Senior Pattern Association's 20th Anniversary - 2012/08

Thirty pilots, flying the best of the golden age Pattern
airplanes, gathered for a special event near Atlanta,
Georgia. They wanted to observe the 20th anniversary
of the first contest held by a then-fledgling aerobatic
organization—one that is still going strong with no signs
of a slowdown. They came not only to celebrate that first
October 1991 contest, but to honor the founder.
Mickey Walker wanted to return to Pattern competition
based on the simplicity of Pattern’s early days, without
investing a ton of money in the process. The success of
Senior Pattern Association (SPA) during the past 20 years
has been because of Mickey’s successful formula. Many
“average” fliers have experienced the joy of flying simple,
inexpensive aerobatic competition, which they probably
wouldn’t have otherwise.
In the February 1992 issue of MA, modeling author
and renowned Pattern competitor, Ron Van Putte, first
introduced the AMA membership to the SPA while
covering the first contest. The feature article explained
the concepts and guiding principles founder Mickey
Walker (a longtime Pattern flier) used in its formation—
primarily a return to the original, non-turnaround-style
Pattern event, while using basic, low-tech airplanes
designed before January 1970 (approximately 20-yearold
designs at that time).
The 20th anniversary Nostalgia contest seemed more like
a homecoming or family reunion than a Pattern contest.
Numerous pilots who attended had not been active in some
time. Many were former SPA competitors and friends whom
Mickey invited to come “home” and observe this special
anniversary.
Mickey and fellow pilot Keith Watson were the only two
pilots present for both contests. I was there both times as well,
but the first time was just to watch. I was excited by what I
saw, and joined SPA on the spot (I have an early newsletter to
prove it), but didn’t actually rejoin and compete for another
15 years—long story!
Why SPA? By 1990, AMA-sanctioned
competition costs had increased beyond
the average modeler’s resources, with
high-tech, high-performance equipment
the primary culprit. Only the more
dedicated, affluent, or sponsored pilots
could compete at the highest levels of
competition.
In addition to the prohibitive costs,
many Pattern pilots back then simply
didn’t enjoy the new (at the time)
turnaround-style maneuver format.
Because of this, many chose to simply
move on to other areas within RC. AMA
Pattern lost much of the popularity it
had once enjoyed.
Mickey was one of those who had
left AMA Pattern, and missed the
camaraderie of the contests and the
traditional one-maneuver-per-pass
aerobatics sequence. After thinking
about ways that AMA might have
inadvertently excluded pilots by
allowing the unimpeded advance of
technology and expense, a deliberate
limit was placed on the technical aspect
of competition, similar to the Novice
class in AMA competition, which also
incorporates limitations.
Mickey’s SPA emphasized a deliberate
return to the philosophy of “simple and inexpensive,” meaning stock
engines with stock mufflers, and no
tuned pipes or retracts. An SPA-legal
airplane is no more expensive than the
average airplane on the flightline at
your local field. The simplicity and low
cost of early Vintage models, in terms
of materials and equipment, means
that a level playing field is deliberately
established, making practice and skill the
primary difference between competitors.
Mickey gathered a number of his
friends with similar feelings and drafted
a set of simple rules and the Senior
Pattern Association was born. He based
SPA on the concept of the Senior
PGA Tournaments, complete with age
requirements; you had to be 45 years
old. Yet younger pilots wanted to get
involved, so the age rule didn’t last long,
but the name Senior Pattern Association
stuck.
What has become of Mickey’s
brainchild throughout the past 20 years?
In the early days, Mickey was president,
newsletter editor, chief promoter, and
CD. He paid for all of the trophies and
expenses of the organization himself
for the first few years. Nine years after
that first 1991 contest, SPA became an
official AMA SIG.
As the organization grew, Mickey was
finally able to step back some from the
administrative duties. He is now Founder
Emeritus of SPA as it enters its third
decade.
For most of SPA’s 20 years, there was
slow but steady growth. Much of the
activity was concentrated in the states
of Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama.
However, for the past fi ve years—
especially since two articles about it
were published in MA—growth has
accelerated; there are now members in
nearly all 50 states.
Throughout the past few years, there
has been tentative, isolated SPA contest
activity in Virginia, the Northeast, Pacifi c
Northwest, Indiana, and Florida, but
nothing that has lasted.
This past February, after four years
of increasing contest activity, a second
designated region of permanent SPA
activity, comprising Texas, Oklahoma,
and Arkansas, with established, regularly
scheduled contests, has been formed.
Mickey often mentioned that he
always wanted SPA to be a national
organization with regions across the
country. Now that the second region has
been established, the organization wants
to help other areas of the country make
Mickey’s goal a reality.
