Announcing the 2024 USA F3K Team Select event, hosted by the Southwest Soaring Society (SWSS) at the Silent Wings Ranch in Arizona.
Date: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 1/2/3 November 2024.
The 2025 F3K USA team will be selected at this event. The top three finishers will constitute the team. The fourth-place finisher will be the alternate.
Eligibility
To enter a Team Selections Finals for an event, an individual must meet the following conditions:
- Must be an Adult AMA member for minimum 6 months or have a Youth membership.
- Need not possess a USA-issued FAI Sporting License but must be able to meet the requirements for one at the time of the Team Selection Finals.
- Must hold NO FAI Sporting License from any other country.
- Must be a US citizen, or a documented legal resident with two years US residency and expectation of residency at the time of the World Championship.
- Cannot be a current World Champion in the event who has committed to participating in the pertinent World Championships as the defending World Champion.
- In addition to meeting the FAI requirement “3.5.4 Change of Representation” for the pertinent World Championships, must not have been a competitor for any other country at the immediately preceding World Championships for the event.
All participants are expected to be familiar with the 2024 F3K FAI rules and tasks.
AMA USA F3K Program
The "USA F3K Program" is a voluntary registration and fundraising system for the USA F3K team conducted by the AMA. All USA pilots are encouraged to join the USA F3K program to show their support of the USA F3K team (contact Colleen Pierce <cpierce@modelaircraft.org>). All proceeds from the program go towards financing the future USA team. Entering the F3K program is not required for qualifying for the team selection (“finals”) event but is mandatory for participating in the finals.
Registration
The AMA has agreed to us collecting all fees and registration information so you can complete your entire enrollment in a single step here. All fees are collected upon enrollment (PayPal and Credit Cards accepted).
$150 Fee Breakdown: $20 AMA, $75 USA Team, $55 SWSS
Refund Policy: All fees are refundable until close of enrollment. The enrollment period closes Monday, September 30, at 11:59PM MST.
Format
The event begins with the preliminary rounds, which will be held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning.
At the conclusion of the preliminary rounds, the best 12 pilots (but not more than half of the total number of pilots if fewer than 24 entries) will proceed to the fly-off rounds.
There will be 8 fly-off rounds flown, weather permitting. Preliminary scores carry over into the flyoffs.
If the fly-offs cannot be flown due to weather or other circumstances, the team shall be determined based on the preliminary rounds. The contest rules will be in accordance with the FAI sporting code. Protests must be submitted in writing within one hour of an infraction, accompanied by a $20 fee. If the protest is rejected, the fee will be deposited in the F3K team fund. The protest fee shall be returned to the protester if the protest is allowed to stand.
Scorecards will be provided by the contest organizer and must be initialed by the timer and the pilot to confirm that the recorded score is correct. The organizers will post printed scores within one hour of the completion of a round to enable the competitors to verify their scores are correct.
Upon making the 2025 F3K team, the pilot is required to possess an FAI stamp.
Jury
A jury shall be impaneled before the start of the finals rounds to adjudicate disputes and/or protests arising over interpretation or implementation of the Sporting Code or finals contest rules. Authority of the jury is as described in document entitled "World Championship Teams Procedures Governing the Academy's Sponsorship of FAI Teams". There will be no appeal from decisions of the jury. The jurors do not have to be present at the venue but must be available to reach over the phone at any time during the finals event.
Tentative Schedule
Thursday October 31
Sign in and free practice.
Friday November 1
08:30 am Pilots Meeting
9:00 am to 1:00 pm Preliminary rounds
Lunch
2:00 pm to 5:00 pm Continuation of preliminary rounds
Saturday November 2
08:30 am Pilots Meeting
9:00 am to 1:00 pm Continuation of preliminary rounds
Lunch
2:00 pm to 5:00 pm Continuation of preliminary rounds
Sunday November 3
9:00 am to 12:00 pm Continuation of preliminary rounds
Lunch
12:30 to 3:00 pm 8 Round TS Flyoff per Team USA selection process rules.
3:30 pm Announce Team Pilots