Closed | Dear Readers,
A very special year in the F3G class lies behind us — a year shaped by our European partners, helpers, and pilots from Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Slovenia, Great Britain, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, and Germany. We look back with pride and ahead with optimism. As part of the FAI, F3G is keeping pace with modern developments and seeking innovative solutions for the future. We invite you to join us as we share our experiences, results, innovations, and common goals. Let yourself be inspired by the background insights we gathered on our travels.
The season kicked off in Belgium. At the beginning of May, we were welcomed by CRPAL (Club Royal de la Petite Aviation Liégeoise) in Anthisnes, a small town in the Wallonia region southwest of Liege. CRPAL is the oldest club in Belgium, founded in 1935. Its size is remarkable as well, boasting 160 members — unmatched by any other Belgian club. It is also home to numerous top performers across various FAI classes. In recent years, particular attention has been given to the F3B class. In 1979, CRPAL organized the 2nd F3B World Championship in Amay, Belgium. This historic site has hosted many championships over the decades.
Many thanks go to President Jean-Pierre Awouters and Jan Timmermans for sharing the club’s history and providing a wealth of information. CRPAL played a key role in the development of the first F3B rulebook by CIAM in 1973. With a total of 20 pilots and up to 14 participations in F3B World Championships over the past 50 years, CRPAL has set a high standard. One of its most renowned pilots is Denis Duchesne, who brought the F3B World Championship title from Israel to Belgium in 1993. According to CRPAL records, the World Championship trophy thus returned to its birthplace.
The Houlberg Cup was created on the initiative of the Royal Aeroclub of Belgium, with contributions from several national aeroclubs and friends of A. F. Houlberg. It stands as a tribute to his pioneering work in establishing competition classes for glider models — a new category at the time, positioned between free flight and powered/aerobatic classes within the FAI. A. F. Houlberg, originally from Great Britain, was a strong promoter of international model aircraft construction. He served as President of CIAM (Commission Internationale d’Aéromodélisme) of the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) from 1946 to 1958 and later became Honorary President of the CIAM.
Looking back at the first rulebook, several things stand out: timed flight was limited to 6 minutes, and distance flight was completed after a maximum of 12 legs. In speed flight, only 2 legs were flown — a single out-and-back run between the turning points. Continuous model development has raised the demands and the competitive level significantly. After 50 years of F3B, each decade has written its own story. A direct comparison between then and now is nearly impossible, but F3B shows that progress must never stop. Ideas lead to developments, and these developments depend on available material, technical, and personal resources. Flexibility, openness, and ingenuity will continue to open doors to new paths in the future.
CRPAL remains committed to the FAI classes and paved the way for an F3G World Cup and Contest Eurotour competition in Anthisnes in 2022. Alongside Denis Duchesne and Jan Timmermans, Belgium continues to be represented in the F3G class by Steeve Hansoulle, Frédéric Belche, and Simon Pirard — a strong and impressive team.
This year, the competition began with a Speed Cup on Friday. Twenty-one pilots competed in five rounds in this independent race for the best speed times. In the end, Denis Duchesne (BEL) won the trophy on the “local hill” of the CRPAL club grounds with a time of 13.25 seconds, ahead of Friedrich Leeb (AUT) with 13.85 seconds and Tim Bischoff (GER) with 14.16 seconds.
After the awards ceremony, we presented the new Eagle2 F3x data logger and GPS system from RCelectronics, which was then in the testing phase. This system represents a promising step forward and could offer a new perspective for the FAI performance classes. F3G takes a cross-class approach with a particular focus on reducing the number of helpers required in each discipline. The test series has shown excellent results, with around 600 test flights covering a wide range of scenarios.
The new Eagle2 F3x is fully functional and is also available purely as a data logger for World Cup use.
Finally, the system can be used without a ground station. The required measurements (altitude, energy consumption, motor runtime) are retrieved after the flight via the “rcelectronics” app on a smartphone or tablet. Homologation of the system is expected to be completed by the end of March 2026.
Once again, many thanks to Jan Timmermans, Denis Duchesne, and President Jean-Pierre Awouters for their support and for providing space for a flight demonstration and subsequent discussion.
The F3G World Cup and Contest Eurotour competition in Anthisnes, organized by Jan Timmermans and Denis Duchesne, was delighted with the large number of participants. Motivation is high at the beginning of the year. After a short meeting on Saturday morning, the competition began. Weather conditions were mixed, and the balance between altitude and weight caused some pilots to doubt their decisions. Thanks to the experienced CRPAL helpers, repeat flights were rare and mostly due to technical issues. Another important aspect was the inspection of models and data loggers, ensuring correct data display and verifying the minimum model weight (35 g/dm?).
Overall, it was a very enjoyable competition with rising performance levels and several new developments in the model lineup. With an excellent presentation of the Freestyler 7, Petr Fusek (CZE) won ahead of Jens Buchert (GER) and Stefan Eder (GER) flying the Crossfire-3.
From West to East!
Three weeks later, we accepted the invitation of the RC Model Club Brno to the airfield near Ivancice-Budkovice. Under the sign “Czech Heaven,” the gate opens to a fantastic airfield where both full-size and model aircraft can operate freely. Jan Stonavsky coordinated the airspace of the full-size runway for the F3G World Cup and Contest Eurotour competition. The size of the area offers ideal conditions for F3G flying. The meticulously maintained grass protects the models even during cross-country flights.
