Updated 11/5/22:

     There is a new indoor planned event at Alerus Center in Grand Forks, ND for January 14, 2023, tentatively large enough to hold several simultaneous activities, which may include a possible F3P contest.  If interested, please contact the event coordinator, Brian Dorff at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  It would be helpful if interested email correspondance could CC myself, Sal Piu,  at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , and Vince Bortone, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for our awareness.

Updated 11/2/22:

     Canadians are planning their 10th annual F3P ECC contest for Saturday, November 26, 2022 at the Cobourg Community Centerm 750 D'ArcySt., Cobourg, ON K9A 4B4.  All F3P classes will be flown: Intermediate, AA23, and AP23, plus Sportsman class for planes of minimum 100 grams and only one propeller.  6 rounds are targeted for all classes.  Additional information can be found at http://xavier.mouraux.com/indoor/sequences.html .  For more information, contact Harry Ells at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Updated 10/14/22:

     Efforts to attempt to hold an F3P event as a potential USA F3P Team Trials event before December 15, 2022, has been determined to be not possible across 5 different sites.  The Hamburg, PA area site targeted for a January 2023 date has also been abandoned due to lack of support on multiple fronts.

     Shortly after abandoning the PA site, news was received of an event planned to be held in Grand Forks, North Dakota on January 14th, to include multipe activities, including a potential F3P contest. Potential F3P contestants and judges are encouraged to contact the event director, and possible F3P CD, Brian Dorff, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Updated 10/14/2021:

      The 2021 F3P world indoor precision aerobatic championship event, intended to be done in Romania, has been cancelled due to current Sars-CoV 2, commonly referred to as the Covid pandemic, situation. 
      The 9th Annual ECC F3P Contest will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2021 at the Cobourg Community Center, 750 D'Arcy St., Cobourg, ON K9A 4B4.  You MUST show proof of being FULLY VACINATED along with photo ID to enter the building, plus adhere to currnet COVID restrictions. All 3 F3P classes will be flown, AP-21, AA-21, and Intermediate, plus the Sportsman class for planes of minimum 100 grams and only one propeller. 6 rounds are being aimed for all classes. Info ofn F3P and sequences are at: http://xavier.mouraux.com/indoor/sequences.html and  http://f3acanada.org/candian-precision-aerobaticess-schedules/ . Contact: Harry Ellis, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

  Updated 5/9/2021: 
  USA F3P team trials, to select the USA team at the worlds’ F3P event in 2021 scheduled for May 8th, 2021 from 12pm to 8pm local time, at the Sparta Dome in Crowne Point, Indiana, USA, has been completed!   Ray Morton, the contest director, has provided the following results:

    A total of 6 pilots entered the Team Selection contest and 3 pilots entered the aero-musicals (AFM). Don Szczur, Joseph Szczur, Greyson Pritchett, Albert (AC) Glenn, David Lockhart, and Ben Batts for the Team Selection and Joseph Szczur, Greyson Pritchett and Ben Batts for aero-musicals.  Thanks to Scott Brownewell, the venue was perfect for flying the Team Selection contest, with high ceilings and no obstructions. There was even extra time provided prior to the event for the pilots to practice, and I believe they took advantage of every single minute.    
  Because of the time constraints, pilots and judges present elected to fly 3 rounds of AP-21, drop the lowest round and carry the normalized average of the two highest rounds into the final; followed by 2 rounds of AF-21 with the lowest of the 3 scores dropped for the final score to select the team. One exciting round of AFM was also flown as well after the F3P awards ceremony. 
  Here are the results:

  First, here is a table of flight times for each pilot for each round:

  AP-21 Preliminary Rounds, Normalized Scores:

  AF-21 Final Rounds Normalized Scores:

  AFM 1-round:

  Ray Morton wishes to thank all the pilots and volunteers that made this event happen. Overall, it was a distinct pleasure to CD this event and observe these fantastic pilots perform with their beautiful airplanes. The USA team should be fielding a very strong team going into the 2021 World Championships.