Rules have remained relatively
unchanged, but some changes are
needed to respond to the growth of the
organization. As mentioned, the age rule
was the first to be amended. SPA now
has competitors as young as 10 years old
experiencing what it’s like to meet the
challenge in front of the judges.
There are two classes of competition:
traditional SPA and Antique. The cutoff date for legal SPA models changed
from 1970 to January 1, 1976, to
accommodate a wider range of models
from which to choose. Why did SPA
choose the 1976 date rather than adopt
a progressive date range of 20 to 30
years?
By the mid-1970s, the use of retracts
and pipes was commonplace at all
levels of competition. That date fits the
philosophy of SPA, which tries to keep
the original SPA concepts of simple and
inexpensive in mind when rule changes
are considered.
One gratifying result of recent growth
in Vintage Pattern competition has
been the involvement of several kit
manufacturers, which has made it much
easier to have a legal airplane to fly (see
“Sources”). In 1991, essentially all of the
airplanes were built from plans. Now
we even have some ARFs available,
including the popular The World Models
Intruder, Horizon Hobby Phoenix 7, and
Tower Hobbies Kaos.
There has been growth since that first
contest 20 years ago, but the founding
principles upon which Mickey based
SPA haven’t changed. The emphasis
is still placed on non-turnaround
competition with simple, inexpensive
vintage airplanes.
From the beginning, an important
goal of SPA competition has been
the idea of individual competitors
experiencing a good time above all
else. The camaraderie, friendships, and
memories will always be worth more
than the hardware you win. Still, we are
competitive creatures by nature, and a
lot of practice is rewarded with a first-,
second-, or third-place finish (or through
fifth place in Novice).
This SPA 20th anniversary contest was
one of the highlights of the 2011 contest
season. It was a special time to gather
and honor Mickey for creating such an
enjoyable outlet for RC competition. It
was a wonderful weekend, and a chance
for everyone to convey thanks and best
wishes to Mickey for a job well done.
If this sounds like fun to you, and
you are interested in friendly Pattern
competition (in front of friendly, helpful
judges), then go to the SPA website to
learn more about the organization. Feel
free to come out to a contest; SPA offers
competition at all skill levels. Most start
in Novice.
It’s time to practice ... see you at the
field.

Thirty pilots, flying the best of the golden age Pattern
airplanes, gathered for a special event near Atlanta,
Georgia. They wanted to observe the 20th anniversary
of the first contest held by a then-fledgling aerobatic
organization—one that is still going strong with no signs
of a slowdown. They came not only to celebrate that first
October 1991 contest, but to honor the founder.
Mickey Walker wanted to return to Pattern competition
based on the simplicity of Pattern’s early days, without
investing a ton of money in the process. The success of
Senior Pattern Association (SPA) during the past 20 years
has been because of Mickey’s successful formula. Many
“average” fliers have experienced the joy of flying simple,
inexpensive aerobatic competition, which they probably
wouldn’t have otherwise.
In the February 1992 issue of MA, modeling author
and renowned Pattern competitor, Ron Van Putte, first
introduced the AMA membership to the SPA while
covering the first contest. The feature article explained
the concepts and guiding principles founder Mickey
Walker (a longtime Pattern flier) used in its formation—
primarily a return to the original, non-turnaround-style
Pattern event, while using basic, low-tech airplanes
designed before January 1970 (approximately 20-yearold
designs at that time).
The 20th anniversary Nostalgia contest seemed more like
a homecoming or family reunion than a Pattern contest.
Numerous pilots who attended had not been active in some
time. Many were former SPA competitors and friends whom
Mickey invited to come “home” and observe this special
anniversary.
Mickey and fellow pilot Keith Watson were the only two
pilots present for both contests. I was there both times as well,
but the first time was just to watch. I was excited by what I
saw, and joined SPA on the spot (I have an early newsletter to
prove it), but didn’t actually rejoin and compete for another
15 years—long story!
Why SPA? By 1990, AMA-sanctioned
competition costs had increased beyond
the average modeler’s resources, with
high-tech, high-performance equipment
the primary culprit. Only the more
dedicated, affluent, or sponsored pilots
could compete at the highest levels of
competition.
In addition to the prohibitive costs,
many Pattern pilots back then simply
didn’t enjoy the new (at the time)
turnaround-style maneuver format.
Because of this, many chose to simply
move on to other areas within RC. AMA
Pattern lost much of the popularity it
had once enjoyed.
