RC Aerobatics
AFTER MORE THAN a decade of writing these columns, the list of Pattern-related topics I’ve never touched on is almost as short as Michael Jordan’s hairdo. Nevertheless, I think I may have one this month: moving up.
Pattern is structured in skill levels; the idea is to start at the bottom (lesser-skilled) levels and move to the top (highly-skilled) levels.
The advancement system
In AMA Pattern, a so-called “advancement system” is in place (AMA Competition Regulations, Radio Control Aerobatics, Section 8, Contestant Classification). This system and its arcane list of provisions, exceptions, and requirements uses up 3/4 page of exceedingly fine print and is, in fact, the longest individual numbered section in the Pattern rules—longer than any section except the Judge’s Guide.
Besides being large, unwieldy, and as full of loopholes as a hooked rug, the advancement system has one other identifying feature: it doesn’t work.
It hasn’t worked since at least the early 1980s, which was when I became involved with Pattern. From conversations with ancient Pattern warriors, I suspect that it never worked very well. Still, it exists. The system existed in embryonic (but recognizable) form as far back as 1973, which is the oldest AMA Competition Regulations that I own.
Traced over the intervening years, the Contestant Classification section has changed its section number, tripled in size and provisions, and successfully defied every attempt to streamline, abolish, or even significantly reform it. By any measure, it is a staggering bureaucratic success story—and an equally staggering regulatory failure.
The individual statistics on which the system supposedly depends are officially kept nowhere; individual contestants are totally responsible for keeping their own advancement points and tracking their own progress through the maze of provisions.
This “honor system” exists because neither the AMA nor the NSRCA has the time or resources to provide any framework for tracking or enforcement. As a result, the system is abused by a few and simply ignored by most Pattern competitors.
The sole benefit of the system is that, simply by existing, it provides us some justification for peer pressure, which is nearly always the sole driving force behind squeezing the recalcitrant out of their trophy-lined comfort zones and into the next-higher class. If you aren’t counting and keeping track, your fellow competitors usually are, and they will definitely let you know about it.
Unfortunately, the very human desire to succeed being what it is, the peer pressure usually arrives a little too soon, and is often too strongly applied.
The reluctant few who want to squat forever in some class aren’t really the problem, even though the advancement system exists just to deal with them.
The real problem I keep seeing is the eager many who want to move up too soon.
Self-promotion and moving back
The system has always made provision for those who want to self-promote to the next level. You may start anywhere in the skill-level system that you like, and move up at will.
Moving back requires more letters, forms, reasons, and signatures than getting authorization to overfly the Pentagon (see Section 8.1.2, Exception: 1). It also requires publicly swallowing one’s pride, which is never a tasty dish.
Some eventually catch up, learn the skills and lessons they missed along the way, and continue to progress. Others never do catch on; they are stuck, hoist on a petard of their own making. A few stagnate in (last) place; many simply participate less and less, and then disappear.
Advancement points and pace
The AMA guidelines call for 100 advancement points to be earned in the midlevel classes before advancement is mandatory. First-place finishers receive three points for each competitor defeated; second-place finishers receive two points; third-place and below receive one point.
Given an average class size of perhaps six contestants, and an average placing of second, this computes to 12–13 local contests flown, which is two full seasons of competition in most parts of the country. The same contestant with an average placing of third would require 30 contests to “point out” — more than seven full years of competition!
Only a consistent contest winner can “point out” of a class in a single year, and even then it would take seven decent-sized contests.
Other failings aside, the system was never designed to rush people along.
The only exception to this is the large number of points that can be instantly accumulated at the Nats — but a case can be made that if a competitor finishes so well against national competition, those points are well-earned.
Every competitor is unique so far as talent level, resources, commitment, and available practice time are concerned. All of us do not learn at the same pace, nor do we get stuck at the same places.
Just because a pilot sails through Intermediate in a single season doesn’t mean that the same experience awaits in Advanced class. Conversely, I’ve seen individuals who took several years to make the move to Advanced, then won everything in sight in that class and successfully moved to Masters the following year.
