Dear All
For the first time in it’s 50 year history, the F4 World Champs have had to be postponed.
In my role as Team Manager, I saw the opportunity for us to revisit our team and increase the UK presence. After consultation with my colleagues on the STC, the proposal document below was submitted to Jo Halman (Competition Secretary) and has been approved.
As such, if you wish to be considered for the remaining 3 team places, then please submit your intention to the STC Secretary (dfh.htriples@ntlworld.com) by October 31st 2020. Form can be downloaded from here BMFA WC TEAM Application 2021
In addition to this, we shall also be inviting applications for the role of Assistant Team Manager. Official notice of this shall be published by July 31st 2020. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Graham Kennedy UK F4 Team Manager and STC Treasurer
The Opportunity
The 2020 F4 WCh postponement as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic provides GBR with a unique opportunity to improve the potential for success for the F4 team in 2021. Accordingly, the STC aims to exploit this opportunity.
With several of the UK flyers needing only one more qualifying flight to be eligible for the team and with several other flyers now in a position to gain eligibility due to the postponement, the STC believes that the current F4 team can be restructured for 2021.
It is known that numerous other countries are reviewing their teams and it would be to our advantage to do the same.
The Assumptions
– All qualifying scores to be achieved by October 31, 2020
– Flyers will be invited to apply to be considered for the team, including those who may not have originally applied.
– All remaining competitions are already listed as qualifying competitions on the BMFA Website.
– Any rescheduled competitions shall be listed as soon as possible and shall be compliant with the necessary notice period.
– The World Championship organiser is not placing any restrictions on team changes.
– Relevant sections of the General and F4 rules are included at the end of this document.
The Proposal
Those flyers that qualified for 2020 will, of course, remain on the team for 2021. The STC will run the team selection process up until the 31st October 2020 and are planning additional opportunities for flyer qualification by the re-scheduling of a number of the currently cancelled qualification meetings later in the season.
It is recognised that the Covid situation may make the realisation of this intent difficult to achieve, but the STC are determined to maximise GBR’s chances for medal positions in 2021.
It is believed that these measures will enable the selection of a further three team members and enable GBR to present a full team with entry for both F4C and F4H in 2021. The STC plan to re-evaluate the flyers and their models with a view to ensuring the best makeup for the teams for both the F4H and the F4C classes. Thus, while the current selected team members will still represent the UK in 2021, some may compete in the F4C class.
Conclusion
The enforced postponement gives the STC a unique opportunity to improve the potential for the UK to field a full team at the 2021 F4 WCh and to maximise the potential for both individual and team medals. Further, and importantly, the fielding of a full team for both classes from one of the most prominent RC Scale nations in the world would be a positive re-enforcement of that position.
CURRENT APPLICABLE RULES
GENERAL RULES
2.1.3 TEAM SELECTION CONTESTS
2.1.3 (g) Team Selection contests must be published as such in the official BMFA Contest and Events Calendar.
2.4 VALIDITY OF BMFA EVENTS
2.4.1 All BMFA contests shall only be considered to be valid if the date, venue details and the disciplines to be flown have been entered on the BMFA website Contest and Events Calendar at least one month prior to the date of the competition.
SCALE RULES
Annex 6A
BMFA SCALE TEAM SELECTION PROCESS
CLASSES F4C and F4H
6A.1 Team Selection
(a) The STC will submit British teams for World Championships.
(b) Team Selection qualification shall take place over a two-year period effective from 1st January 2020.
(c) Any F4C or F4H competitor who is prepared to make the commitment to travel to the venue of the next World Championships is invited to complete the proforma which can be downloaded from the Scale Website.
Note: It is not mandatory to complete this document as part of the qualifying process for the British team but it is helpful to the STC to identify interested competitors.
(d) Completed forms may be submitted to the STC from 1st January in the first year to
31st October in the second year, known as the “Qualifying Period”, in the two years preceding the Championship year.
6A.2 Minimum Performance Standards for Team Selection
(a) To be successful in Team Selection, all competitors must achieve a standard of not less than 70% of the available marks for both Static judging and Flight judging in either or both classes.
6A.3 Static Qualification
(a) The model intended for the Championship must be the same model entered for static assessment.
(b) Models must achieve two static scores of not less than 70% (normalised) at any two STC organised competitions (which may include the Nationals) during the Qualifying Period prior to 31st October in the year before the World Championship
(c) If any damage or change to the model is sustained after gaining its static scores this must be promptly brought to the attention of the STC for assessment.
(d) The last static competition or model check must be close to the end of the qualifying period.
(e) Scheduled F4C or F4H competitions may be cancelled because of bad weather and if necessary the STC will make separate arrangements with competitors for static judging of their models in order to ensure that the static qualification can be achieved.
6A.4 Flight Qualification
(a) Competitors must achieve flight scores of not less than 70% (normalised) at a minimum of four different STC organised competitions during the Qualifying Period prior to 31st October in the year before the championships.
(b) Two of these four competitions must be prior to 31st October in the year immediately preceding the Championship.
(c) Because competitors are restricted to entering one class only at the Nationals, those trying for a place on either team will be expected to enter F4C at the Nationals, as a qualifying flight score in F4C at the Nationals can be considered as a qualifier for F4H (if needed) but not the other way round.
(d) Following team selection confirmation, any substitution of a model, for whatever reason prior to the Championship, shall be subject to individual approval by the Scale Technical Committee.
(e) The model intended for the Championship must be flown at a minimum of two competitions and achieve a minimum of two qualifying flight scores. For the other two competitions, the model intended for the Championship, or any other model of similar aircraft, may be flown
(f) In the case of a tie for a team place, secondary scores flown at the same Team Selection competition will be used to break the tie.
6A.5 Team Selection Confirmation
(a) The teams will be confirmed by the STC at the first Committee meeting after 31st October. Selection will be made in order of merit based on the Static and Flight Scores achieved at STC organised competitions that include team selection (which may include the Nationals) during the two year team selection period.
(b) Following team selection any remaining competitors who have achieved the minimum qualifying standard will be seen as reserves. In the event of any team member or members having to withdraw from the team prior to the Championship, the vacancy will be offered to the reserves in order of merit.
(c) Successful team members including reserves must be prepared to attend team flight training and must also agree, where practicable, to correct any errors on the model or its documentation which have been identified during static judging.
NOTES:
- Competitors who have achieved qualification for a place in the F4C Team who are not successful may be considered for the F4H Team with the same F4C model.
- Competitors trying for a place on either team will require two eligible models; one for each class. Other than the requirement at 6A.4 the flight scores achieved during the season may be applied to both models.