Congratulations to the 2021 USA F3P Team:

Joseph Szczur, AC Glenn, Ben Batts, Greyson Pritchett (Junior) and David Lockhart as the alternate

   F3P World Competition:
   The current 2021 FAI F3P World Championship for Indoor Aerobatic Model Aircraft international contest was originally scheduled for February 21-27, 2021 to be held in Bucuresti, Romania.  However, due to adverse-Covid-related impacts, that event has been postponed and re-scheduled to be held on November 21-27, 2021 in the same region as approved by the CIAM for F3P.  This information can be found at: https://www.fai.org/page/ciam-events?upcoming=1&f%5B0%5D=field_discipline_task_list_map%253Afield_sport%3A28&f%5B1%5D=fai_event_year%3A2021&display=list#event-182671

Judging indoor aerobatics is basically the same as judging maneuvers for outdoor aerobatics. Many of the F3P judging-related items are already included within this NSRCA’s Judging section, including judging seminar material, certification tests, evaluation methodology, code of ethics, tips for judges, etc.

    The official aerobatic sequence of maneuvers for indoor RC aerobatics is provided by FAI for F3P.  Two classes (categories) are offered for F3P: Advanced and the main F3P class.  Unlike the Advanced AA class, the F3P class contains two schedules, one for preliminary rounds, designated as AP-##, and one for final rounds, designated as AF-##.   The purpose for having two schedules in F3P is similar to the outdoor equivalent class of F3A: to have a round at large contests that reduces the total number of pilots to the top/best pilots to enter the finals’ round. A copy of all of these sequences can be found within the Sequences section of this NSRCA web site. 

   NEW for 2022-2023:
  Current 2022 F3P sequences are located on the FAI web site.   PDF files can be found at https://www.fai.org/page/f3-aerobatics-training-material-judges .  Within the PRESENTATIONS IN PDF FORMAT section, click on the F3P Material down-arrow the show the list applicatble to F3P sequences.  The F3P categories are essentially A-23 Advanced,  Preminary P-23 and Final Schedule F-23 are both part of the indoor class equivalent to FAI F3A, and AFM is the class for aerobatic sequences of your choice flonw to music of your choice.

  Here are links to the current F3P sequence cycle noted within the NSRCA site for 2022-2023 cycle:

F3P-AA-23, Advanced (https://nsrca.us/images/stories/currentsequences/F3A-A-23%20Powerpoint.pdf)

F3P-AP-23, Preliminary F3P (https://nsrca.us/images/stories/currentsequences/F3A-P-23%20Powerpoint.pdf)

F3P-AF-23, Final F3P (https://nsrca.us/images/stories/currentsequences/F3A-F-23%20Powerpoint.pdf)

  Some F3P indoor RC aerobatic contest events also offer an Intermediate class for beginner pilots where models typically weight 100 or more grams total flying weight.  Maneuvers in this class are generally simpler to do that the F3P AA-23 Advanced class previously mentioned here.

   Maneuver descriptions, Aresti diagrams, and helpful power point files are also available within this NSRCA site on the main sequences page of https://nsrca.us/index.php/sequences

   One important reminder: FAI changes their sequences every two years.  Pilots need to check which sequences will be flown in competition at least every two years.  Part of the sequence designation notates which is the last year the sequence is good for.  For example, the sequences for the current two-year period of 2022-2023 are identified as -23 in the designations of AA-23, AP-23, and AF-23.

    At the moment, there is no AMA or FAI identified beginner level official sequence.  However, on several occasions, local contest directors have offered at their events some form of beginners-level sequence, which could be labeled as novice class, sportsman, or intermediate class.  The maneuvers are most definitely simpler than FAI’s advance class for F3P.  Here are two example sequences that have been offered in the past.

    The first sequence is simplest and is recommended for all sportsman and beginner pilots to start with. Each maneuver is done centered in front of the judges as there are no turn-around maneuvers included in this sequence. Here it is:

1) Take Off Sequence

2) Cuban 8

3) Cobra

4) Knife Edge

5) Two-Point Roll

6) Stall Turn

7) One Loop

8) Landing Sequence

    The second sequence is slightly harder and includes turnaround maneuvers. Here it is:

