Just to clarify my view, for the folks who are actually winning high level competition approach those competitions that way. For the rest of us, including some very fine
modellers who participate in those high level events, this is not necessarily the case.
This is why there is still some aircraft variety in those high level events and
why you see WWI aircraft being flown.
> Well yes and no. Their Scale event doesn't have the participation it may
> have once had. By Rhinebeck Manuevers isn't a flying scale event. Its a
> Pattern event. Wrere Cuban-8s regular WWI manuevers? I don't think so. Their
> Scale event (AMA 513) is just that a scale event.
Point well made. But realize also that the Rhinebeck Jamboree is a WWI/Golden
Age event and you see full size Golden Age planes doing cuban 8s during the
afternoon show.
> Having a flying event is probably what id all about. While looking at them
> on the ground is nice it is more fun to see them fly! I have to caveat this
> with as long as they are flying "scale". Now there is subjective issue!
I don't think anyone would argue that Terry Nitsche's F86 wasn't scale. In fact,
this is what has taken static judging out of the picture at the Scale Masters and
Top Gun. The entire top 10 will always score within a couple points of one another
on the ground.
> Perhaps. But I wonder if the average modeler isn't influenced by what the
> top competitors are doing.
Of course they are and there's a whole lot more talk about Bob Violett models
than there would be otherwise. This is why Bob spends so much money on sponsorship
of the pilots. But you're talking as though there are no WWI airplanes at these
events in spite of the fact that early on we were talking about a resurgence and using
their presence as an indicator of that resurgence. They are there. They are not winning but they are there and beautiful.
> Hmmm. We read different mags. I'll take your word for it!
No, we just do the numbers differently. You see lots of Mustangs and few SE5s.
I realize that for every SE5a that's built, there are hundreds of Mustangs built and
so the fact that WWI planes show up at all suggests they are being over-represented.
> And I, unfortunately, do not have the answers. As much as I would like to
> think I do. I just have a wish/feeling that if more showed up in serious
> competition others would be inspired. Who knows!
I can't remember the actual numbers but it seemed to me that 15-20% of the planes
at the Masters this year were WWI. How much more representation could you expect?
Cheers --- Larry