I'm missing something here. The Nats is the national championship because we say it is. Why do we want to thow the baby out with the bathwater. If you want a national funfly - then organize one. There are 51 other weeks you can do whatever you want at the national flying site.
A lot of people work VERY hard to put on an event the size of the nats and apparently a lot of people LIKE to attend the event. Your statements about declining participation are not true. Based on the statistics for the last 2 nats, participation is up in all of the events except HL. Your statement about 20-40 pilots flying any given day is ludicrous. There are 160 registered entrants and 125 pilots participated in Unlimited! While some people (including me) have opinions on how the event should be organized and what should be included, ultimately the LSF makes those decisons with our input. If YOU want a national funfly - then YOU organize one and see if they come! I don't see the need to trash a perfectly good event that, in terms of numbers of soaring pilots, is in the top 3 of all soaring events in the country. I understand that YOU don't like soaring competitions, but it is not necessary to criticize those that do. You refer to "diehard" competition pilots as if it's a bad thing. I understand your agenda is to promote scale soaring and I wish you great success, but it does not have to come at the expense of other facets of the hobby. You appear to think that those that like "Launch and Land" competitions are odd, but I'm sure that there are some that think that worrying about how my cute little pilot figure looks in my scale glider is a little odd too! Let people participate in whatever events they enjoy - it's no skin off your nose. If you provide the alternatives, perhaps you are right and competition soaring as we know it will die the ugly death you predict. Just don't expect others to implement your vision of true happiness. Jim Monaco Organizer of the US F3J Team Selections... Just another launch and land contest!!! --- John Derstine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Then as I said originally, why pretend it is a national championship? > Call it what it is (your words not mine) or revise it to reflect the > current trends. Hey if everyone is happy the way it is, then me too, but > apparently there are a lot of people who would like to see a change, > either exclude this or include that, or have two days of this not that. > > There is a trend to utilize the site for less competitive "competitions" > ie, Scale aerotow XC, and Woodcrafters, and the April DARTS aerotow, why > not embrace the larger agenda, which is to get more people to the NATS, > and the National flying site. As I also said, the diehards who think > hard edge competition is the only way to have "fun" are increasingly in > the minority. > > Think about it, how many competitors attend the soaring NATS? 80? And on > any given day there are maybe 20-40 pilots flying at a huge flying site > at any one time. How many R/C non competitive types exist? hundreds? > Thousands? The math does not support the current site usage, if the > point is to get more people to Muncie, then you will most likely see > more "less competitive" events at the Muncie site. The reason is that > competitions are labor intensive and time intensive, Semi competitions > and true Fun fly events, not saying we need to completely replace > competition, which is not my thrust here, but the fact remains that by > mixing the two you might get more people getting a chance to fly per > event week, draw more attendees, both flying and spectators to the NATS. > Vendors and industry exhibitors might be more incline to display and > participate because of the increased product placement exposure. > > > JD > > Endless Mountain Models > http://www.scalesoaring.com > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Steve Meyer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 7:59 AM > > To: TJB; soaring@airage.com > > Subject: Re: [RCSE] National Fun Fly > > > > Don't you think that the pilots that landed out in Unlimited on the > 1st > > day > > treated the second day as a "fun fly"? It was for me. (There is no > > dropout round.) > > > > When your not competing in the top 20 it's just a "fun fly". If you > would > > take a poll, most pilots would say, "I'm here to have fun". > > > > Don't understand why a "fun fly" would gather more people. You either > > want > > to fly with other people or you don't. Some pilots are just > introverts > > that fly their own air. > > > > > > Steve Meyer > > SOAR > > LSF IV > > > > > > At 05:23 PM 8/2/2005, TJB wrote: > > >In the majority of flying clubs in our area, only a very few are > > seriously > > >interested in competition. Out of 20 club members, last year, I was > the > > >only one who showed up for our ESL contest on the second day. > Lancaster > > >has the same problem. I would venture to say, if there was a > National > > Fun > > >Fly for a week, there might be a good turn out. It doesn't even have > to > > >be on the same schedule as the NATS. > > > > > >T > > > > > >T&G > > >32 Mount View Dr > > >Afton, VA 22920 > > > > > >540 943-3356 > > >fax 943-4178 > > > > > >----- Original Message ----- From: "John Derstine" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > >To: "'TJB'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "'Soaring List'" > <soaring@airage.com> > > >Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 6:06 PM > > >Subject: RE: [RCSE] One full day of RES -- XC/Scale every year > > > > > > > > >>Now there is an idea, basically what I was getting at, contests and > fun > > >>every year. De-emphasize the contest aspect as the die hards know > who > > >>they are, and will always show up, we need to attract the rest, the > guys > > >>who don't always come, who care less about rigorous competition, who > > >>will support the National Flying site with their presence if it is > > >>relevant to their interests, not the minority of top level > competition > > >>pilots. > > >>JD > > >> > > >>Endless Mountain Models > > >>http://www.scalesoaring.com > > >>email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >> > > >> > > >>>-----Original Message----- > > >>>From: TJB [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >>>Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 5:54 PM > > >>>To: Soaring List > > >>>Subject: Re: [RCSE] One full day of RES -- XC/Scale every year > > >>> > > >>> would have Monday for 2M, Tues and Wed for Open, Thurs would be > RES, > > >>Fri > > >>> > morning hand launch and Friday afternoon NOS. Events like F3B, > F3J, > > >>> > X-Country and Scale would be on the weekend before or after. > > >>> > > > >>> > JE > > >>> > > >>> > > >>>Would probably be the end of NOS. Just not that many flying it. > It > > >>won't > > >>>be long and NOS will be 30 year old planes. It is so limited. If > > >>they > > >>>set > > >>>the category for 20 year old planes (more like it was when it > > >>started), it > > >>>would open up the field for more fliers. > > >>> > > >>>I would come an extra couple days early if they had XC and Scale > every > > >>>year. > > >>>It doesn't even have to be a contest, just two days set aside at > the > > >>>beginning of the schedule. > > >>> > > >>>T > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > With the introduction of production planes like the Ava and the > > >>Topaz, > > >>>RES > > >>> > is now the fastest growing segment of plane in this neck of the > > >>woods. > > >>> > Where it used to be just a few people it is now nearly even with > the > > >>> > amount > > >>> > of Open class entries. There are several fliers that have won > Open > > >>> > contests > > >>> > with these planes and it isn't a fluke. Over the last year I > have > > >>> > consistently scored better with my Topaz than with my Open class > > >>plane, > > >>> > primarily because of the ability to just drop it on the spot and > > >>have it > > >>> > stick. They are so light they don't carry too much momentum. > They > > >>> > thermal > > >>> > easier, the handling is excellent, they just don't like as much > > >>wind, > > >>>but > > >>> > then again, they can successfully be ballasted. > > >>> > > > >>> > In the big monthly contests SWSA holds, the number of Open class > > >>planes > > >>>is > > >>> > probably around 30, RES is about 20 and 2M is about 10. It > seems > > >>> > completely > > >>> > upside down to me that 2M at the NATS gets 2 days while RES gets > 1/2 > > >>a > > >>> > day. > > >>> > Additionally, the awards banquet is held before RES and NOS are > even > > >>> > flown, > > >>> > pushing it down further from a competitive event to more of a > fun > > >>fly > > >>> > afterthought. > > >>> > > > >>> > I> -- > > >>> > Erickson Architects > > >>> > John R. Erickson, AIA > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>> >> From: "Jim McCarthy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > >>> >> Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2005 14:34:52 -0500 > > >>> >> To: <soaring@airage.com> > === message truncated === RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format
