Thoughts from Claude MacKrill

Just some thoughts from Cape Town
Thursday, 10 February 2005 (late at night)

Now that we have MAASA looking after the pattern flyers, we as the Pattern flyers of the country should reciprocate by looking after MAASA…… One has heard from various corners of the fraternity…. bitching about everything…… then sitting back & wanting to know what MAASA is doing about ……everything…… Now, to all those that do all the bitching & criticizing, remember if u feel that u can do better …… u are welcome to join the hard working band of idiots (in your view, of course) that hold office - a thankless task…. If it wasn’t for this merry band of ‘idiots’, we who looooove Pattern flyers would have no competitions to fly at… no Nationals to go to…. no Masters to be invited to…… So now that I have upset a few…..lets get down to business.
PS they have to be idiots – in the nicest possible way - to be prepared to put up with all the cr*p
So before I go any further I would just like to personally thank the following: Thanks 2 Eric & Lindsey Ousman, Savas, Ivan Olivier & Pierre.M, & all the members of the past & present committee that I don’t know - your work is appreciated by all…. thanks once again…..And to ALL the judges around the country that sit for hours in the burning sun or sometimes in bitter cold, and don’t moan….A heart felt thanks……………….
To Ivan Olivier ‘The Donn’ & all the other ‘Donners’………..judging is such a thankless task if ever there was one…..so next time u want to bitch about a bad score, be glad that this merry band of ‘Donners’ were prepared to sit out there to give u a bad score.
Now some thoughts that I wish to communicate……. These are my thoughts, so please feel free to criticize, amend, snigger at, express amusement at, discuss, condemn, knock, censure, show disapproval, (hurling not allowed unless in the privacy of your own bedroom or over a model helicopter), improve, adapt…. Get my drift?
About our grading system: As it is right now, only the SA team members get a blazer or ‘colours’. Now I, a lowly & low scoring pattern pilot, will never have a chance to get one. However, should there be a provincial ‘colours’ system in place, then the ‘colours’ can be spread a bit more widely, don’t you think? The details for this must of course be worked out…. For example, provincial colours will be awarded to someone if he has flown in all the local provincial/regional competitions, and had an average score of more than say 55.7% (as ratified by MAASA)…. This will give us lowly flyers at least a chance to be recognized in some way……. Just a thought, hey?
Next: The provincial bodies must try & make the provincial competitions more financially viable. By this I mean, give the running of these competitions to people who can also make a financial success of it. Be they modellers or not…… What I’m saying is that we need corporate sponsorship, provincial & nationally…. But this is not going to happen if we continue to run the bigger comps as they are presently run….. There is nothing more boring than watching pattern flyers fly for hour after hour…. Even pattern flyers get bored! Sooooooo what to do? It was suggested that we get a good spin doctor or 2 (Louw’s suggestion) to sort out our problems… Such a guy can have a fresh outlook at the ‘THING’ and then come up with a ‘business plan’ that will make corporate entities WANT to give us some serious dosh to be associated with pattern events …… Maybe we need side shows, jumping castles……. mud wrestling… … or even link up with other activities…. like, ……..I don’t have the answers……. Come on guys, work with me here………. use that grey matter you were given….. Don’t be scared to be criticized or laughed at ( remember they laughed at the thought that heavier than air craft could not fly)……. just come to the table with your thoughts….. Remember that a lot gets done if you don’t care who gets the credit…..our sport (erm - obsession) will be the winner… and so we will all win…. Maybe we should take a good hard look at gholf. If ever there has been an ‘elitist’ ‘sport’, then that’s it (it must be obvious that I do not care about big men chasing little balls and hitting the sh*t out of them……). And not only is it elitist, but also absolutely boring as hell… like watching paint dry… And yet, just consider the amount of sponsorship, TV audiences, etc that this lot attract…… Who and/or what makes their so-called ‘sport’ better than ours??? It is all a matter of ‘spin’, say I…
Once we get the right spin on this lot, then money made at these events could be contributed towards the transport costs etc for competitors who attend the invitationals - after all, they would be the provincial reps…… Some money could also be raised to promote our sport at the schools…… and when we become hugely successful, this dosh may also then also be used to sponsor the national team in international events…… we can even sponsor international events locally…… Come on guys, who says this is impossible? Ain’t our motto ‘the sky’s the limit’???
What I’m saying is that the provincial bodies should stop bitching at MAASA’s central committee, we should get off our very fat butts & do ’IT’ for ourselves at provincial level, & then once we have done that, we would have a well oiled machine going soon ,……..& if we are lucky we will end up also being able to pay for some of those overseas pilots to come & grace our shows (shores)………..Many thanks to Savas for bringing over Marco Benicasso, the Italian, a few years ago…it was 1derful watching this man fly ……..we want……………. need more of this, but this won’t happen if we sit around on our bl*rry hands & bitch all day……Once again 3 cheers for Savas..
As I say, & at the risk of repeating myself, stop bitching, get off your butt (a sizable one in my case) lets get in the spin doctors that will heal all our ills….even if we pay them a %tage of the takings…. its a commercial venture remember ….. We need the best people for the job……….. Leave the flying to us & let them & those of us who are capable 2 run the show……… Please - I desperately want my provincial colours……….If u come last all the time as I do, the only way I’m going to get mine is if I poison the other competitors & bribe the judges……….

Regard to all,
Claude MacKrill
(Passionate Muddler from Cape Town)

PS this is a chain letter if you do not respond to the comments made in this open letter within 24.78 hours a bad fate will befall U …..On your 6th flight your elevator servo will fail & your aircraft will go crashing through your front windscreen & out of the back, and to top it all, your wife will find out about all the lies u have been telling her about the price of the aircraft parts, she will then proceed to jump on all your other models then divorce u, & you will have to sell your favourite radio to keep up with maintenance payments……so there…….u may respond by e-mailing me or Savas or ‘The Donn’ or a friend….the important thing is that you respond….the future of our sport is in your hands…..Do something….anything……but on a serious note……any bad grammar used in this letter is done purposefully…so now stop bitching about the grammar…..it’s the contents that’s important……