GM1
Elite Veteran
Location: Tallahassee, Florida US
| RhetoricalMy question was rheotrical in that noone has come up with "the" answer yet but it's not just F3C that is struggling. 3D is amazingly popular right now but there is not a 3D "series" of competitions in the US with the exception of the XFC so 3D is not better in that respect. As an aside, it seems that many of the competitive series have dwindling particpation.
In my home club, we tried to have a "fun fly" series to promote interest and draw newer members in to participating (pizza box events, warbird events). It ended up with the same few guys everytime, even when we basically made the results random (no real skill involved) so anyone could win. From observation, no real data to back it up other than anecdotal, it seems that very few of the guys are willing to put themselves in a position where they can be compared to anyone else. They don't want to be a "loser" but therefore cannot be a "winner" either.
I'm kinda in the same situation as Wayne, I can 3D a little. I can fly inverted, backwards, and backwards inverted but when you start stringing things together, I sometimes get lost and have to stop and start over. I watch other guys 3D and other than the sometimes spectacular crashes ( the saying, "Noone wants to see a crash, but noone wants to miss one either!" applies here.) I appreciate the skill and presence it takes to do it but it's many times just not very pretty. I just cannot bring myself to do stuff that low and know that eventually I will screw up and plant a perfectly good model for no good reason and it's difficult for me to repair a model to the level I want it to be as that requires a lot of time.
For the first time in many years, we are having MORE, not fewer contests. The Tampa event was brand new this year and though the turnout was comparatively small, the organizer(s) have come up with some really good ideas as to how to make it grow. I plan on attending 6 contests this year (as of right now) and maybe 5 or 6 fun flys so it will be a busy year.
I can get through the new 2006 FAI maneuvers but cannot yet (if ever) make them look good. The Tampa event was great for all of us to see where we are (and are NOT <g> ) and I am looking forward to the rest of the year.
I know this has nothing to do with Augusto's new CX rotor head but I would hope we can spur interest and ideas for competition period, not just F3C. As I mentioned before, there is a formal proposal for an AMA event sort of patterned after the XFC. It will be interesting to see how it is received and if it evolves.
Gordie
On a dog sled team, if you're not the lead dog, the view never changes. |
hey the more heli pilots the merrier...prices on rotorheads will decrease as demand increases....delta 3 will someday make sense....its all part of a master plan!
