FAI SPORTING CODE
SAFETY NOTICES
TECHNICAL NOTICES
GUIDES AND SAFETY RULES
CIAM FORMS
OTHER CIAM DOCUMENTS
Sporting Code Section 4 contains the rules and regulations for FAI recognised activities in model aircraft and space models. These regulations are the responsibility of the FAI Aeromodelling Commission (CIAM) and complement the General Section which contains the rules and regulations common to all FAI activities.
Section 4 is split into volumes to ease downloading the regulations for specific activities. Volume ABR gives the General Rules for CIAM activities, competitions and records that are applicable for each activity. The specific volumes contain all CIAM documents for the activity concerned: Official classes, World Cup rules, provisional classes, guide for organisers and judges. The specific activities and related volumes are shown in the tables below.
Click here for more information on the file formats used and the programs required to open, read and print those files.
| Activity | Edition | File size | Select download site |
|
| ABR | General rules for CIAM activities, Competitions and records | 2010 | 1.0 MB | FAI | Belgium |
| F1 | Free Flight | 2010 | 351 KB | FAI | Belgium |
| F2 | Control Line (revised edition, updated 6th January) | 2010 | 1.43 MB | FAI | Belgium |
| Control Line - Annex 4H | 2010 | 338 KB | FAI | Belgium | |
| F3 | Radio Control Aerobatics (revised edition, updated 10th February) | 2010 | 1.35 MB | FAI | Belgium |
| F3 | Radio Control Soaring (revised edition, updated 5th January) |
2010 | 409 KB | FAI | Belgium |
| F3 | Radio Control Helicopter | 2010 | 778 KB | FAI | Belgium |
| F3 | Radio Control Pylon Racing | 2010 | 304 KB | FAI | Belgium |
| F4 | Flying Scale Models | 2010 | 1.21 MB | FAI | Belgium |
| F5 | Radio Control Electric Powered | 2010 | 619 KB | FAI | Belgium |
| Radio Control Electric Powered - Annexes 5A-5E | 2010 | 326 KB | FAI | Belgium | |
| F6 | Airsports Promotion Classes | 2010 | 1.17 MB | FAI | Belgium |
| F7 | Aerostats | 2010 | 115 KB | FAI | Belgium |
| SM | Space Models | 2010 | 361 KB | FAI | Belgium |
Une version française du code sportif "aéromodélisme" de la FAI est proposée par la Fédération Française d'Aéromodélisme sur leur site web (suivez le lien vers www.ffam.asso.fr/alc_reglements_fr.htm).
La FAI n'est pas responsable de cette traduction, et nous vous indiquons ce lien uniquement à titre informatif. Nous vous rappelons qu'en cas de litige ou doute sur l'interprétation d'une règle, la version originale anglaise disponible ci-dessous fera foi.
Safety Notices published by CIAM will normally be published on this page. If you are looking for CIAM Technical Notices, you should look at the 'Technical Notice' page. Please note that some Technical Notices deal with some aspects of safety.
Technical Notices published by CIAM will be published on this page. Some Technical Notices deal with some aspects of safety. Please also check the CIAM Safety Notices page. Click here for the 'Safety' page.
It was agreed at the recent CIAM Plenary Meeting that the following amended rule in Volume F5 of the Sporting Code shall be effective from 1st July 2007 and will be in force at the 2007 F5B Continental Championship.
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
5.5.4.1 Definition
d) Maximum number of battery packs to enter the contest: 1 pack for two rounds. A reflight is one round.
It was agreed at the recent CIAM Plenary Meeting to amend eight rules in Volume F3BJ of the Sporting Code, six dealing with safety infraction penalties and two dealing with organiser responsibility relating to winches which will be effective from 1st July 2007 and will be in force at the 2007 F3B World Championships.
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
Click here to download the amended rules (PDF, 17 Kb)
Following the recent CIAM Plenary Meeting, there is a correction to the F3M rule containing the formula for calculating the permitted tolerance that appears in the 2007 edition of Volume F3A of the Sporting Code.
