chime in, they will tell you of the difficulty in "finesse" needed to be
really competent NOW in Sportsman, and even moreso when they moved to
Intermediate.</DIV>
<DIV> I am NOT one of those "disconnected" Masters pilot
guys.....I "know" what's going on in other classes, and we better address it
as a society. Soon.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As a rule-proposing body, the NSRCA has the responsibility, as a society,
to Stop the Madness.</DIV>
<DIV> Masters does NOT have to be "nearly FAI".
Obvious reason; someone wants that complexity, let 'em FLY FAI.</DIV>
<DIV> Advanced would not be such a huge jump from
Intermediate IF it wasn't the stepping stone to a less-complex Masters.</DIV>
<DIV> Intermediate would not have to be so tough of a jump
from Sportsman.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Changing our very philosophy of the game is what it will take, men.
You may disagree, but you cannot deny what pitifully-small data points we have
paint a picture of the "graying" of the game.</DIV>
<DIV> Yes - there are LOTS of reasons we don't have the
'seed pipe' we used to (competing RC venues, time, money, etc.), but my point
is, and HAS BEEN, that we do NOT HAVE TO MAKE THE GAME *HARDER* to make it
challenging for Masters' pilots!!!!</DIV>
<DIV><BR>Bob Pastorello<BR>NSRCA 199 AMA 46373<BR><A
href="mailto:rcaerobob@cox.net">rcaerobob@cox.net</A><BR><A
href="http://www.rcaerobats.net">www.rcaerobats.net</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Rcmaster199@aol.com
href="mailto:Rcmaster199@aol.com">Rcmaster199@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=discussion@nsrca.org
href="mailto:discussion@nsrca.org">discussion@nsrca.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, January 09, 2005 1:23
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: adding interest and
complexity to Sportsman ... again and again and </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV>
<DIV>Sportsman needs to be maintained as the entry class to Pattern events
and overcomplicating it will not be a step in the right direction. I feel
same as Steve that it's about right in complexity. I would add that
it should remain unchanged for a consiiderable amount of time (pick a
period--10 years is a nice round number)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Rationale for long time period before changes (if
ever):</STRONG> Pilots seldom stay in the class more than two years so the
ones that move on, see a fresh schedule regardless. The ones that drop,
well, it makes little difference to them. It would serve virtually no
purpose to change this schedule</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Rationale for keeping the sequence "simple":</STRONG> A friend
of mine has tried to get into pattern competition for a couple years now. He
is a very good sport flier, can 3D his 1/3 scale aerobats just fine and
knows some construction technique, engine maintenance and radio
diagnostics already.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>But the demands of pattern planes are different and he has had to
overcome several issues. After a couple of years of frustration
and perseverence, he has started to practice in earnest. He has
commented to me how difficult the "simple" Sportsman schedule is. I admire
his perseverence; most would have quit.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Point is, many Sportsmen face alot issues with
fundamentals that the other classes have learned to overcome.
Their learning curve is vertical already. Lets leave the complicated stuff
for the higher classes. The Sportsmen who move on, will see that soon
enough.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>MattK </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 1/9/2005 12:29:00 AM Eastern Standard Time,
rcsteve@tcrcm.org writes:</DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN class=258284804-09012005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>I have to agree with John here. I'm concerned that we keep
making the entry-level class too hard for the real newbie that we are
trying to hook.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=258284804-09012005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=258284804-09012005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>I flew my first contest 7 months after solo. This was back in about
1997 or so. The individual manuevers were no easier, but you got to
go out of the box pretty frequently and get lined back up. For someone
that isn't that skilled (people we need to bring into the entry ranks to
fill the pipe), after a couple maneuvers, they get behind the airplane and
are going into the next maneuver in trouble. Leaving the box gave us the
opportunity to calm down and get straightened out.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=258284804-09012005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=258284804-09012005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>If your skills were better than that, start in Intermediate. Same
message today to those that think Sportsman is too easy. It
should be really easy!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=258284804-09012005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=258284804-09012005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Sportsman should be constructed so that regular club sport
flyers can come taste pattern with little or no practice when the
local club holds a meet with their 4 star 40's and Tiger
60's.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=258284804-09012005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=258284804-09012005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>This year, I tried to bring a couple of our yearling's into our
local contest. They just couldn't handle the continuity of it all,
and both gave up. Oh we could be elitist and say they should have
practiced more and got better airplanes, but is that really going to seed
the pipe?</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=258284804-09012005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=258284804-09012005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Maybe what we need is another (non-rated?) entry class?
Fun-pattern class or
something?</FONT></SPAN></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
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