RE: Columbus Ohio Pattern Contest
Ron, will your solar charging system be adequate for charging at the field?
Posted on: 5/22/2013 10:37 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11519369

RE: D4
There's a whole new generation of flyers waiting to meet you Dennis!
Posted on: 5/16/2013 4:02 PM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11513586

RE: Unidentified Yellow Bipe!
I flew mine on a K&B .40, the model with the black Irvine carb. It had good, but not great, power. It would go vertical, but it wasn't rocket-like.
Posted on: 5/15/2013 10:23 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11512327

RE: 150 meter rule.
It seems to me that distance is very hard to judge, as evidenced by nearly everyone's surprise at how far out we're actually flying. Different backgrounds, surface features and airplane sizes and shapes make it even more difficult. I'm a little uneasy with putting any more emphasis on this aspect of judging. I think it's a whole order of magnitude harder than angles, intersections and radii.
Posted on: 9/15/2012 10:06 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11229327

RE: St Clairsville Wrap Up
Don't know much about his setup but Steve is doing much better with it than whatever he was flying last year. He did say he thought it was a little short on power with the current motor/battery/prop.
Posted on: 8/28/2012 9:39 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11209072

RE: St Clairsville Wrap Up
And last but not least....Anthony Abdullah shows how high pressure and cut throat the Pattern world is. Thanks to everyone for coming and making a great weekend. Thanks to everyone who judged without complaint, especially the Masters guys who got hit pretty hard because our contest was almost one-third Sportsmen. Thanks to my fellow club members who worked so hard to pull this one off. Hope to see you all again next year.
Posted on: 8/27/2012 12:13 PM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11207914

RE: St Clairsville Wrap Up
A few more to show the flavor of the weekend. The group shot from Sunday afternoon. A few guys had already left before we got everyone together. Mark Radcliff, Mark Atwood and Brenner Sharp working to fit Radcliff's canopy to Brenner's airplane. Co-CD Dave Ruminski about to explain to Sportsman Tom Melsheimer that "Half Reverse Cuban Eight" doesn't mean you actually fly with the airplane backwards.
Posted on: 8/27/2012 12:09 PM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11207906

RE: St Clairsville Wrap Up
FAI looked like a one man show performed by Mark Atwood until contest director Rick Cilles decided to have a stab at it. FAI is expected to recover. Rick did a great job as CD and handled all the little issues before they became big ones. Mark did a lot of much appreciated coaching throughout the weekend. It's great having flyers of his caliber around.
Posted on: 8/27/2012 11:59 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11207893

RE: St Clairsville Wrap Up
Masters was our other large group with Verne Koester, Brenner Sharp, Mark Radcliff, Bob Mairs, Mike Cohen, Dave Johnstone and Bob Kane. Verne won, flying well despite being baked under the judges shelter early on. Brenner flew a different airplane Sunday to finish second after borrowing a canopy from third place finisher Mark Radcliff. Mark is continuing his comeback on the pattern trail after a long layoff from the glory days of his youth.
Posted on: 8/27/2012 11:52 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11207881

RE: St Clairsville Wrap Up
Advanced had a small turnout this year. Anthony Abdullah, Mark Doucey and Ron Hansen made up the field and they finished in that order. Mark won the only round that Anthony didn't. I don't know whether he's just hitting his stride or it's the new Vanquish he's flying, but Mark has made a big jump since last year. Ron is working hard on the big jump from Intermediate to Advanced and he was seen getting some intense coaching from Anthony during the weekend.
Posted on: 8/27/2012 11:36 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11207861

RE: St Clairsville Wrap Up
The Intermediate group consisted of Scott McNickle, Mike Gaishin, Steve Stricker, Peter VanHeusden, Bill Kutchell, Joe Mari and Dave Cook. Any of the first four could have won this weekend and the final margin was just 22.65 points out of 4000. McNickle, Gaishin and Stricker were the top three here. Bill Kutchell lost his Element just after takeoff on the first flight of the day. He soldiered on with a medium sized Osiris on loan from contest director Rick Cilles and did a good job with an airplane he'd never flown before. Mike Gaishin lost his airplane to an over extended battery after Intermediate competetion was finished for Saturday. He came back and finished the contest thanks to the loan of Peter Van Heusden's plane. He adapted quickly...one practice flight in the morning, then winning round six!
Posted on: 8/27/2012 11:27 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11207849

St Clairsville Wrap Up
We had a real nice contest at St Clairsville this weekend...good friends, good weather, good flying and the usual good food. We missed a couple of regulars but made some new friends this time, too. Twenty five pilots turned out and that's just about the right number considering we can't start flying until 11:00 due to sun issues. We had a good Sportsman group this year, ranging from ready to move up to just getting started. The pilots were (and the pictures are, I hope, in this order) Patrick Ploenzke, Lynn Morgan, Tom Melshiemer, JT Snyder, Larry Shaver and Doug Bohanan. The top three were Patrick, Lynn and Tom, with Patrick's margin of victory being only 13.1 points! After the first round, judge and Advanced flyer Ron Hansen called the group together and gave a five minute mini pattern primer. Flying improved greatly in the next round. We hope to see all these guys back next year.
Posted on: 8/27/2012 10:51 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11207802

RE: St Clairsville Pattern
Teo, I'll be posting photos of all the pilots and a little summary later today. Also, Dave Cook will post results on the D4 page of the NSRCA site soon, if they're not up already. Sorry you couldn't make it.
Posted on: 8/27/2012 6:37 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11207437

