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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Eric:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Re IMAC activity, in the NE, where they have an
additional 3 states as compared to D1 (they include DE, MD) plus a good chunk of
Canada, there were a total of 6 which have already passed by for 2005.
Can't tell much about attendance, since only one of those CDs filed a contest
report that is on the IMAC website. It had 14 pilots fly. Most
likely, the attendance at the other contests averaged in the low to mid-twenties
at best, judging from past experience and past contest reports, but it's a
guess. As for the rest of the season, they have 6 more scheduled. Of
these, I would expect around 30 or so at the 3 of historically big contests
left, maybe averaging in the mid-twenties for the remainder of the season for
all combined. So it's probbaly in the mid-twenties range for the season
with 12 contests.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Now if you clip out the Canadian contests, it's
only 8 contests. Clip out DE and MD to construct a D1 overlay for
IMAC and you have only 4 contests and they are in Pennsylvania, Maine and
New Hampshire. Of these, you would expect a total of roughly 90 or so
participants, primarily at the two PA contests (they will draw about 60 of the
90 estimated).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Now NSRCA D1 has 9 contests on the calendar
for 2005, 3 in the bag already, 6 to go. I didn't see contest reports
for the others, but mine had 33 pilots that flew. One other was only
a Sportsman/Intermediate primer with I think 9 or 10 pilots. It might have
been 14 pilots at Hamburg, but that was the week right before the Nats. I
know that's the reason that several of us couldn't go, including myself.
Two other upcoming contests will have less than all classes (401-403
only). Personally, I think that hurts those contests because they won't
have the benefit of Masters pilots as judges for Advanced flyers.
Regardless, it looks to me that Pattern is very much alive and well here in
D1. Imagine what the turnout for the 50th annual AGS contest will
be! We've got 4 IMAC converts tp Pattern (partial or full) since last
season. Imagine what would happen if we learned the ABC's of marketing
ourselves even half as well as IMAC does it. That is what they do best you
know!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ed</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </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=pattern4u@comcast.net href="mailto:pattern4u@comcast.net">Grow
Pattern</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> Monday, July 25, 2005 5:47 PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Does Pattern competition
cost too much?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Does anyone know how many IMAC contests there are
relative to the same geo-area where pattern contests are
run?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Eric.</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
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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=joddino@socal.rr.com
href="mailto:joddino@socal.rr.com">J.Oddino</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> Monday, July 25, 2005 5:40
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Does Pattern competition cost
too much?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>From time to time I hear folks suggesting the
reason the number of contestants is down is due to the high cost of pattern
planes and support equipment. Well I don't believe that is the
reason. This weekend I went to a relatively local IMAC contest in
Camarillo California and there were somthing like 61 preregistered and 56
actually flying. I'd guess 80% of the planes were 40% scale, meaning
they had $1500 engines and $3000 airframes and $1500 worth of servos.
Then you've got the motor homes and trucks and trailers to transport
them. I still say the highest cost of flying is the driving to and
from the field and that is probably why the park flyers are so
popular. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So what is the reason for the drop in
attendance and the drop in the number of pattern contests? Or is that
only in Southern California?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jim
O</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>