Dan, Please note, I'm not directing the thrust of these comments at you, just to the overall principles of the discussion. I hope it isn't taken as a personal affront, as I do like your posts. Your opinion and preference is just as valid as mine.
All this historical backstory regarding what constitutes a profile plane could also be viewed as
a subtle brand protective ploy by Sig to sell more of the kits they had available for sale at their sponsored event. I would imagine that the event organizers were also hoping that folks would want to purchase and thus advertise those Sig products by creating rules favorable to their products. It would be good for the advertising budget to encourage people to show up with Sig products and fly them at a Sig event. Could be construed potentially, as a rather savvy way to sell more Primary Force, Twisters and Banshees. Perhaps? Maybe? Too much conjecture?
Or am I just way overthinking this and taking this thought exercise too far? 
Just my opinion here,
which isn't worth much, but IMO the continuation of these Sig inspired Profile event rules just seems kinda outdated and protectionist against the inclusion of a
(perceived) illicit other that is being portrayed as a "ringer" or rule breaker that may or may not actually have any run advantage based on the actual skills of the builder/flier.
Approaching 40 years old and still in contest exile is a nearly biblical length of time. I say let that Imitation plane fly. Amen.
This regionally specified profile class rules discussion is starting to feel like the historically entropic futility of a BOM discussion. Perhaps we need a Pampa sanctioned "Council of Nicea" to determine what constitutes a true profile airplane and to hopefully finally determine how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
This thread has gotten pretty far afield of the intent of the original poster's questions about the viability of two good airplanes. I'll stop digging deeper now regarding contest rules discussions, as:
1. It's a totally moot point
around where I live. 2. Any contest in driving distance from me would accept that design in profile competition.
3.
Unfortunately, we really don't even have enough regular fliers for a proper contest around Utah. Run your local events as you see fit.
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Hi Brent;
I'm not taking any personal offense and trying not to come off sounding that way. I just want to put in my 2 cents worth on how I think every effort should be made to keep the event as it was intended. I'm sure one could see the possible intent for SIG to sell more kits, that is just the American way! But know Mike Pratt and Mike Gretz personally, I doubt that was a high priority to them. It had nothing to do with increasing entry fees because SIG didn't charge ANY entry fee back when Hazel and Maxey still ran the show. The early discussion brought up the idea of how many profile models were hanging in basements and garages and could be put to use. You have to keep the time frame this all occurred in. Brodak was in business at that time and they were coming out with a new profile model every month it seemed at the time, along with RSM. Keeping the engine limit to .40 was a natural element, seeing as that almost ALL of the kits and plans for profile models were designed for engines up to .40 size, with precious few exceptions. It was almost like coming up with an IROC style event, but not possible to provide everyone with an identically prepared models. With all skill classes bundled up, it was fun watching guys fly models that they were not quite 100% in tune with, and this gave the underclasses of flyers, who flew their models a lot, a chance to pull up even or near them. There were some pretty close contests in those days, and they were a blast. I just want to try and preserve that. It helps with the old model budget also. As far as the Northwest Profile rules or anyone like them, does anyone really fly a .91 engine in their classes? Or tuned pipes? Again, for the most part, almost all of the models I see at the contests I get to attend are (as Tim put it) SIG rules legal profiles, and I'll bet 98% of the profile entries across the country are also, judging from what I can see in published photos and contest results. So, really, it's easy to make the ruling and limitations. They have been playing professional baseball for well over 100 years, and the rules are still basically the same, and they still use wood bats and horse hide covered baseballs. There have been some changes to concede things to modern times, but the basics are still there (I still don't like the automatic 4 ball intentional walk!) They still draw about 3 million a year here in St. Louis to Cardinal games. I think that people will still enter the event, no matter what, because almost everyone has some sort of "pukey profile" hanging around. As far as having PAMPA forming a committee to specify what is a profile, I can again just point out current and past entries to illustrate that it is already common knowledge what a profile model really is. There are just one or two guys that always want to push the issue In this day and age of things declining in the hobby and event, I think the simplification of anything to do with rules of any event will be helpful, and the P-40 Profile event can still do what it was intended to do and that is help draw new blood into the hobby and simple competition. I have presented the idea to our club, that maybe we should reduce the number of events due to declining entries, and P-40 may be one of them, but that is a whole 'nother issue. Again, this is just my observation from flying contests from Arizona to Indiana and participating in C/L stunt in all classes since 1987. I came up from the beginner ranks just like all of you, and it took me 17 years to get to the Expert ranks and win my first Expert contest. I had a ton of fun along the way, met a whole hoard of great people, and would not change anything about the process. I think keeping Profile class to the SIG rules and favoring typical profile models will a help with the enjoyment level of those that do come along after us.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
Topic: Cardinal Profile vs. Pathfinder Profile some of your thoughts please (Read 5330 times)
