FAI and BMFA silent flight rules for 2024 have now been published and copies are available for download here:
- BMFA (detailed rules for non-FAI classes and League / team selection arrangements / any UK variations for FAI classes)
Note 16 Jan: as originally published, there were a couple of significant typos in the FXRES provisions. Now corrected in the version here and on the main BMFA download page. - FAI gliders (includes detailed rules for F3F, F3K, F3L)
- FAI electric (includes detailed rules for F5B, F5J, F5K, F5L)
Biggest changes to the BMFA rules for 2024 relate to 2m RES soaring. We’ve tried to respond to the various comments from the pilots at the end of the 2023 season. And to do so, we need to promote more than one sort of 2m RES competition:
- Some did not like the landing bonuses introduced in 2023 and thought them discouraging, especially for new competitors. So landing bonuses have been removed from the FXRES class for 2024. Hopefully this will make FXRES more beginner-friendly but the experts will still be attracted and want to challenge themselves in the fly-offs in particular.
- There were also voices wanting slots and landing bonuses. To meet this demand, we want to promote 2m RES competitions flown to FAI rules. The BMFA rules now make provision for an F5L as well as an F3L League. These sorts of competitions make organisational demands greater than (or at least different from) FXRES. SFTC members have a lot of experience in running F5J and F3K competitions with hardware and software which can also be used for F3L / F5L. We’ll be happy to support organisers in 2024 – as I’m sure will BARCS.
- Could organisers advertising 2m RES comps please make clear which rules they are going to be flown to. And remember that to qualify as BMFA League events they need to be entered on the BMFA events calendar at least a month in advance.
It’s up to organisers and pilots what you want to fly but from the online conversations last year we’re assuming that most 2m RES comps will be flown to the new FXRES rules. And hopefully at least one big event flown to F3L and F5L rules, perhaps at Radioglide and/or the SF Nats?
For all classes, the rules about team selection have been re-written – though they will look more different than in fact they are:
- Impetus for the re-write was the direction from the Sporting Director to make provision in the selection process for Category 1 events (WCHs and ECHs) for female team members in addition to the standard top three (of whatever gender). Great if this encourages women and girls to compete but we’re of course aware of the current absence of female competitors in most silent flight classes – and of the need to encourage participation in other ways too. Tweaking the rules won’t do it on its own.
- We also want to encourage more juniors to compete. We’ve made provision for junior team members in all classes (and have covered the possibility of dropping or adding a separate juniors’ competition – this is what makes the team selection provisions in the revised rules so long-winded!) Again, more than tweaking the rules is needed here.
- ‘90% rule’ applied for all classes: any team member must achieve a score of 90% that of the top flier – subject to a discretion in the SFTC to recommend team members with a lower score in appropriate circumstances. Applies to all team members but most likely in the first instance to affect female and junior competitors: we want to encourage new competitors but not to send them to represent GBR if not yet up to the standard of their peers from other countries.
- But otherwise the basic League / team selection regimes for each class are as before.
Beyond this, the BMFA SF rules are largely as before but some tidying, especially to incorporate tweaks helpfully suggested by the F3K competition organisers.