Pilot and operator licensing
No one may compete as a pilot or remote operator in any sanctioned event without a current IACSF license at the tier required for that event. An IACSF license supplements your government airman or remote pilot certificate; both must be valid and current to compete.
- Reference
- IACSF-LIC-001
- Administered by
- Competition Rules Committee
- Apply via
- IACSF licensing portal
- Enquiries
- licensing@iacsf.org
Two streams, four tiers
Licenses in one stream do not confer eligibility in the other; you may hold both. Tiers are progressive. Event organizers may not waive tier requirements, and there is no grace period for competing on an expired license.
Full-Scale Piloted (FSP)
Governed by 14 CFR Part 91 or national equivalent. Covers Full-Scale Aerial Combat, Full-Scale Dogfight Simulation and the piloted component of mixed-class formats.
UAS / Drone (UAS)
Governed by 14 CFR Part 107 or national equivalent. Covers Remote Combat Class, Drone Combat, UAS Dogfight Simulation and the UAS component of mixed-class formats.
| Tier | Name | Competition access | Key distinguishing requirement | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Club | Club, local and exhibition events only | Valid government pilot or operator certificate; IACSF Orientation Course; open-book rules quiz (80%) | 1 year |
| Tier 2 | Regional | Tier 1 events plus Regional events | Two Tier 1 events completed in 24 months; closed-book Written Examination (75%); Combat Airmanship or UAS Combat Operations Module | 2 years |
| Tier 3 | National | Tier 2 events plus National events | Demonstrated competitive performance; Practical Assessment by a certified Examiner; National written exam (80%) | 2 years |
| Tier 4 | Elite | All events including IACSF Championships | Performance threshold; Board of Examiners review and interview; annual re-certification | 1 year |
A Tier 4 license is required to compete at any IACSF Championship. Tier 3 is required for National-level sanctioned events. Missing an annual Tier 4 re-certification results in automatic downgrade to Tier 3.
Full-Scale Piloted requirements by tier
FAA certificates are cited; national equivalents are accepted. Fees are per the current IACSF Fee Schedule.
| Tier 1, Club | Tier 2, Regional | Tier 3, National | Tier 4, Elite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government certificate | Private Pilot Certificate in category and class. Class 3 medical. | As Tier 1. Commercial Pilot Certificate strongly recommended. | Commercial Pilot Certificate with Instrument Rating. Class 2 medical. Appropriate category and class ratings. | Commercial Pilot Certificate, or ATP in multi-engine competition aircraft. Class 2 medical minimum, Class 1 preferred. All type ratings. |
| Currency | 3 takeoffs and landings in the preceding 90 days. | As Tier 1, plus current Biennial Flight Review. | Per government certificate. | Per government certificate. |
| Flight time | 40 hours total in category. | 150 hours total, including 25 in high-performance or complex aircraft or the competition category. | 500 hours total, including 100 pilot-in-command in category. | 1,000 hours total, including 250 pilot-in-command in category. |
| Competitive experience | None. | 2 completed Tier 1 sanctioned events in 24 months. | 4 completed events at Tier 2 or above in 36 months, at least 2 in the last 12. | 6 completed Tier 3 events in 36 months, at least 2 in the last 12. |
| Performance threshold | None. | None. | Top 50% in 2 Regional events in 24 months, or recommendation by 2 Tier 4 pilots in good standing. | Top 25% in 2 National events in 24 months, or a Continental podium in 36 months. |
| IACSF training | Orientation Course, about 4 hours online. Participant Agreement. Annual safety briefing acknowledgment. | Combat Airmanship Module, online plus a practical session at an approved facility or event. | Practical Airmanship Assessment by a certified Examiner: handling, combat manoeuvre execution, situational awareness, emergencies. | Board of Examiners review: three-member panel including a current or former Tier 4 pilot; interview and performance review. |
| Examination | Open-book rules quiz, 80%. | Closed-book Written Examination, 75%: rules, safety, aircraft certification, emergencies. | Closed-book National Written Examination, 80%. | Annual Refresher module. |
| Renewal | Confirm certificate validity and currency; fee; safety acknowledgment. | Confirm certificate; 1 competitive event in 24 months; fee. | Confirm certificate; 2 events in 24 months; open-book renewal quiz (75%); fee. | Annually: certificate, Refresher module, 1 event in 12 months, fee. Otherwise downgrade to Tier 3. |
UAS / Drone requirements by tier
All competing UAS must carry FAA-compliant Remote ID, and operators must be able to demonstrate their Remote ID obligations.
