Its hard for this thread NOT to turn into another bom argument.
However : To crown the national Champion; You need to be all things to all men - before and after. John Stiles mentioned Golf about Tiger woods - Look at all the traditions of Augusta Golf :
Traditional Sunday Pin locations
Butlers Cabin.
Rays creek
Magnolia Lane
What the caddies have to wear
The Green jacket.
These are all traditions - they help keep the integrity of the event - the mystique of that ONE special event - No different to wimbledon tennis having to wear White.
There was no outrage over insisting that everyone do these thins for all tournaments, you dont wear white at every tennis event- you dont have a green jacket for every golf win - it would lessen the importance of that one event.
Why cant people understand the traditions of the National Championship - and whats involved in crowning someone a NATS winner.
To quote Brett :
you want to compete with the big boys, *build your own damn airplane*Its for only one event - one Special event dont try to demean or water it down - keep the tradition alive.
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I will sight an example of what can occur when people make stupid choices in regards to Stunt events :
We have a flying contest locally that has/had alot of history behind it - The trophy was 1st presented in 1947 - so for 64 years its been presented as one of the premier stunt events in our calender. Reading down the list of Names is a who's who of Flying locally. Everyone had their name plaque engraved on the base- and the base had grown and grown and grown. It has always been a Stunt event - you fly the pattern as is the modern interpretation of it as the times dictate, with modern equipment ect.
I have won it a few times in the past and have been proud to have my name engraved along side those greats.
The idiots running the club decided to change the event to a Vintage stunt event only - Changing it from Open to OTS - When I enquired as to why - the reasoning was " Well in the late 40's early 50's we didnt fly the modern pattern with modern planes we flew vintage planes and a Vintage pattern..
My logic was lost on them - In Early 40's / 50's they flew what was considered MODERN...... The event has always been about what is here and now.
I no longer fly in the event because its lost its meaning - the guys in the 70's who flew and won with modern pattern and modern designs, and the 80's and 90's and 2000's all did so with modern power and modern interpreation of the pattern. So for the last 40 years....... yet we go back in time and fly it as presented when it was 1st conceived and try to recreate that with some flawed logic about - " We so and so in 1948 flew this design to this pattern" Its pointless and has now lessened the event - watered down the history.....
RUINED IT.. I will not fly in that contest now as a result of these actions...
My point is : You dont want to mess with History, dont lessen the acheivements of those before you - dont destroy tradition, and dont let small minded people who dont know what the essence of the event - Control the destiny of the event.