Time to Choke the Chickens in St Clairsville
We're just about ready for this weekend's (August 25&26) Ohio Valley Pattern Classic in St Clairsville, with one major chore yet to perform. Rick has to choke the chickens for Saturday's famous roast chicken lunch and would like to know how many to dispatch. Could you please let us know if you're coming so we'll know how many people to prepare for? Thanks, Scott
Posted on: 8/20/2012 12:16 PM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11199846

RE: ARIXTRA Build Thread by ISAAC NAJARY
I'm looking forward to this one too. Your Xigris thread helped me to build the best flying airplane I've ever had. I've been building for over 50 years but there are lots of different techniques needed for a modern pattern kit. You saved me lots of time, money and frustration! Scott
Posted on: 8/18/2012 9:40 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11197840

RE: St Clairsville Pattern
http://www.rcpilot.com/event_details.cfm?event_id=600 A link to the flyer.
Posted on: 8/14/2012 10:12 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11193144

St Clairsville Pattern
It's time once again for the Best Damn Picnic with a Pattern Contest Attached, the St Clairsville Pattern Classic. Contest August 25 and 26 with the field open for practice at noon on the 24th. All classes with any AMA legal airplane allowed in Sportsman. Awards through third place. Also, any pilot entering their first contest in Sportsman will fly free....and that includes the Saturday lunch of half a roast chicken w/fixins and soft drinks, plus Sunday sausage sandwiches and other goodies. We've had an influx of gas drilling workers lately and hotel rooms are getting a little short. Please don't wait til the last minute to make your reservations. If you can't find anything in St Clairsville, try Wheeling, WV, about 20 minutes east, or Cambridge, OH, about 30 minutes west.
Posted on: 8/14/2012 9:57 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11193123

RE: Post your Nats Photos here!
The view from Site 4 about 9:40 Tuesday morning. We were flying a little more than four hours later!
Posted on: 7/26/2012 5:07 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11169799

RE: 2012 NATS Update
Will AMA set up tents at Site 4 or do we need to bring our canopies?
Posted on: 7/17/2012 4:09 PM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11159133

RE: 2012 NATS Update
Am I correct in assuming that the judging certification I received at Muncie the first contest of last year (2011) is still current?
Posted on: 7/12/2012 10:03 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11152668

RE: NATS 2012 : Let the journey begin!
Is there power at site 4?
Posted on: 7/7/2012 2:03 PM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11146763

RE: Astro-Flight Porterfield Collegiate ARF
I built an Astro Flite Collegiate from RCM plans (it was an RCM article before it was kitted) and enjoyed it a lot. Seems to me the article said the full scale plane they copied had a red fuse with a white stripe and a silver wing with red registration numbers. That's how I did mine. You can add ailerons if you like but mine flew great on rudder and elevator.
Posted on: 7/6/2012 11:55 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11145510

RE: Post all your
I couldn't have built my Xigris without Isaac's thread. It's absolutely great.
Posted on: 7/4/2012 4:50 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11142330

RE: Old Engine Test
I'm pretty sure all the old SAM Speaks issues are available on CD. Check out the SAM website.
Posted on: 7/2/2012 4:26 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11139552

RE: Ideas for an intro pattern class
A sort of roundabout answer to bjr 93tz's question about who benefits from more participants... More participants mean it will be easier to stage a successful local contest. This year, other than the contest sponsored by my own club, the closest contest I'll go to is a 4 1/2 hour drive, with two night hotel stays at all of them. That's expensive. If every club within an hour of me had a few pattern pilots there could be several contests close enough to drive home between days. More participants, more contests, less expense, more participants... Now, I'm not naive enough to think that every club will have active pattern flyers but there certainly could be more.
Posted on: 6/17/2012 10:21 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11121267

RE: Ideas for an intro pattern class
There's a lot of truth to what sps3172 says. Our club has tried for years to increase participation in fun-type competitive events by simplifying them time and again to the point where pretty much anyone who can take off and land can win, but it's always the same few who enter. We've tried to be as friendly and helpful as possible but it seems there are only a small number who will actually step up and try to do a specified, measured task. I think the first step to increasing participation in pattern is to narrow our search...start with the guys who actually do fun flies or old timer contests and try to 'turn' them.
Posted on: 6/16/2012 5:04 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11120005

RE: Ideas for an intro pattern class
I don't believe it's required to physically leave the box in the Sportsman pattern, it's just that nothing is judged after the pilot calls 'Exit the box'. The unjudged turnaround/repositioning maneuvers can take place anywhere and judging doesn't resume til 'Enter the box' is called. No need to fly out to the next county.
Posted on: 6/13/2012 4:58 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11116545

RE: Ideas for an intro pattern class
Bill, I might have agreed with you until a few weeks ago when I started coaching a couple of relatively new flyers in the Sportsman pattern. I'd forgotten just how much workload there is if you haven't done it before. Now I'm of the opinion that the first segment of the Sportsman sequence is almost enough for a club class. Maybe straight flight out, half reverse cuban, straight flight back, then a loop, a roll and a 45 degree downline all on center with free turnarounds between.
Posted on: 6/12/2012 2:54 PM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11115954

RE: D-4 NATS Tune-up
I'd really like it if the complete results could be posted to the web quickly, as long as it could be done without too much extra work for the people who have already donated so much time during the weekend.
Posted on: 6/12/2012 5:35 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11115369

RE: D-4 NATS Tune-up
It was a real nice contest. Great having that huge tent left over from a wedding for shade! Brandon and Sean were like a class above the rest of us in Intermediate. Mike Mueller was amazing in Masters, too. I was impressed by how smoothly everything ran...a combination of good management and contestant cooperation.
Posted on: 6/11/2012 4:42 AM by Author "Strat2003" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11114144