GRASS CIRCLES AT THE 2007 NATS...SHADES OF WIMBLEDON?

[Shultzie]

Anyone one who has been following Wimbledon Tennis....can attest to the fact at just how much playing tennis on Grass...can effect the scores of tennis matches.

TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT CAN EFFECT THE OUTCOME OF A STUNT FLIGHT....with that in mind...Who ever can pick the best nerd' free patch of grass and dirt......
Humm?
Sound like it is time to dig through your old "wheel drawer and find those big ol'  oversized dirtbag balloon tires....to "sweeten your gamblin' chances for good take-offs n' landings?

FLYING A NATS OFF GRASS...REALLY BOGGLES MY BRITCHES???

[Paul Smith]

Some people might feel that losing a point or two on takeoff and landing is a big deal.

To me, it's a cheap price to pay for lower bottoms of all the other stunts.   Sure, to the top elites, driving an engine into the concrete is not even a worry, but to many of us, it's a big deal.

Not to mention the pleasure of spending the day (or week) on nice green grass in lieu hot concrete or asphalt.

[Scott Hartford]

Everyone will be flying from the same field, won't they???

[Doug Moon]

Enter Open or Advanced and you can fly your nats on the L-Pad.

[Bill Little]

Yep, only the "unofficial events" (and some practice) are flown on the grass.....

[Allen Goff]

I'm sure you will see many people practicing with there pampa ships on the grass circles and happy to do so. (by there choice). Maybe, to be happy with what you have and not what you don't have is a way to approach this years Nat. All this week it has been in the 80s with 5 to 10 and 10 to 15 winds, sunny skys, little or no rain, good food just down the road, good friends to fly with, and to live in a free country to travel as I please. What do I have to grip about? NOTHING. God bless America. See ya at the Nats.

Blessings
Allen 

[Bill Little]

That's what I said/was saying, Allen.

[Paul Smith]

600 x 600 equates to nine 200 x 200 areas, or enough for nine practice circles.  Quite a bonanza by most contest standards.  Maybe more, if squeezed down a bit.

AMA has a lot of land.  Maybe if flying over pavement is such a high priority to some, PAMPA could pick up the cost of a paved stunt circle or two, built on AMA's land and dedicated to stunt.   

I don't know what paving costs in Muncie, but more than just a few individual flyers have built their own venues, paying for not just the paving, but also land, fences, taxes, and insurance.

[john e. holliday]

Paul, have you figured out how much it cost to build a circle?  Besides there are four circles already paved for stunt.  There are two each for racing and speed.  Everyone needs to remember that the 600 X 600 was designed for use by multiple venues and is not strictly control line practice circles.   If they built more circles on the grass pad where would the soaring, electric and free flight pilots fly?  Would it be fair to everyone else to mess up a site that can be used by everyone so that control line can have more circles during one week out of the year.  Melvin just informed me that it cost the AMA over $30,000.00 for the McCool site, which is the racing venue.  If they are not racing or practicing it can be used for stunt practice.  Same goes for the speed site, if it is not in use the stunt people can practice.  Now how many people would use the extra circles during the year.  Paul, when was the last NATS you attended???    Having fun, DOC Holliday & Brenda Schuette

[Paul Smith]

I was only down there once.  It looked like a huge area of nice grass.   With the RC and Free Flight guys high overhead, it wouldn't make any difference to them whether the stunters underneath were flying over turf or asphalt.

Personally, I'd much rather fly over grass, cooler and safer.

My comment was directed to those who are critical of the grass circles, suggesting that paying for pavement would be more constructive than complaining about the grass.

When I went down, we were flying stunt on the "a & c" pad (speed & racing).  It was amusing that several OT free flights (and some with radio assist) landed inside the cage, a one-in-a-hundred event that they seemed to hit about 15% of the time.

[Darrell Mims]

   Our field has a nice close cut circle 's ,It's almost like a Putting Green . So if you don't want to fly off grass ,You must not want to fly! Ask any one who has flown at the Clanton Field

[SteveMoon]

I love practicing on the grass at the Nats. It is generally cooler there, and (except for last year) the
circles are always in good shape. Plus, there are much less pilots per circle; usually only 3 or 4.

Steve

[Bill Little]

The last time I competed at the NATS, we were up past the corner of the L Pad on the road side practicing.  The grass was fine, and Billy Werwage and Bob Hunt were flying there.  That was where the up lead out snapped on Bob's Super Saturn.  No fault of the grass!

The unofficial event s are flown on the grass as they should be.  There are 4 circles on the L Pad, and with the amount of fliers in the Official events, there just isn't enough room already, so the grass circles work out fine.  The NATS are just that.  It is THE contest to pick the NATIONAL AMA CHAMPION in CLPA, so while the unofficial events are great, the facilities should be used during the NATS for the intended purpose.  That being to find the National CLPA Champions in the Official AMA categories.

[john e. holliday]

The circles have been mowed again today, Saturday.  We are trying to get the paint put down on all the circles.  It is the best I have ever seen it.  Still no flying until maybe Sunday night.  No fun working with Giant Scale Aerobatic Airplanes flying overhead.  One did go down at the Int and Sportsman site which is even further from us.  The pilot admitted it was just pilot error.  Alot of guys are showing up and we are sending them to the in town site.  You have to deal with what you have.  Have fun,  DOC Holliday