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<DIV>I've been flying pattern since '98 and usually get to two or three a year. I have only gone to one contest where I came back on sunday to fly. If I leave Saturday night, even if I get home late, I still have sunday with the family. I"ve given up a lot of trophies by not coming back, but by the end of saturday, I know where I fit in. </DIV>
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<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">-------------- Original message -------------- <BR><BR>> Way back when, there were at least 8 to 10 1 day contests a season all <BR>> within 2 to 2.5 hours driving. I even went to a couple of two day contests <BR>> that were close enough to drive to each day. If I had to drive 4+ hours to <BR>> get to a contest, I would prefer a 2 day event as well. Everyone has their <BR>> preferences and reasons behind them. I would suggest that if you were one <BR>> who only would fly at a one day contest, you may no longer be competing or <BR>> part of this discussion. Most people who stayed with it either preferred 2 <BR>> day contests or accepted them as the norm. (Maybe there are still areas that <BR>> feature one day events, I do not know). <BR>> Is the reason for lower attendance at contests due to loss of people that <BR>> didn't want to invest the time in 2 day contests, or because some of the new <BR>> blood found IMAC instead? Nobody really knows. Maybe it is a little of <BR>> both, maybe there is a totally different reason for it. <BR>> <BR>> Stuart Chale <BR>> <BR>> -----Original Message----- <BR>> From: discussion-request@nsrca.org [mailto:discussion-request@nsrca.org] On <BR>> Behalf Of Del K. Rykert <BR>> Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2005 1:06 PM <BR>> To: discussion@nsrca.org <BR>> Subject: Fw: Growing Pattern ** klipped to repost ** <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Had a comment on the 1 day contests Stuart made. The main reason I don't <BR>> attend some contests is they are only one day and for me don't justify the 5 <BR>> <BR>> or 7 hour drive to possibly get rained out or blown out at one day events. <BR>> If they were local would be different story but For years I have not <BR>> attended 1 day contests because they were only 1 day and long drive. <BR>> So there is, as always, two sides to every equation. CD's make their <BR>> choi
ces and we live with the consequences. I no longer go to contests that <BR>> camping isn't allowed at flying field either... My attendance has declined <BR>> for this very reason to some regional contests. We all have different issues <BR>> <BR>> that we personally need to address to justify making the choice to fly <BR>> pattern and which contests we can or will attend. <BR>> <BR>> Del <BR>> nsrca - 473 <BR>> ----- Original Message ----- <BR>> From: Stuart Chale <BR>> To: discussion@nsrca.org <BR>> Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2005 9:49 AM <BR>> Subject: FW: [SPAM] Growing Pattern <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> I will throw an additional 1½ cents in with some ramblings. <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Ed and Dave make some interesting points and comparisons between IMAC (I <BR>> means scale aerobatics) and pattern. As some of you who know me, I have <BR>> been away from pattern for a while. (kids and other hobbies). I started <BR>> flying in the early 80's. Most contests were 1 day and less than 30 <BR>> entrants would be unusual. IMAC may have been in existence, I really do not <BR>> <BR>> know but it surely wasn't as widely known as it is today. <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> I just did a google search on IMAC history and found this article. <BR>> http://www.iac.org/featured/Featured%20Article%20-%20Vol.30,%20No.07%20July% <BR>> 202001.html <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> An excerpt reads as follows: <BR>> <BR>> In 1976 the National Sport Biplane Association became affiliated with the <BR>> IAC and became IMAC. <BR>> <BR>> In the next few years, membership in IMAC grew, and more model aircraft <BR>> manufacturers began producing scale acrobatic aircraft. The Pitts still was <BR>> popular, but monoplanes like Leo's Laser and CAP 21s were also being built. <BR>> At this time (early to mid-80s), most of the scale aerobatic models used in <BR>> competition were 1/4 scale or less,
meaning they had wingspans between 60 <BR>> and 80 inches and engines ranging from 0.60 to 2.0 cubic inches running on <BR>> model airplane fuel (glow fuel). <BR>> <BR>> In the late 80s and early 90s, new high-performance mono-planes began to <BR>> appear on the IAC flight line and also at IMAC contests. Extras, Sukhois, <BR>> and CAPs became the hot ride of choice. Here is one major advantage of <BR>> flying models over their full-scale counterparts-the price difference <BR>> between a clipped-wing Cub and an Extra is a nonissue! <BR>> <BR>> During the 90s every kit manufacturer was producing these hot rods in <BR>> sizes from 1/6 scale to 35 percent scale (54- to 105-inch wingspans), with <BR>> the larger aircraft powered by gas engines in the 2.4-to 6.0-cubic-inch <BR>> range. These scale acrobatic aircraft were very popular with all modelers. <BR>> This trend was helpful to IMAC. Formerly, the soley recognized form of model <BR>> <BR>> aerobatic competition involved "pattern" aircraft that appeared dissimilar <BR>> to their full-size cousins- narrow, ultra streamlined, and unnaturally long <BR>> moments. <BR>> <BR>> ================================================= <BR>> If you want your reply email to go to the list, you must Cc: the list! <BR>> <BR>> To access the email archives for this list, go to <BR>> http://lists.f3a.us/pipermail/nsrca-discussion/ <BR>> To be removed from this list, go to http://www.nsrca.org/discussionA.htm <BR>> and follow the instructions. <BR>> <BR>> List members email returned for mailbox full will be removed from the list. <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> If you want your reply email to go to the list, you must Cc: the <BR>> list! <BR>> <BR>> To access the email archives for this list, go to <BR>> http://lists.f3a.us/pipermail/nsrca-discussion/ <BR>> To be removed from this list, go to http://www.nsrca.org/discussionA.htm <BR>> and follow the instructions. <BR>> <BR>> L
ist members email returned for mailbox full will be removed from the list. <BR>> </BLOCKQUOTE></body></html>