Freestyle?

[Mark Mc]

Okay, let me start off by saying that I'm not proposing any rules changes, not suggesting any new events, and not commenting on the state of contests today.  I know that that most contests are full of sanctioned events and there's usually little to no spare time in the schedule, and usually just enough or not enough judges for the scheduled events.

With that out of the way, I just had a random query.  Has anyone had/been at a contest/fun-fly where there was a judged Freestyle event during downtime when anyone could fly and put together whatever pattern they wanted to fly with whatever plane they had in flying condition?

Mark

[Dan Berry]

That would be an event for BiSlobs.

[wwwarbird]

With that out of the way, I just had a random query.  Has anyone had/been at a contest/fun-fly where there was a judged Freestyle event during downtime when anyone could fly and put together whatever pattern they wanted to fly with whatever plane they had in flying condition?

 I think yes, at any contest that Dan Banjok attends.

[Larry Fernandez]

During down time between rounds, we “Hurl” Fox .15s 😎

Larry, Buttafucco Stunt Team

[Mike Griffin]

Actually Mark, to be serious about your question, I think something like that would be a lot of fun.  Of course take it out of the realm of contests as we know it today and make it a whole separate entity.  I think it would be fun and would love to see the creativity some of these guys might come up with. 

For example, set a time of 5 minutes for each contestant ( i am just pulling that out of the air as an example) and the only rules are who can be the most creative for the next five minutes carving geometric shapes in the sky.  Do stuff like, oh I dont know,  a Rubics Cube or the Olympic Rings or anything else their imaginations can come up with.  There is no set pattern and anyone can do whatever the heck they want to do at the end of the handle.  How about a trapazoid?  My square loops look like that anyway.  LOL. 

You could even have each contestant draw some stuff on a sheet of paper and give it to the judges and say "follow along with this, this is what I am going to do." 

I think it would be a day of laughter and fun and have some sort of goofy prize for the best and worst presentation....

Sometimes we take ourselves way to seriously... a day like this couldnt be anything but a lot of fun....

Mike

[JoeJust]

Mike, my very best pattern ever might be a winner if judged as "Free Style"!
Joe

[Mike Griffin]

Mike, my very best pattern ever might be a winner if judged as "Free Style"!
Joe

Me too Joe.

Mike

[De Hill]

About 18 years ago, the Tulsa Gluedobbers controline Club had a Freestyle Stunt event that was held for 3 or 4 years. The Saint Louis  club, the Lafayette Escadrille, held a Freestyle Stunt event also during the same time.

the first year we had it, the rules were simple; The time limit was 4 minutes, and you could do any manuever you wanted. The flight was scored from 0 to 100 points. The judging was done by a den of Cub Scouts. The contest was won by a fast combat ship that wowed the scouts, and crashed. The Cubs gave the Combat ship the winning score. After that we changed the rules so that if you crashed, you were DQ'd

After 4 years, the entries were down to 2 people, and we cancelled the event.

Freestyle stunt was the first of the stunt events back in the day. The stunt pattern came later. George Aldrich used to tell stories about  Freestyle Stunt events held in football stadiums that had many  spectators. The winner was the flyer who had the loudest applause from the stands..

[PerttiMe]

the first year we had it, the rules were simple; The time limit was 4 minutes, and you could do any manuever you wanted. The flight was scored from 0 to 100 points. The judging was done by a den of Cub Scouts. The contest was won by a fast combat ship that wowed the scouts, and crashed. The Cubs gave the Combat ship the winning score. After that we changed the rules so that if you crashed, you were DQ'd

After 4 years, the entries were down to 2 people, and we cancelled the event.

Sounds like fun - but what caused the decline in entries?

In full-size aerobatics and RC, the wild show performances are what people like to watch, not the precision patterns.

[Russell Shaffer]

How about two or more in the circle?  Probably best flown over grass.

[Dane Martin]

How about two or more in the circle?  Probably best flown over grass.

My favorite kind of freestyle!

Freestyle would be whenever I fly the stunt pattern. It's a free for all if I get them in the right order! Haha.

[De Hill]

The first year we had Freestyle Stunt, we had 6 entries. During the next 4 years, entries slowly declined to 2 entries.

We replaced Freestyle with Profile Stunt.  It was an instant success.

[Dan McEntee]

The first year we had Freestyle Stunt, we had 6 entries. During the next 4 years, entries slowly declined to 2 entries.

We replaced Freestyle with Profile Stunt.  It was an instant success.

   That pretty much follows what we did here at the Ice-O-Lated contest. That was the only contest we ever had free style at. We would pick a couple of people that were not stunt judges and used the 100 point system also, I think. Like De mentions, interest faded pretty quickly and we replaced it with P-40 profile with the SIG rules. It is an interesting concept, but just nothing to really grab the contestants to want to come back for more..
  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[Trostle]

I see several issues with trying to do this. 

First, what standard does one use to "judge" any of the maneuvers that are not already defined in the rulebook?    Yes, I can come up with some maneuvers that are very difficult to execute, if not impossible, if performed to some defined standard.  Then, a pilot can say that he performed his "super triple whifferdill" perfectly, but who is to say that he really did or did not do that.

The other issue with this is that what maneuvers can be defined that are not already some series of loops and sharp turns that already define the current stunt pattern.

It is interesting though that there was a two-page article in a 1954 Air Trails (actually, Air Trails Hobbies for Young Men) that showed suggested maneuvers for a stunt pattern from the top stunt fliers at that time.  Actually, some of these became part of the "modern pattern" that George Aldrich put together around that time.  All of the suggested maneuvers were series of loops and turns.

Keith

[Steve Helmick]

Square vertical 8's are a favorite of mine, because they remind me of my youth and the plane I had that would actually do them. The horizontal hourglass wasn't nearly as challenging, but I (we) did them, also. No, I didn't know how to do "the pattern" at the time. One of the things that plane taught me was that .010" solids were not very practical.  Steve

[john e. holliday]

One thing I learned through the years doing demos is that people get bored easily when you fly the pattern more than once.  They like lots of action and closeness to the ground.   One that would get them was doing wing overs aimed right at them and pulling out as low as I could.  Dave and I used to do combat demos and finally learned there is no gentleman combat.   Seemed we would have mid airs.   The last demos I told him I was going after him no matter what.  We went home with no mid airs.   

[Dennis Moritz]

Dunno why it is, but perfecting George’s idea has become a pleasure and enduring interest, while freestyle bores me. Freestyle is like golfing without holes. For me.




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[FLOYD CARTER]

From an observers point of view, after carefully watching a round of "serious" acro, an observer is not likely to be interested in watching another series of loops and corners.  Others have already pointed out this same argument. 

When we watch a judged flight, we observers tend to also judge the maneuvers.  In order to do that, we must know just what the maneuver is supposed to be, and not some "surprise".

I would be interested in a show during lunch break, but only if it is unique.

[Dennis Moritz]

I'm more interested in working to get better at something. Even tho I don't expect to achieve beyond the mediocre in this hobby.


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[CircuitFlyer]

We are contemplating adding a Jim Walker event to one of our contests this year - https://secure.maac.ca/get_document.php?document_id=7  It includes a "contestants option" where the competitor is encouraged to come up with an original ingenious maneuver with a high wow factor.  Flying through flaming hoops has been done, use your wildest imagination.

Paul