The 1^st Annual- Original Glider F3L

Contest Bulletin

March 7-8, 2026

The Original Glider F3L (aka the OG F3L) is the opening contest in the 2026, F3L Series. The host club is the Phoenix Model Glider Club (PMGC), AMA 5592. We welcome all F3L pilots to come enjoy a terrific late winter contest opportunity, and the opening round of the 2026 F3L Series..

Ed LaCroix– Contest Director          John McNeil– Assistant Contest Director

The Field- Getting There

• GPS coordinates for the field-  32.93099° N, 111.89596° W
• Using Sky Harbor airport as a general starting point- The contest field can be found by driving south on Interstate 10 and exiting I10 at Exit 185- the 387 (North Pinal Ave.).
• Continue south on the 387- N Pinal Ave. to the intersection with West Val Vista Blvd. and go right (west) on Val Vista. approximately 8.5 miles to the intersection with West Maricopa Hwy.
• Turn right, and go about 2.5 miles to North Anderson Rd. (left turn at a YELLOW sign-marked railroad crossing).
• Turn left over the railroad tracks and go about 4 miles south to West Barnes Rd..
• At Barnes Rd. (dirt) turn left  and go east about 2 miles (passing the Evergreen Turf farm) to an old gate (marked No Trespassing) at the intersection with North Indian Valley Rd.
• The gate may appear locked but is not. Open the gate, drive thru, close the gate and secure as you found it. Hang an immediate left around the end of wooden pole laying on the ground to your left and drive north (passing by Evergreen Turf on your left) until you reach the flying field on your left.

 

Nearby Hotels- (unvetted) are:

Laquinta Inn and Suites, N John Wayne Parkway, Maricopa (3 star)

La Quinta  Inn and Suites, Maricopa

 

Raddison Hotel, 777 N Pinal Ave., Casa Grande (3 star)

Radisson Hotel, Casa Grande

 

Quality Inn, 665 N Via Del Cielo Rd, Casa Grande (3 star)

Quality Inn, Casa Grande

 

Arizona Moon Motel, 1211 N Pinal Ave., Casa Grande (2 star)

Call for date/rate information. (520) 836-7802

Nearby Campgrounds

Camping is allowed on the field but RV’s must be self-supporting- no hookups.

Field Rules

Registrants must have current AMA membership. Pilots must obey all AMA and local flight regulations.

 

 

Hours of operation are 8am – 5pm for the dates of the contest.

Heavy rain may make Barnes Rd. difficult to travel. Just be careful.

Leave no trace. Leave the field as clean or cleaner than you found it. Porta-pots will be on site.

 

EVENT SCHEDULE

05- Thursday	06= Friday	07- Saturday	08- Sunday
Field set-up followed by open flying from 12pm-4pm.	Open Flying from 9am to 4pm.   A Friday night gathering at a local venue has not yet been set. Watch the OG F3L RCG thread for an update.	Pilots Meeting: 8 am Contest start: 8:30 Target 6 Rounds Lunch break after Round 3 Lunch served on the field Group photo Last Round starts no later than 3pm	Pilots Meeting: 8 am Contest start: 8:30 Target 3 Rounds Lunch break after completion of rounds. Trophy ceremony on the field Time of likely contest end: 12pm

 

Event Overview and Registration

The OG will be flown using FAI legal (15m rubber + 100m line) bungees. Registration will allow a maximum of 24 pilots.

Please register using F3X Vault here: OG F3L Registration

Registration will close at midnight on Monday, March 2, 2026 or when the contest reaches its 24 pilot registration cap. Full refund date same as close of registration. Any refunds requests after March 2 will be subject to a $10 fee.

Contest registration fee is $50.00 and payment is preferred at the time of registration at F3X Vault  which uses PayPal. If you wish to pay outside the Vault using PayPal, the PMGC account is: phoenixmodelgliderclub@gmail.com. Cash payment will be accepted at the field but please try to have the exact amount.

Team Registration

 

Teams shall be 3-4 pilots. Teams may be submitted in advance of the close of registration (above). Any registered pilots NOT on a pre-registered team will be assigned to a team(s) by the CD.

 

Contest Rules

FAI F3L tasks will be flown in accordance with the 2025 FAI Sporting Code:

https://www.fai.org/sites/default/files/sc4_vol_f3_soaring_25.pdf  (See page 51)

 

F3L.3.1. Model Construction

Non-wooden parts including 3D printed parts, towhook, ballast tube/box, electrical connections and antenna mounting will be allowed.

NOTE: F5L planes (electric F3L)- Entries equipped with motors must remove the prop and spinner and the motor shaft covered by a wooden nosecone.

F3L.3.2. The Following are Not Allowed

Any telemetry with the exception of radio signal strength, receiver temperature and battery voltage. No variometer permitted.

You may have additional telemetry installed in the model, but it must be disabled during the contest. That is, it may not be displayed or play sounds

F3L.3.4. Competition

There will be a total of 9 rounds. There will be one drop after Round 4. A pilot’s lowest score will be discarded before determining their final aggregate score.

There will be no flyoff- award positions will be based of each pilots aggregate score at the end of the preliminary rounds.

F3L Penalties

 

Note: There is no penalty for a plane that comes to rest upside down at the time of landing. However, if parts are shed or damage is incurred that results in a model not being immediately airworthy then the penalties described below apply.

 

The FAI Sporting Code identifies the following penalties in F3L competition:

 

11.2.1	The nose of the model sticks into ground on landing and the tail does not come to rest on the ground.	0 points for landing
11.2.2	The model sheds any parts on landing	0 points for the landing
11.2.3.	The model is not airworthy after landing	0 points for the landing
11.2.4	The model has overflown the group’s working time	0 points for the landing
11.2.5	The competitor or helper touches the model during landing	0 points for the landing
11.2.6	The competitor of helper touches the model before the official scorekeeper has measured the distance	0 point for the landing
11.2.1	The model comes to rest outside the landing boundary specified by the organizer, unless the competitor launches his model for another attempt	0 points for the round
11.2.2	The model has overflown the group’s working time by more than 30 seconds	0 points for the round

 

 

Awards

The OG F3L will provide awards for the top 1-3 pilots (at a minimum)- there will be no Team award. If there is one or more Junior registration, awards will be provided for the top 1-3 Junior pilots.

Food and Drink

Lunch both days in the form of assorted bread, cold cuts, chips, and side dishes (like baked beans), condiments, and water are included with your entry fee.

Questions:

Contact CD Ed LaCroix with questions.