Innovation meets tradition: 6th FAI F3P World Championship for Indoor Aerobatic Model Aircraft begins
After a Judges training session and the Team Managers’ meeting, the Opening Ceremony of the 2025 FAI F3P World Championship for Indoor Aerobatic Model Aircraft saw local officials and spectators enjoying a parade, speeches and traditional Swiss Alphorn music on Sunday 2 February.
Video of Opening Ceremony on 2 February
The Burkertsmatt Sports Arena makes a perfect setting for this type of competition, and participants were given ample opportunity prior to the competition start to practice their flights and fine-tune their skills to make the most of showcasing their talent within the venue's unique environment.
Opening Ceremony
The Burkertsmatt Sports Arena
A total of 33 junior and senior pilots from 10 countries will showcase their aerobatic prowess across two exciting categories, all under the watchful eyes of a panel of judges, starting from Monday 3 February. A number of innovative new models have been presented by the competitors, featuring the latest advancements in technology and design.
F3P in the spotlight
The event is being livestreamed on Youtube so viewers from around the world can follow the progress of the competition and support participants. Fans can also see Padi Trauffer presenting his XXXL variant of the F3P indoor RC plane "Dolphin".
A media team from the local television station came to film competitors and highlight this important international competition, interviewing the defending champion Gernot Bruckmann, and two young competitors who took the opportunity to explain what makes the sport important for them.
The two F3P classes
- F3P-A: Competitors will perform a predefined sequence of maneuvers with the goal of executing them with the highest possible precision. An F3P Aerobatics model aircraft will have a fuselage length of no more than 1.5 metres, a wing span of less than 1.5 metres, and the weight must not exceed 300g, but current F3P aerobatic models are much more lightweight, even below 50 g.
- F3P-AFM: Pilots will choreograph their aerobatic flights, synchronizing their maneuvers to music for added flair. The models for AFM Freestyle weigh between 150g-200gm and a variable thrust of engine is permitted in this class.
Preliminary rounds for the F3P-A class will take place on Monday and Tuesday, with two rounds each day.
Competition schedule
- 2 February at 16:30: Official Opening Ceremony
- 3 and 4 February: Four F3P-A preliminary rounds, with the top 10 going through to the finals
- 5 and 6 February: Four F3P-AFM preliminary rounds and again the top 10 will enter the finals
- 7 February: F3P-A final rounds
- 8 February: F3P-AFM final rounds. Closing and Awards Ceremony at 16:00
follow the competition
The championships will be covered via livestream:
- See youtube channel livestreams
- View results and rankings
- Follow on instagram
- Follow on facebook
- See pictures via FAI Airsports Flickr channel
- More images from organisers
More articles on this competition
Images: Antonis Papadopoulos
