I flew the whole beginners pattern today.

[Tim Wescott]

For the first time.  Then I did it again.

I only got two flights in, but it's not too bad for a winter day when I wasn't going to fly in the first place.

[Dalton Hammett]

Congratulations,  I remember it felt good getting thru it the first time.......

Dalton H

[David M Johnson]

Thats great! Way to go. I'll bet that had to feel good.  What plane did you use? and what part of the country were you flying in?
David Johnson

[Dan McEntee]

   Sometimes, success just sneaks up you. I kind of remember exactly when I got over each plateau as I worked my way up the stunt ladders. The best that I can describe it is, I just "got it" , you know what I mean? Somebody can tell you something over and over, or can show, but when you do it successfully for the first time, it's that "Oh Yeah!!!" or "I get it!!!" moment. From here on out, it's just practice and refinement. Took me 17 years to get from the beginner class to expert, but it was a fun journey. In my first contest, I was scared stiff, and it took me two airplanes to get through both rounds. The following year at my first SIG contest, I think I went through three! You know you are on the road to success when you have an airplane that lasts in it's original condition through a whole flying season! I wouldn't change a thing about the last 25 years or so but have this advice for you and any beginner, no matter what age;
  1) Do your best to make your equipment reliable, both airframes and engines.
 2) Listen to what everyone has to say help wise, keep an open mind about everything. Then carefully go through the information to see how it applies to you and your situation.
 3) Learn to use your whole field of vision. Tunnel vision, where you are concentrating but only seeing the model, is what, IMHO, causes most crashes. This is one of those things that I finally understood moving through advanced to expert. You have the whole sky to fly in, learn to see it all and use it. The ground never moves! It's like driving a nail with a hammer. You will never hit the nail while watching the hammer head through the stroke, but focus on the nail and you'll hit it on the head every time.
   When I'm flying good, I see the maneuver in the air and just fly the plane through it. I still get that tunnel vision every now and then, though. A good baseball hitter will tel you that when he's in a groove and hitting well, He "seeing the ball well" on the way to the plate. I think seeing the plane through the pattern is very similar.
  Congratulations on the achievement! And it is just that. And it gets more challanging and more fun from here on out!~ Just wait until you get to the hour glass and the clover leaf!
  Good luck and have fun,
  Dan McEntee

[Randy Powell]

Tim,

And no unscheduled landings? Cool. Was this with the Waiex?

[Tim Wescott]

Thats great! Way to go. I'll bet that had to feel good.  What plane did you use? and what part of the country were you flying in?

It's my own design, a very semi scale stunt version of a Sonex Waiex.  (I need a better, more current picture).  OS 25S powered, 48" span, 400 square inches of area, about 35 ounces dry.  The only really un-sexy thing about it is the constant-chord wing -- that's a pretty definitive aspect of the real thing, so I didn't feel I could leave it out and retain even a semblance of the real thing.  I've been told that it's underpowered: if it is I can't wait to fly a plane that has the right motor on it, because this one sure seems to do well for me!

Today was not just my first pattern, but my first real attempt at complete overhead eights -- I figured that I'd just give them a whirl, and if just about anything short of seriously slack lines happened, I could bail with plenty of time to decide what to do.  So I did, and they worked!

I live outside of Oregon City, Oregon.  It gets most of the western Oregon weather patterns, with a bit of wind off the mountains mixed in.  Today was nearly perfect -- cloudy but almost still air, cold but not freezing, moist ground but not too wet, etc.

And no unscheduled landings? Cool.

And no unscheduled landings.  I did pull out extra-low on at least one loop (can't remember which one), but only a couple of feet extra low, not exactly five feet, four inches.  58 foot lines and going all the way up to 45 degrees helps a lot with that.

(I didn't realize it until the next time I flew, but there's a big fat scuff mark on the outside bottom wing tip -- I'm pretty sure that came from the unscheduled landing at Salem).

[Phil Coopy]

Good show Tim,  you'll be doing the wholw thin in no time at all.

Phil

[RogerGreene]

Nice looking design. I like it! And Congratualtions on doing the complete pattern.

Roger

[Paul Taylor]

Congratz!!!!

It is a good feeling when you get over a hump.

Just keep burning the fuel and it gets better.

[john e. holliday]

Way to go Tim,  you will be in expert before you reaize it.  Now you need a coach.

[Tim Wescott]

I know.  At the moment I don't have time to go to where the coaches are, and I haven't been able to interest any coaches in coming out to the boonies to fly at our field.

I did a quick check on a map: there's an established CL flying field about 50 minutes north west of here (Delta Park), another one about 50 minutes south of here (Salem), and one about 50 minutes mostly west and south of here (McMinnville.  Most of the people who live in the northern Willamette Valley are more convenient to one of those fields, but if there happens to be any good control line fliers shivering in huts in the Oregon Cascades, I want you to know that there's a Really Friendly Group out in Estacada!  Even the potholes in the grass flying circle have smiley faces in them!

So this coming year I think it's going to be self-coaching, and whatever help I can pick up at contests.  Hopefully in a few years, when #1 son goes off to college, things will get easier.

[Paul Taylor]

Well I can say the guys at Delta Park will be a big help.
Make a day of it.

[ray copeland]

Very nice Tim, twice in the same day!!  I still remember trying to get thru the overhead eights, that ol' Flite Streak could turn and burn. Keep up the good work!

[John Stiles]

Wull......shoot.....you shoulda told me you were gonna try that. I got a buddy in Coos Bay that coulda filmed the event!

[John Castle]

Good Job!!  I was there with you last winter. Next step...Enter a contest 

[Bill Little]

Now it's just doing more of the same, and adding maneuvers.  You'll get there in no time!

Big Bear

[PJ Rowland]

Keep it up - remember everyone started from the same point.

" Whats that and how do you do THAT! "

Doesnt matter if your World champion or Club regular, it takes the same - a desire to enjoy this hobby, if you have it, practice and a will to get better will come naturally, but you have to put yourself out there. People will help.

I can still remember when I was 8yrs old seeing our national Champ fly, I said to him - " I can loop, how to you do a square.. He replied, jerk the hand UP 4 times, and thats a square.. I did it.. & Did my 1st square, little things.. keep it up.