After arriving on Friday, several training flights took place, ensuring smooth operations for all teams. In my opinion, Jan Stonavsky is an absolute role model when it comes to organizing competitions. His consistently positive and calm demeanor, supported by just eight students, enabled the successful execution of the event. Repeat flights were necessary here as well, again mostly due to technical issues. The students did an excellent job, and despite two intense days, they remained motivated and were rewarded with gratitude and applause from the pilots.
The number of pilots increased compared to the 2024 competition, and we would be delighted to welcome even more F3G pilots to Ivancice in 2026. Ivancice is definitely worth a visit! A great example is the team from Poland. Michal Skarwecki (POL) had competed solo in recent years, but this year he was joined by Jerzy Mataczyno (POL) and Andrzej Klusek (POL). Both are well-known in the F3F scene, and we are very pleased to see growing interest in F3G from Poland. The time spent together and the exchange of ideas were fantastic. We hope these positive developments will motivate more Polish pilots to join us. Signs are promising for a World Cup competition in Poland in 2026… Fingers crossed!
Stable weather allowed for four complete rounds. Despite this, the competition was demanding. The distance flight numbers – 16, 25, 34… show the challenges the pilots faced. One group managed only 16 legs from a standard altitude of 320 m, while the next group flew 34 legs. Pure dynamism; not only in the air but also on the ground, where helpers commands came thick and fast. With distance leg times as short as 5 seconds, teamwork and quick reactions were essential.
Duration flights were equally risky. A starting altitude of 250 m often wasn’t enough for the 10-minute task. Re-starts were common – sometimes up to three per pilot in a group. Even experienced F3B/F3G pilots were surprised. Wolfgang Hirt (AUT) won the second competition of the season, ahead of Günther Aichholzer (AUT) and Hans Rossmann (AUT). Hans Rossmann also achieved the best speed of the competition and received an additional trophy. We look forward to returning to Ivancice next year.
From East to South!
F3B/F3G Rookie Day at MCM Salmdorf. The Munich Model Building Club (MCM) hosted a “Rookie Day” at the flying field near Salmdorf at the end of May 2025. Through the annual organization of the Oktoberfest Cup in the F3B class, the club has built up a wealth of expertise from which interested pilots can greatly benefit. MCM also made its F3B measurement system available at the field, both for testing ahead of the F3B World Championship in Nardt (GER) and to showcase the diversity of F3B/F3G.
The warm weather attracted several club members and familiar faces from the region, including two F3G rookies. Training flights were conducted across all classes, with everyone helping — at the winch, retrieving high-start lines, or at the turning points. Everyone benefited, and the exchange, conversations, mutual interest, and positive learning atmosphere made for a very enjoyable day.
Harald Viehweger and Sebastian Haase also took the opportunity to compare the new GPS system from RCElectronics with the Munich F3B measuring system. Analog versus digital — the results were impressive, and the system was very well accepted. With the flights and detailed documentation, we moved another step closer to our goal. Many thanks to Reinhold Krischke, Karl Hinsch, Sepp Singer, and Norbert Kolb for their support, communication, and interest in these test flights.
For everyone involved, it was a successful and productive day at MCM. The club would certainly have welcomed more “rookie” participants, but what isn’t now may well come in 2026!
From South to East
After a summer break and a successful F3B World Championship in Nardt (GER), the F3G season continued. As is almost tradition, we met at the end of August in Jehnedi, Czech Republic, for the Contest Eurotour competition. With 25 pilots from the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, and Germany, the starting list was full. We would also like to thank the young helpers for their steady and flawless work.
Under the direction of Pavel Marek (CZE), we look back on a fantastic competition. Tim Bischoff (GER) claimed his first victory, ahead of Petr Fusek (CZE) and Wolfgang Hirt (AUT). During the awards ceremony, Pavel Marek encouraged all pilots to be more daring. There is a lack of central competitions, which needs improvement for 2026. As things stand, we are on the right track.
From East to Southwest
One week later, the grand season finale took place in Colmar, France. The annual attention to detail, the motivation of the AMC Jean Mermoz, and the participation of nearly 40 pilots speak for themselves. Several new faces made their way to Colmar, including familiar F3B pilots from Germany and the Netherlands.
For the first time, Jan Timmermans (BEL) won the event, ahead of Petr Fusek (CZE) and Denis Duchesne (BEL). Jan Stonavsky (CZE) flew the fastest speed of the competition.
With the season concluded, the German rankings were finalized. With a narrow points margin, Sebastian Haase became the International German Champion, ahead of runner-up Thomas Gruber and third-placed Tim Bischoff. Congratulations to all pilots who participated in the 2025 season — you are making a significant contribution to the continued development of F3G.
What’s next?
I wish all readers an enjoyable time, and perhaps we have sparked your interest in the FAI F3B/F3G classes. You can find the current schedules at www.f3g.info and www.f3b.de. Perhaps we will see each other at the start of the 2026 season at one of the first events — or even at the next “Rookie Day.” Despite all the dynamism, stay open, motivated, and creative, and don’t lose your sense of ease. We don’t grow when things are easy — we grow when we face challenges.