Mickey was one of those who had
left AMA Pattern, and missed the
camaraderie of the contests and the
traditional one-maneuver-per-pass
aerobatics sequence. After thinking
about ways that AMA might have
inadvertently excluded pilots by
allowing the unimpeded advance of
technology and expense, a deliberate
limit was placed on the technical aspect
of competition, similar to the Novice
class in AMA competition, which also
incorporates limitations.
Mickey’s SPA emphasized a deliberate
return to the philosophy of “simple and inexpensive,” meaning stock
engines with stock mufflers, and no
tuned pipes or retracts. An SPA-legal
airplane is no more expensive than the
average airplane on the flightline at
your local field. The simplicity and low
cost of early Vintage models, in terms
of materials and equipment, means
that a level playing field is deliberately
established, making practice and skill the
primary difference between competitors.
Mickey gathered a number of his
friends with similar feelings and drafted
a set of simple rules and the Senior
Pattern Association was born. He based
SPA on the concept of the Senior
PGA Tournaments, complete with age
requirements; you had to be 45 years
old. Yet younger pilots wanted to get
involved, so the age rule didn’t last long,
but the name Senior Pattern Association
stuck.
What has become of Mickey’s
brainchild throughout the past 20 years?
In the early days, Mickey was president,
newsletter editor, chief promoter, and
CD. He paid for all of the trophies and
expenses of the organization himself
for the first few years. Nine years after
that first 1991 contest, SPA became an
official AMA SIG.
As the organization grew, Mickey was
finally able to step back some from the
administrative duties. He is now Founder
Emeritus of SPA as it enters its third
decade.
For most of SPA’s 20 years, there was
slow but steady growth. Much of the
activity was concentrated in the states
of Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama.
However, for the past fi ve years—
especially since two articles about it
were published in MA—growth has
accelerated; there are now members in
nearly all 50 states.
Throughout the past few years, there
has been tentative, isolated SPA contest
activity in Virginia, the Northeast, Pacifi c
Northwest, Indiana, and Florida, but
nothing that has lasted.
This past February, after four years
of increasing contest activity, a second
designated region of permanent SPA
activity, comprising Texas, Oklahoma,
and Arkansas, with established, regularly
scheduled contests, has been formed.
Mickey often mentioned that he
always wanted SPA to be a national
organization with regions across the
country. Now that the second region has
been established, the organization wants
to help other areas of the country make
Mickey’s goal a reality.
Rules have remained relatively
unchanged, but some changes are
needed to respond to the growth of the
organization. As mentioned, the age rule
was the first to be amended. SPA now
has competitors as young as 10 years old
experiencing what it’s like to meet the
challenge in front of the judges.
There are two classes of competition:
traditional SPA and Antique. The cutoff date for legal SPA models changed
from 1970 to January 1, 1976, to
accommodate a wider range of models
from which to choose. Why did SPA
choose the 1976 date rather than adopt
a progressive date range of 20 to 30
years?
By the mid-1970s, the use of retracts
and pipes was commonplace at all
levels of competition. That date fits the
philosophy of SPA, which tries to keep
the original SPA concepts of simple and
inexpensive in mind when rule changes
are considered.
One gratifying result of recent growth
in Vintage Pattern competition has
been the involvement of several kit
manufacturers, which has made it much
easier to have a legal airplane to fly (see
“Sources”). In 1991, essentially all of the
airplanes were built from plans. Now
we even have some ARFs available,
including the popular The World Models
Intruder, Horizon Hobby Phoenix 7, and
Tower Hobbies Kaos.
There has been growth since that first
contest 20 years ago, but the founding
principles upon which Mickey based
SPA haven’t changed. The emphasis
is still placed on non-turnaround
competition with simple, inexpensive
vintage airplanes.
From the beginning, an important
goal of SPA competition has been
the idea of individual competitors
experiencing a good time above all
else. The camaraderie, friendships, and
memories will always be worth more
than the hardware you win. Still, we are
competitive creatures by nature, and a
lot of practice is rewarded with a first-,
second-, or third-place finish (or through
fifth place in Novice).
This SPA 20th anniversary contest was
one of the highlights of the 2011 contest
season. It was a special time to gather
and honor Mickey for creating such an
enjoyable outlet for RC competition. It
was a wonderful weekend, and a chance
for everyone to convey thanks and best
wishes to Mickey for a job well done.
If this sounds like fun to you, and
you are interested in friendly Pattern
competition (in front of friendly, helpful
judges), then go to the SPA website to
learn more about the organization. Feel
free to come out to a contest; SPA offers
competition at all skill levels. Most start
in Novice.
It’s time to practice ... see you at the
field.