1) Take Off sequence

2) Square Loop

3) Stall Turn, ½ Roll Up, Exit Inverted

4) Outside Loop from bottom, Exit Inverted

5) Top Hat with ¼ Roll Up & Down, Exit Inverted

6)One Circle Inverted

7) Half Horizontal Knife Edge Circle

8) Four Consecutive 1/4 Rolls

9) Half Cuban, with ½ Roll

10) One Torque Roll

11)Landing Sequence

What is F3P?  The F3P acronym stands for:

F = Flying model

3 = Radio control

P = Indoor Aerobatics

     The Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) class of F3P is an aerobatic event for Radio Controlled (RC) model aircraft flown indoors. Competitors fly a complex sequence of known maneuvers to the highest degree of precision possible. Judges are positioned immediately behind the pilot and evaluate the quality of each maneuver. The maneuver sequences are designed to be flow in spaces as small as 130 x 65 x 25’, but national and international competitions typically are flown in larger spaces.

     F3P models are allowed to be up to 2 meters (78.74”) in wingspan and length, but cannot exceed 300 grams weight (10.58 ounces). Any powerplant may be used so long as it does not generate any kind of emissions, or exceed 42 volts. Construction materials generally used are foam, carbon fiber, and mylar. For example, at the 2013 World Championships, the average F3P model was 39” long, 34” wingspan, and approximately 70 – 125 grams (2.5 – 4.4 ounces). Two-cell lipos were used by all competitors for power supply, with the top models using counter-rotating coaxial motor systems. At the 2015 World Championships, some aircraft are expected to weigh just under 40 grams with power supplied by one-cell lipo, and two-cell lipo aircraft will weigh in at 60 +/- grams.

     The F3P class is a team and an individual competition. FAI member countries may enter a team of up to 3 competitors as a national team for world and continental championships. Team results are the sum of the three competitors' scores at the end of the contest. Countries may also elect to send a Junior (18 years old or younger during the year of the contest) team member.

     Even though takeoffs and landings are not judged, F3P models must takeoff and land on the “runway” without assistance. After takeoff, a maximum of two 180 degree turns are permitted prior to commencing the aerobatic sequence. An F3P sequence consists of six center maneuvers and five end (turnaround) maneuvers, all of which are judged. The maneuvers include elements and combinations of lines, loops, rolls, knife-edge, stall turns, torque rolls, and tail slides.

     Each competitor will be entitled to four preliminary flights, of which the best three normalized scores will determine his placing. For each flight, the highest score will be set equal to 1,000 points, and the remaining competitors scores will equate to a percentage of the highest score. For preliminary flights, the “AP-xx” sequence is flown, where xx is the year of the world championship.

     At world and continental championships (and optionally at larger national competitions), the top 25% of pilots (minimum of 10) complete three additional finals flights using the “AF-xx” sequence. The total of the best three preliminary flights is normalized to 1,000 points and counted as a single score. This single score and the three finals scores give four normalized scores. The sum of the best three normalized scores is used to determine the final placements. The fourth score is only utilized in the case of a tie.

     The competitor's performance is assessed by a panel of judges who will award marks, independently from each other, between 0 and 10 for each maneuver. maneuvers are assigned a difficulty factor (K-factor, which is a multiplier applied to each maneuvers) depending on the complexity of the particular maneuver. Judging is based on four basic criteria: precision (or geometry), smoothness and gracefulness, positioning (display), and size of maneuvers. Points are subtracted for various types of defects observed by the judges, the severity of these defects, and the number of times these defects are observed. Should the aircraft touch the walls, floor, or ceiling, the maneuver being performed is scored a zero.

     In parallel to F3P, FAI offers a separate type of indoor aerobatic competition event: Aerobatics Freestyle to Music (AFM). A country can have two separate teams at the world championship event, one for F3P and one for AFM.  AFM competitors do not have to fly F3P or vice versa.

     AFM is a timed 2minute aerobatic flight choreographed to music. Scoring, from 0 – 10, is completed for each of three categories; flying style, artistic quality, and overall impression. Flying style includes the elements of precision, effective use of the full flight envelope, and innovation of new maneuvers and maneuver combinations. The highest scores for artistic quality will be earned when the music includes fast and slow segments and a broad dynamic range, and the flying is well choreographed and synchronized to match the music. Overall impression considers the use of the entire flight area, the use of special effects, interaction and reaction of the crowd, and the fluidity of transitions.