The corrected formula is:
5.L.1.3 d - General Characteristics of a large R/C Aerobatics Model
(D x s)*0.9 -0.5 <= d <= (D x s)*1.1 + 0.5
F3N – Annex 5F – F3N Freestyle (Provisional)
It was agreed at the recent CIAM Plenary Meeting that the new approved F3N Manoeuvre (2006) Schedule in Volume F3C of the Sporting Code, will be effective from the day that the official Plenary Meeting Minutes are published. The published Minutes may be downloaded from the link on the "Meetings" page.
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
F3C – 5.4.11 Classification
It was agreed at the recent CIAM Plenary Meeting that the amended rule 5.4.11 Classification in Volume F3C of the Sporting Code will be used as a local rule at the 2007 F3C World Championships with formal implementation from 1st January 2008.
Click here to download the revised, amended rule (PDF, 20 Kb)
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
A new rule in F2D (Control Line Combat) 4.4.5 “That an effective shut-off device will be compulsory” was agreed at the 2007 Plenary meeting. In contrast to the effective date of 1st January 2008 for the other F2 rules passed at that Plenary meeting, please note that the effective date of this F2D rule is 1st January 2009.
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
The 2008 edition of the F3 Pylon Racing Volume of the Sporting Code is available for download from the CIAM Documents page of the FAI website. This document was published on 1st February. It contains advance notice of the rules regarding exhaust systems, manufacture & homologation thereof, effective from 1st January 2010. The advance notification contained in the 2008 edition is to allow manufacturers, competitors and the F3D Subcommittee sufficient time to prepare for the 2010 implementation date.
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
2008 edition of the F1 Sporting Code.
An error has been identified in rules 3.J.5 & 3.P.5. The rules should read as follows:
3.J.5. b) The motor run exceeds 5 seconds from the release of the model.
3.P.5. b) The motor run exceeds 7 seconds from the release of the model.
These errors will be corrected in the 2009 edition of the Sporting Code.
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
At the recent CIAM Plenary Meeting, the F3C Helicopter rule 5.4.11 Classification was entirely replaced. The new rule is shown in its entirety in the downloadable file. The date of implementation of this rule is 1st May 2008.
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
The 2008 edition of the F5 Electric Volume of Section 4 of the FAI Sporting Code has been revised following rule amendments agreed at the recent CIAM Plenary Meeting.
The revised F5 Electric Volume has an implementation date of 14th April 2008 and is available for download from the CIAM Documents page of the FAI website.
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
At the recent CIAM Plenary Meeting, the F6D rule 6.4.6 Organisation of Rounds was replaced. The new rule is shown in the downloadable file. The date of implementation is 15th April 2008.
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
The F3 Helicopter Sub-committee has discovered that the current time limit of 10 minutes for Manoeuvre Schedule "C" is inadequate. (Annex D, F3C Manoeuvre Descriptions and Diagrams in the 2008 edition of the F3 Helicopter volume of the FAI Sporting Code.)
On the recommendation of the F3 Helicopter Sub-committee Chairman, the CIAM Bureau has agreed that a local rule to increase the time limit by one minute to 11 minutes for the completion of Manoeuvre Schedule C be applied at the 2008 Asia Oceanic and European Championships. It is also recommended that this local rule be applied at all other 2008 F3C competitions.
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
F3D Technical Notice
Two new documents containing information on F3D silencer homologation and the F3D Euro Cup rules are available on the F3D Pylon Racing page
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
18 November 2009
2010 F1 Volume Error
There is an error in the published 2010 edition of the F1 Volume of the Sporting Code. Class F1P, paragraph 3.6.7: the first sentence should read "The maximum duration to be taken for each official flight is three minutes."
Mrs Jo Halman
CIAM Technical Secretary
10th January 2010
The F3 Aerobatics Sub-committee Chairman has issued some additional judging notes that may be useful. Download the document here.
Click here to download the Safety Rules for Radio Control Model Aircraft. It is not incorporated into the current edition of Section 4 of the FAI Sporting Code and is published here separately.
Note: the CIAM Proposal Form and Guidelines have been temporarily withdrawn and will be available again in May 2010.
This form must be used for the registration of competitions in the FAI Aeromodelling Sporting Calendar.
As this form has to be signed and stamped by the National Airsport Control organisation of the country concerned, it must be returned to the FAI office either by fax or postal mail.
Payments may now be made by credit cards (VISA or Mastercard) using the form available for downloading here.