Pattern vs. Aerobatic

"Pattern" is a subset of "aerobatic". All sorts of stunts in the air are aerobatics, but the field is divided into various classes. At the wild and rowdy end we find "3D", full of crazy tumbles at slow speed. Over at the other end of the spectrum is "pattern", with large, high precision maneuvers of the classical types.

(Tastes may vary, though. My 5 year old, accompanying me to the field one day last summer, pointed at a 3D machine in the air, exclaiming "Look, daddy! There's one of those planes that can't fly properly!")

-tih

A pattern plane usually has a very long fuselage, some are almost as long as the wing span. As the other reply said, pattern is precision aerobatics. When they do a loop, they are supposed to finish exactly where they started. When they go straight up then fall down; the up and down lines are supposed to be exactly the same.

Our club president flies 2 meter pattern planes and the moves are beautiful to watch.

He was my instructor when I first started. He told me the pattern planes are so stable that a small one actually makes a good intermediate plane. There are several 40 and 60 size models that are affordable. His carbon fiber, high tech, plane is too expensive and too fragile for anyone other than an expert pilot.

Pattern winner in the '60s and still one of the best all around plenes ever designed: Kaos.

Nice one Tom!

Pattern ships tend to be medium speed planes flyng 'on teh wing' and doing a preset routine of complex but smooth aerobatics.

3D planes, or fun fliers, are normally capable of full vertical, and hardly use teh wings at all for many manouvers. The wings are really there to saiblise, and act as ways to force the plane into yet more weird antics. But teh engine does all teh work.

Sport aerobats may range from fast but not very powerful thrustwise macihines, up to blindingly fast machines with huge top speeds and full

3D capability.

The classic conversation to have with teh pilots of these is as follows

"Did you mean to do that?" "Er - of course I did" "Really...."

Sorry Charlie T. Una, WRONG!!! The definition of aerobatic is flying down where it takes big brass kahunas. Let's see these hot shot pattern jocks do their mess 3' off the ground. Do a loop T&G that isn't more than head high. Try the REAL Dixie Death. 18" Limbo. It's easy to fly stunts 200' up in the air, try it down where the worms will crawl up the tailpipe. If it doen't cause a pucker, it ain't worth it! It's all said here:

I Hate Pattern

The color scheme is psychedelic, but the plane is certainly not a relic. The mismatched colors cause public scenes, and the cost is beyond my ways and means. The plane is set upon the ground, as it taxis, it wanders ?round and ?round. The takeoff run is not very straight, and it barely misses the parking lot gate. Once in the air, so so high, it flys all around up in the sky. Or perhaps inside an invisible ?box?, flown by macho pattern jocks. The maneuvers are very large and smooth, the plane is really getting in a groove. It?s certainly not very close to the ground, and you can?t even hear the engine sound. God forbid they should take a chance of tearing off those pretty wheel pants. Some think pattern is watching grass grow, but not to those who really know. Look at the grin upon his face, that Cuban 8's not an inch out of place. The plane is straight, fast and true, but the pilot is turning blue, blue, blue. What?s that you say? My loop is an egg? He gets on his knees and begins to beg. My plane is perfect and I fly it well, if you can?t see that you can go to hel. . .p Me, help me friends of mine, throw out this ignorant blind judge swine! The judge won?t listen or even budge, he remembers the last contest, and holds a grudge. Against the guy who beat him out, the last time that they had a bout. His wife consoles him, you know who?ll win, honey; the guy with the most sponsorship money. Like little Chip Hyde and those who started so young, but they discoverd girls, now THAT?S really fun! (what plane???) The pattern plane is on the ground, and looks of awe sure abound. Not for the fact the he flew it neat, but the pilot didn?t even mess his seat. The ?pucker factor?, well, it just isn?t there, when you?re seven or eight hundred feet up in the air. I?ve said my piece, my time is done, you all go fly pattern, we?ll poke holes in the sky. . . and have some REAL fun!

CAVEAT: I got nothing against pattern, really. If that's what turns you on, go for it! Just let me turn and burn, wiggle and squiggle. Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

Odd . . . didn't know IAC had a category for "pattern" aircraft . . .

must be one of those "hobby" things . . . Cheers, Fred McClellan The House Of Balsa Dust

I'll second that Paul, flew a 60 size Kaos for 10+ years starting around 1984. After I got tired of it, I gave it to a friend, who flew it for several more years until the glue joints and covering finally gave out. I have had many larger aircraft, but none flew as true or easy as the Kaos did. Very light (6 1/2 lbs.) and fast (clocked at 95+ straight and level).

aerobatics.

I have a Kaos that weighs 5 1/2 pounds and is powered by a Dub Jett .46, great fun, will fly slow as you like and as fast as you can. I just built a Bridi UFU with a Jett Barstock .60. Flies even better than the Kaos.

Regards

Tom Watson Sydney Australia

Gee, that sounds just as elitist as the pattern jocks!

While 3D models can "fly on the engine", they are actually much lighter on the wing than a typical pattern plane. A good pattern plane usually has a

18-24 Oz wing loading. A good 3D model may have around half of that wing loading. 3D models have higher lift airfoils, to boot.

Bob

Not necessarily higher lift but more suited to the speed range.

Best damn pilot I ever saw was a pattern flier. After serious practice, he would often put his Atlanta on the deck knife edge or inverted. He would do square loops with the bottom of the loop not 3 feet off the deck. He once borrowed my brand new own-design model to enter a fun fly contest. The model and been flown only once, and I warned him it was badly nose-heavy. Well, he won the contest, and split the booty with me. I got a Super Tigre engine and some fuel out of the deal. He was a damn good pylon racer too.

Flying is about discipline. A disciplined pattern pilot is also a disciplined aerobatic pilot. Their routines can look wild and random, but they're in perfect control.

Bob

The name Chip Hyde comes to mind....

You got your name for yours, I got my name for mine... :) Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

She doesn't have to. Like doing figures in ice skating. Once you get past the basics, everything else is gravy. Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"