One of the reasons that the AMA advancement system fails as a guideline is that one size does not fit all. Success against whatever competition shows up does not always equal skills acquired and lessons truly learned. The competition in a given class is always comparatively weak in some locales, and strong in others. A consistent first-place finisher in one section of the country might do very well to finish fourth at the same-sized event somewhere else.
The true guideline: self-evaluation
The only true advancement guideline we have is ruthlessly honest self-evaluation — and a good knowledge of what the primary lessons are supposed to be in each class. Only by knowing exactly what we are supposed to be learning at each level can we determine if we have reached our goals. And the only time a competitor has any business moving up is if the lessons of the current class are completely nailed down. Anything less is a recipe for failure at the next level.
Sportsman class (the old Novice class) is all about:
- Straight-and-level flight parallel to the flightline
- Stall turns
- Learning to center maneuvers properly
- Performing and sizing consecutive maneuvers
- Learning to fly in front of judges and controlling contest nerves
Intermediate class (formerly known as Sportsman) introduces:
- Consecutive rolls
- Outside, square, and compound horizontal maneuvers
- Short sequences flown “in the box”
- Control of the model while in inverted flight
- Good “box sense”
Advanced class delivers the rest of the Pattern-tool skill set:
- Snaps and spins
- Slow and hesitation rolls
- Compound vertical maneuvers
- Complete sequences flown in the box
- Maintaining concentration as a critical skill
Masters and F3A are where people who have learned the lessons along the way end up. Masters is the top AMA class; there is no mandatory advancement from same. F3A is the class for those who aspire to top-level international competition.
Some see Masters as a spot to hone their skills before moving to F3A; others are comfortable with Masters as a “destination” class. The flight challenges (if not the competition level) are similar in both classes. Success in either class absolutely requires that all of the skills that have been presented before must be fully integrated and perfected. Anything skipped over or half-learned along the way will show up at this level like a giant neon sign in the sky.
Reasons people move up too soon
Skipping over or half-learning essential skills is a very easy thing to do. Many circumstances along the way can tempt a competitor to move up too soon:
- Boredom
- Ego
- Dissatisfaction with a particular maneuver sequence
- A desire to fly in the same class with friends
- Misguided peer pressure
None of these is a good reason if the current lessons haven’t been properly learned.
And the only person who can decide if they have been is you.
You must analyze your own strengths and weaknesses. By all means, seek the opinions of others, including judges and coaches. Ask those you respect who are flying at the higher levels to critique your overall skill level, and listen. Make notes if you must. Be objective, and be brutal. Make your ego go sit in the corner while you do this.
Don’t place excessive faith in the opinions of those you compete directly against. They are learning just like you are, and their standards are likely to be highly subjective and relative to their own skill level. If you are succeeding against them, you can be sure that their opinion will be strongly biased in the direction of your (proper) advancement.
If you identify significant weaknesses in your flying, do the “homework” necessary to eliminate them before making the jump. Put your practice emphasis directly on those areas. Concentrate on turning any weak point into a major strong point.
An old football coach once advised me that the quickest route to success was usually over (or through) the biggest obstacle you could find.
Only when you are satisfied that the class you are flying has nothing left to teach you should you make the move, because it is somewhat similar to becoming pregnant: there is no such thing as halfway. Once you sign on the line and pull that trigger, you are committed to all that follows.
In the meantime, enjoy the ride. Talk to any successful top-level competitor, and they will tell you that the fun they had coming up through the ranks was at least equal to the joy they are currently having. In terms of intrinsic rewards, the Pattern experience truly doesn’t get any better as it goes along; just different.
When you are just starting out, everything is fresh and new, and your level of enthusiasm is usually as high as it ever gets. Every success is major; every failure is seemingly catastrophic. You learn and sort information out at a furious rate, and giant improvements are possible. It can be a golden time, and there is no need to hurry.
We’ll be back to this subject again, to deal with the specifics and strategy making the jump.
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
