F5J

Carbon and lithium changed this hobby. We used to launch off a winch line or a bungee; now the ship climbs on a motor for fifteen or twenty seconds, the motor goes off, and the prop folds away. What's left is the part that was always the point — reading air you can't see. SLNT monthlies have been electric since 2022.

If you already fly F5J, skip to the ships and the limiter. If you fly power or helis and want a Saturday that isn't a pattern box, come stand in the pits and we'll put a glider in your hands.

How it's scored, briefly

F5J taxes height: the higher you climb on the motor, the more your flight time gets discounted. That's why nobody with a modern ship uses the full thirty seconds the rulebook allows — you'd be paying for altitude you don't need. ALES caps everyone at the same height instead, which sounds like the same idea and plays completely differently.

Our monthly contests are FAI F5J. F5L is the two-meter day.

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Getting a ship

Four honest tiers, cheapest first. Prices are ballpark and airframe-only unless noted — budget for servos, motor and a folding prop on top of anything moulded, plus a limiter if you're flying F5J contest.

Flying this weekend. A foam motor-glider gets you in the air immediately and survives the learning. The Night Radian at 2 m is the common one in the US; the EasyGlider 4 is its European equivalent. Around $250. Note that this is the only glider the big US retailers carry — nobody stocks the moulded fleet domestically.

Two-meter wood, for F5L. The kinder first contest, and cheaper to crash. Buildable kits: Introduction F5J from Höllein, Purito F5L Electric from HyperFlight. Roughly €150 to €300.

Compact moulded. If you want carbon but four meters is more airplane than you want to store or transport: Joy and Aerix live around $850 to $1,200, and Chinese-built Blades start near $800.

Full four-meter contest ships. Roughly $2,400 to $3,500 for the airframe. Used is a real option — a 3.5 m Explorer went for about €1,500 in Germany last summer.

Or convert what you own. If your winch ship is still in the shop, a folding prop, a modest motor and a small pack will bring it back. Add a limiter if you're flying F5J contest. Most of the SLNT fleet started that way. Same thermal, no bungee.

Builders adjust often — confirm with the shop before you order.

Builders (the moulds are in Europe)

US shops are importers. The carbon work is in Europe: Ukraine, Czechia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Slovenia. Ukraine is still shipping in 2026, with longer lead times. Ultima 2, Maxa 4, Eternity, and Cayley are the names on our field photos.

Shops

The limiter

A winch launch never needed one; F5J does. You need an FAI-approved altitude limiter, formally a motor-run timer, and the firmware has to be current or it isn't legal. Club boxes mostly run the Aerobtec Altis V4 or a Soaring Circuits CAM. The GliderKeeper Pico is the small one. Check the FAI approved list or the Tour list.

If you're not flying F5J contest, you don't need an FAI-approved limiter. Keep the model safe per AMA RC Soaring 2026–2027. The FAI AMRT rule is F5J contest only — we don't currently enforce AMRT devices with F5L.

Where people actually talk

Rules, if you want them

FAI Volume F5 Electric 2026 · AMA RC Soaring 2026–2027 · Tour deviations