| Tier 1, Club | Tier 2, Regional | Tier 3, National | Tier 4, Elite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government certificate | FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, current and not under suspension. | As Tier 1, with no disciplinary actions. | Part 107 with no violations or suspensions in 36 months. | Part 107 with a clean regulatory record for 36 months. |
| Logged operations | None specified. | 25 hours logged in the competition class, verifiable by logbook. | 100 hours logged in competition class, including 20 in competitive events. | 300 hours logged, including 50 in sanctioned competition. |
| Competitive experience | None. | 2 completed Tier 1 UAS events in 24 months. | 4 completed UAS events at Tier 2 or above in 36 months, at least 2 in the last 12. | 6 completed UAS events at Tier 3 or above in 36 months, at least 2 in the last 12. |
| Performance threshold | None. | None. | Top 50% in 2 Regional UAS events in 24 months, or recommendation by 2 current UAS Tier 4 operators. | Top 25% in 2 National UAS events in 24 months, or a Continental UAS podium in 36 months. |
| IACSF training | UAS Orientation Course, about 3 hours online. Participant Agreement. Annual safety briefing acknowledgment. | UAS Combat Operations Module, online plus a skills assessment by video submission or at an approved event. | UAS Practical Skills Assessment on a standardized obstacle and combat simulation course under a certified Examiner, minimum 75%. | UAS Board of Examiners review: performance record, aircraft configuration documentation and interview. |
| Examination | Open-book UAS rules quiz, 80%. | Closed-book UAS Written Examination, 75%: combat rules, RF management, fail-safe standards, emergencies. | UAS National Written Examination, 80%. | UAS Annual Refresher module. |
| Renewal | Confirm Part 107; fee. | Confirm Part 107; 1 event in 24 months; fee. | Confirm Part 107; 2 events in 24 months; renewal quiz; fee. | Annually: Part 107, Refresher module, 1 event in 12 months, fee. Otherwise downgrade to Tier 3. |
How to apply
Assemble your evidence
Completed License Application Form; a copy of your government airman or remote pilot certificate; logbook pages or equivalent proof of flight time or logged operations; signed event participation forms or IACSF event records for competitive experience; examination results or practical assessment certificate where required; and, for Tier 3 and 4, the additional documentation the tier requires.
Sit the examination
Written examinations run online through the licensing portal. Tier 1 is open-book; Tiers 2 to 4 are closed-book and timed. If you fail you may re-sit after 14 days; three consecutive failures mean a 90-day wait and a remedial study module.
Complete a practical assessment (Tier 3 and 4)
Only a currently registered IACSF Examiner may assess you, at a sanctioned event or approved training facility. Results are valid for 12 months; if your application is not completed in that time, a new assessment is required.
Submit through the portal and pay the fee
Applications go to the Commissioner or designated licensing administrator via the official IACSF licensing portal.
Receive your credential
A digital license in the portal, a printed card on request showing name, license number, tier, stream and expiry, and entry in the IACSF Pilot Registry, which organizers must check before closing event registration.
Renewals, upgrades and suspension
Renew no later than 30 days before expiry. A renewal submitted after expiry is treated as a new application and must meet current tier requirements in full.
You may apply for an upgrade at any time by demonstrating every requirement of the higher tier. Meeting a threshold does not upgrade you automatically; a complete application must be submitted and approved.
A license is downgraded automatically if renewal requirements are not met in the renewal window. The Commissioner may suspend or revoke a license following a Judicial and Disciplinary Committee determination. If your government certificate is suspended or revoked you must notify the Commissioner immediately; your IACSF license is automatically suspended until it is reinstated, and you may not compete at any level while suspended.
Appeals
Any licensing decision, including denial, refused upgrade, suspension or downgrade, may be appealed to the Appeals Committee within 30 days on the grounds that the requirements were misapplied, relevant evidence was not considered, or the procedure was not followed. Appeals are submitted in writing to the Commissioner, who forwards them; the Committee issues a written decision within 45 days, final within the Federation.
Competing without a license
Organizers must verify license status for all entrants before registration closes. Competing without a valid license at the required tier is grounds for disqualification and referral to the Judicial and Disciplinary Committee, and Member Teams may not permit unlicensed individuals to compete in events submitted for IACSF points or sanction.
Examiners
IACSF Examiners hold a current Tier 3 or Tier 4 license in the stream they assess, have at least three years of active IACSF competitive experience, have completed the Examiner Training Course approved by the Competition Rules Committee, have no active disciplinary proceedings, and re-certify annually with calibration sessions. They assess against the published rubric, submit results within five business days, keep candidate data confidential and disclose any conflict of interest before an assessment begins. The public Examiner register is maintained on this site.