Practice makes perfect?

[aviti]

I agree the practice starts to seem like work. Actual flying is better then the sim so once it warms up you'll have that going. Also, try to find a buddy to practice with. Then you can help each other catch things that a judge would be looking for. Remember to have fun or you won't be in it for long...

[mflander]

Thanks for all the great advice. I flew the sportsman and intermediate routines a few times last night and when I went to fly the basic again it did seem easier. You learn how to correct lines better by flying more difficult routines it seems.

As far as practicing in real life, even though its cold, I have been trying to get 3-4 flights in a day. I even bring my plane into work so I can get a couple flights in at lunch if weather permits(electric planes rule lol). Problem is I haven't had a good smaller electric IMAC practice plane, until now. My 3DHS Extra should be finished this weekend so hardcore practice should begin next week!

I will try all the things suggested, thanks for the advice!

[dmichael]

I think you'll find that, after flying the contest, there will be all sorts of new areas for you to work on. What may look great in practice may not score well once scrutinized by judges who know what they're doing. Gather as much feedback as you can and go back home to improve.

Even after 10+ years of flying IMAC I still find myself spending lots of time doing just basic manuevers practicing geometry and staying on line- especially in cross winds. I can also find myself taking off and flying one manuever or set of maneuvers over and over trying to make them better. It's probably very boring to watch but I still don't get bored. I am motivated by the fact that the guys I fly against are very good and I need to work to catch up.

[dmichael]

PS- practice doesn't make perfect- perfect practice makes perfect. As you start flying in contests, find out if you are flying the manuevers correctly- then practice them the way they should be flown.

[mflander]

Well, until the first contest I have nothing to go off of. However, I did spend the $19.99 for flightpass to watch a lot of the tas advanced and unlimited routines to get a visual on how the lines are to be flown. This has helped a bit.

Anyone willing to come to Minnesota for a teaching session? I'd be all for it lol...

[Temptation]

I have not had a chance to fly any IMAC yet, but I have been flying pattern full time for 8 years.

Practicing on a sim is good, but your right, it's gets real boring, real quick. Some of it has to do with the 2D of the sim I believe. The 2D makes it hard to practice flying straight lines, and practice entry and exit altitudes. These are the things that can't be beat by practicing with the real model. The most important thing is to come up with a good practice schedule and stick with it. Don't screw around. Make sure you set aside time for having fun, but when it's time to get down to work, make sure you work. For example. I fly two Advanced pattern rounds per flight. Then I land and think about what I just did. If I am lucky I would have somebody that knows what they are looking at judge me during practice. My practice is flying two flights that include the sequence twice in each flight. The third flight I just screw around with another plane, then get back at it. If I am practicing for the NATS or the District Finals, I only fly my primary and back up planes. No fun planes is what I mean by that. Also, no playing around. It is all business when practicing for high profile events.

This is what works for me. Hopefully you can find some of this useful. Good luck with your practice.

[Wayne]

Arent Andy and Jason putting on a clinic sometime this year up there?
Do you know those guys? They would be the two to look to for guidance in your area.

Also,
There is an IMAC Clinic in Indiana at the end of March.
Its probably a long way to drive for you but, It will be very informative.

[Zeeb]

	Quote: Originally Posted by dmichael
	PS- practice doesn't make perfect- perfect practice makes perfect. As you start flying in contests, find out if you are flying the manuevers correctly- then practice them the way they should be flown.

As an IMAC newbie, may I suggest that this little tidbit is one of the more important things mentioned here. While the advice all seems to be great, when I got to show some of the local IMAC guys what I thought was a pretty good sequence, I got a less than glowing review of my performance from the guys who've done it for some time...

Practice is good, but if you're not flying the maneuvers right because you don't know how they are supposed to be flown, you're just practicing bad habits.

Now if you KNOW how they are supposed to be flown but can't do it consistently, then you're in the same boat as the rest of us...

[mflander]

Wayne, yeah I talk to Jason occasionally. And I am going to the Intro to Indy in march. That doesn't help me with practice between now and then though .

Speaking of which, I should bring my plane with to indy right? I assume we will get some flight time in.

[Wayne]

	Quote: Originally Posted by mflander
	Speaking of which, I should bring my plane with to indy right? I assume we will get some flight time in.

Yes,
The plans are to fly if the weather is decent.

[bkflyer]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Roger Russell
	Wayne scored me a 10 once, I turned around after flying and looked at his judge sheet, saw a 10 written down and thought WOW, but then my caller reminded me I was looking at the score card upside down and it was really a 01

Roger,

You're allmost as full of it as that Wayne Guy is! The 01 was how many maneuvers that you received a score on!