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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Verne,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Great post.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If I can add some thoughts - moving up through
classes is not just about learning new maneuvers, it also involves learning
trimming and airplane setups for new flight regimes/maneuvers.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The entry level class (name it whatever is PC at
that particular moment in time) should be easy - super simple in my opinion -
because the pilot still has to learn and contend with -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>- being on the flightline and consistently having
the equipment and mental preparations complete for a flight.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>- learning centering and positioning in the
box.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>- flying a straight line (wings level, maintaining
distance and altitude in all areas of the box).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The class should be as simple and easy to make it
approachable by all. I think the entry level class should be flyable by
pilots with a trainer that have recently solo'd - get guys interested while they
are in the learning phase. I think the contests should be 1 day only (2
separate 1 day contests for events that are 2 days long for the other
classes). I don't think the entry level class should crown a year end
District Championship - anyone who wants to seriously campaign in pattern is
already hooked, and should move up to the next level - keep a true pattern
newbie from having to compete with some who is already committed to
pattern. I don't see the entry level class being too easy as a problem -
someone can always choose to start in a higher class.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards,</FONT></DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<DIV><BR>Dave Lockhart</DIV>
<DIV><A href="mailto:DaveL322@comcast.net">DaveL322@comcast.net</A></DIV>
<DIV></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=verne@twmi.rr.com href="mailto:verne@twmi.rr.com">Verne Koester</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=discussion@nsrca.org
href="mailto:discussion@nsrca.org">NSRCA</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, January 09, 2005 6:58
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Class Structure</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT face="Times New Roman">Georgie,<BR>Here's a novel
idea. Leave Intermediate alone and take the snaps out of <BR>Advanced. A pilot
coming out of Intermediate into Advanced already has to <BR>learn Slow Rolls,
4 Point Rolls, and a longer schedule with more crosswind <BR>exposure
maneuvers which is plenty.<BR><BR>The step from Advanced to Masters is minimal
at best. The step from <BR>Intermediate to Advanced is monumental. The end
result is a bunch of pilots <BR>in Intermediate that are getting bored with
their schedule but still not <BR>ready for Advanced so they want to add snaps
to it. Only problem is that <BR>someone coming out of Sportsman will likely be
scared away if Intermediate <BR>is made any tougher.<BR><BR>It's no surprise
to me that the number of Masters pilots at any given <BR>contest are far
greater than the classes that precede it. Most of us who are <BR>there came up
through a balanced system of steps. We're all out of whack <BR>right now.
Unfortunately, I seem to be one of only a handful of Masters and <BR>higher
pilots that still remembers how hard it was to learn slow and 4 point
<BR>rolls which gets introduced at the Advanced level. Take the snaps and
spins <BR>out of Advanced and introduce them at the Masters level, put some
box exits <BR>back where they need to be, and you'll have a logical, balanced,
and <BR>transitional set of schedules that takes a pilot from Sportsman
to however <BR>high he or she wants to go.<BR><BR>Verne
Koester<BR><BR><BR>----- Original Message ----- <BR>From: "George Kennie"
<</FONT><A href=""><FONT
face="Times New Roman">geobet@gis.net</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman">><BR>To: <</FONT><A href=""><FONT
face="Times New Roman">discussion@nsrca.org</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman">><BR>Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2005 2:28
PM<BR>Subject: Re: adding interest and complexity to Sportsman ... again and
again <BR>and<BR><BR><BR>> <<I'm not flying masters, I'm flying
advanced, the reason is<BR>> Masters is<BR>> more difficult than I think
I can reasonably fly at this time, so<BR>> I'll work my way up.
>><BR>><BR>> I respectfully disagree with your assessment of
schedule difficulty.<BR>> I get the feeling that you haven't taken the time
to sit down and<BR>> really study the current Master's sequence. I commend
your attitude<BR>> of working your way up!!!IMHO, I find the current
Master's much less<BR>> threatening than the Advanced
sequence.<BR>><BR>> Somebody mentioned "going to contests without
practicing", and<BR>> indeed I can remember, back in the 60's going to a
contest myself<BR>> having never performed the required routine and doing
quite well at<BR>> the time.However those were significantly different
times and I<BR>> myself would not desire to return to the mindset of that
period.It<BR>> was called a "Pattern Contest" and the attendance was
probably a<BR>> couple of hundred guys, but the mindset was more like a
current day<BR>> "Fun- Fly". Nobody really took it all that seriously.
Somewhere<BR>> along the line, the few individuals that did have a more
serious<BR>> approach organized and brought a more serious aspect to the
sport<BR>> realizing that the basis for guys going out and flying a
routine<BR>> that was in fact JUDGED meant that the concept must<BR>>
be"COMPETITION". I think that this is probably the reason you
still<BR>> find the most heavily attended events to be "Fun-Fly's". When
it<BR>> gets too serious there are a lot of guys that start to feel<BR>>
threatened regarding their status within the group structure and<BR>> when
the pressure becomes, in their estimation, greater than feels<BR>>
comfortable to them, they gravitate to a different venue that<BR>> restores
the level of comfort they deem appropriate.<BR>> The same thing seems to
happen, in my judgement, with schedule<BR>> complexity.Some of us
realize that if the schedules become more and<BR>> more complex, at some
point the difficulty factor will become<BR>> significant enough to threaten
our currently hard won achievement<BR>> status, and indeed this is true.The
decision that probably needs to<BR>> be reasoned through is,in light of
this truth, should the pursuit of<BR>> excellence be sacrificed to satisfy
the inadequacies of those of us<BR>> who are clammoring to maintain their
elevation?<BR>> I consider myself a part of this equation and recognize my
own<BR>> inadequacies, however I also realize that this same pursuit
of<BR>> excellence will not be enhanced by any concession to tilt
the<BR>> playing field in my favor. Noone will be served by that tack.
Least<BR>> of all ME! My flying prowess ranks somewhere between Sportsman
and<BR>> Intermediate(my assessment), and though I find a couple of the
FAI<BR>> maneuvers really tough to execute in a graceful manner, I still
feel<BR>> that there is no maneuver that I could not learn to do and
given<BR>> another 50 years of practice I might even be in a position
to<BR>> challenge Jason.<BR>> It's about STRIVING guys. That's what
COMPETITION is! And it's<BR>> purpose is to determine the most skilled
individual, with the rest<BR>> of us rated in descending order beneath the
rating of the BEST! So,<BR>> as you can see, I'm not in favor of wussing
out to make things<BR>> easier for anybody who finds their position at the
pinnacle<BR>> precarious(and that includes ME).<BR>> Now, all that being
said, I do feel that we may have a void at the<BR>> bottom and should
probably go back again and reconsider a pre-novice<BR>> class for the guy
who has only been involved in the sport for 2<BR>> weeks and has never
practiced flying a straight line.This shouldn't<BR>> take much additional
time as the number of guys showing up to<BR>> participate in this class
will indeed be very few (which begs the<BR>> question, how far do we have
to concede in order to grow the<BR>> ranks?).<BR>> The Sportsman
sequence I proposed a couple of days ago DOES appear<BR>> to be too
difficult for some of the respondants(but not all) and<BR>> maybe the old
Novice schedule should be made available for anybody<BR>> showing up to try
(as a pre-novice event).I also think that the<BR>> Intermediate should
introduce it's participant to the 45 downline<BR>> snap or at least a
center snap on a horizontal baseline as<BR>> preparation for
Advanced.<BR>> Only a bunch of opinions, guys! Don't mean I'm
right!<BR>> G.<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>
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