Re: LIFA

From: <john_kagan_at_hotmail.com>
Date: 06 Mar 2014 18:56:24 -0800

Hi Kurt,

 That is a good point. The LSF program has people who have run through the 5 levels more than once. They also have an unofficial level 6, which is helping someone else achieve their level 5.
 

 If we do it right, the LIFA program could simultaneously provide consistent incentive for newcomers, as well as prestige and ongoing challenge for top performers.
 

 I remember when you proposed the AKC model. It is hard to believe 2 years have passed already! Similarly, here is the first reference I could find for applying the LSF model to Indoor - back when I used to write a lot more on this list. I think it all still applies:
 

 John Kagan Jun 12, 2006
 

 --- In Indoor_Construction_at_yahoogroups.com, "izgo" <izgo@...> wrote:
>
> If you start driving a Formula 1 car you will crash, be sure :)
 

 Fortunately you won't end up in the hospital if you crash and burn on
 your first "high end" model (although your ego may take a hit).
 

 As I'm fond of pointing out (mostly 'cause I like ribbing them), many
 of our top youngsters build first F1D's that were, to put is as
 nicely as I can, pieces of cr*p. But their second ones sure
 weren't. And before long these guys were at the top of the heap.
 

 Doesn't mean we don't need beginner events though. We had a sidebar
 discussion on this a couple of months ago that evolved my opinion.
 Now I think a good beginner event is defined by:
 

 - Eliminating of some complexities (at the expense of extra rules).
 Make it a little easier to build decent model. Note that I didn't
 say "easiest", since that is largely up for debate. Some people
 thing film covering is easy, others think tissue is easy, and a more
 than a few think microfilm is easy.
 

 - Accessibility. Contrary to some opinion, I think challenges are
 good and motivating for beginners. But accessible challenges. It's
 not too much fun to start with a design that calls for all kinds of
 hard to obtain materials (at least for a beginner).
 

 - An achievement goal that has nothing to do with the other people
 (aka experts) who might fly the event. This was my biggest
 revelation from that other discussion. My favorite proposal is
 modeled after R/C Soaring's League of Silent Flight program
 (www.silentflight.org). In that, you fulfill a defined set of tasks
 to work your way from LSF Level I to Level IV (Level I is pretty
 easy a relatively short slope / thermal flight and 3 spot landings -
 but still a good beginner goal). In our case we might want to
 define something like a 5 minute LPP flight. Give out an achievement
 patch or stickers. The target stays the same regardless of "expert"
 involvement and the beginners have something rewarding to shoot for.

Received on Thu Mar 06 2014 - 18:56:24 CET

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