Strike Fighter League
Foundational Charter & Competition Framework
Charter v2.0 · App. A v2.0 · App. B v2.0
Current as of 02 OCT 2026 · Competitor Reference
Current as of 02 OCT 2026 · Competitor Reference
Foundational Charter · Version 2.0
The League exists to organize, measure, and showcase the highest standard of competitive virtual air combat performance — turning the most demanding fundamentals of strike fighter aviation into a transparent, auditable sport.
Section 1
The Strike Fighter League (SFL) exists to organize, measure, and showcase the highest standard of competitive virtual air combat performance. The League preserves the heritage of strike fighter aviation by turning its most demanding fundamentals into a transparent, auditable sport that rewards mastery under pressure.
SFL competition occurs in a standardized simulation environment and measures performance to the maximum fidelity available.
SFL will become an enduring, community-driven standard for legitimate competition in strike fighter simulation. It will evolve with technology and the competitive community to continually improve measurement fidelity, fairness, and spectator clarity across current and future environments.
SFL competition is designed to reveal skill. The League builds events that isolate foundational strike fighter skill domains and then quantifies performance objectively within the constraints of the simulation environment.
Outcomes are determined through telemetry, defined scoring logic, and repeatable conditions. Standards, scoring, and rulings are published so results are understood and trusted. Competition is designed to reward disciplined execution under pressure, without artificial equalization, so that real differences in preparation, technique, and decision-making show.
All SFL tournaments are organized into two sequential phases:
Trials are designed to evaluate Competitors in discrete skill domains such as speed, precision, and accuracy. Trials provide objective performance data and determine seeding in the next phase.
A head-to-head competitive environment where performance is tested against another thinking Competitor. Mastery can be expressed in multiple ways, including geometry, energy, timing and weapons employment.
SFL operates in two competitive lanes:
Event-specific setup, technical and tactical admin, scoring parameters, and detailed instructions are published in Special Instructions (SPINS) as appendices to this Charter.
Section 2
The SFL is built to operate as a professional, governed league that is driven by the competitive community. The organizational structure is designed to separate three functions that must remain distinct to preserve credibility:
The Vanguard serves as the league's executive leadership. The Vanguard safeguards the league's credibility and leads operations, ensuring the business mechanics and day-to-day execution support fair, transparent competition.
The Vanguard is responsible for:
(AC)2 is a standing advisory council that anchors SFL competition in the enduring fundamentals of strike fighter aviation and the realities of performance under pressure. Its purpose is to provide informed, principled counsel that keeps SFL aligned with its mission and with the competitive community it serves.
(AC)2 is an international cohort of experts drawn from across disciplines, including veteran fighter pilots, milsim practitioners, and human performance specialists. This breadth ensures the League stays grounded in what matters, evolves intelligently as technology advances, and continues to reward the right behaviors in competition.
(AC)2 provides advisory input on:
5 voting members / 2 advisory members. Our commitment is a formalized and structured competitive community voice.
Section 3
The SFL is guided by a set of foundational principles that shape how competition is structured, measured, and governed across all sanctioned events. The SFL seeks to approximate real-world aerial combat while continuously evaluating contemporary hardware and software to inform and evolve the Live Professional and Online Tournament Series.
SFL competition is grounded in the foundational skill domains strike fighter pilots have had to master across generations. The League does not claim to replicate real-world air combat. It commits to measuring performance objectively to the maximum fidelity available. Events are designed to reward correct behaviors, disciplined execution, and mastery under pressure.
SFL publishes scoring logic, standards, and adjudication outcomes so Competitors understand how results are produced. The League will release post-event summaries and rulings to preserve legitimacy, enable learning, and promote advancement.
Competition is only credible when conditions are repeatable. SFL standardizes event setup, measurement inputs, scoring rules, and adjudication processes. Where simulation constraints exist, SFL defines them explicitly and measures within them accordingly.
SFL operates through two competitive lanes. They are different paths with different purposes, but they reinforce the same mission: authentic competition, objective measurement, and earned outcomes.
The Live Professional Series (LPS) is SFL's premier competitive lane and its highest-integrity environment. It is executed in a fully controlled setting, so variables are minimized. Regional qualifiers feed the Skymasters Cup, the LPS championship event.
The Online Tournament Series (OTS) is SFL's scalable competition lane, designed to expand access to structured competition. OTS gives the broader community a consistent proving ground built on standardized conditions and published scoring.
While the OTS is its own lane, OTS performance may be used to qualify Competitors into the LPS as the league's verification and measurement capabilities mature.
Across both competitive lanes, SFL tournaments follow a consistent structure: two sequential phases and an eight-competitor format.
Phase 1 — Trials Phase. Trials evaluate Competitors in discrete skill domains such as speed, precision, and accuracy. Trials generate objective results and establish seeding for the next phase.
Phase 2 — Dogfight Phase. The Dogfight Phase creates a head-to-head environment where performance is tested against another thinking Competitor. Mastery can be expressed in multiple ways, including geometry, energy management, and timing. This phase decides who advances and ultimately crowns the tournament winner by way of the gun, scored objectively within the constraints of the simulation environment.
All competitors advance from Trials to Dogfight. Trials determine seeding only. Trials results do not carry into Dogfight outcomes.
The Trials Phase evaluates three equally weighted events. Each Trial:
Equal weighting and aggregation. All three Trials are equally weighted. The Trials leaderboard is determined by summing normalized scores across all Trials. This rewards completeness and consistency. No single Trial is sufficient to dominate.
Tie resolution. Ties are resolved in order:
Trials rankings determine dogfight seeding:
Trials confer no advantage beyond seeding.
Re-seeding each round. Bracket advancement re-seeds: after each round, the remaining Competitors are re-paired by seed — highest remaining seed versus lowest remaining seed, second-highest versus second-lowest, and so on. Pairings are determined by seed, not by fixed bracket lines, and a Competitor's position on the published bracket may change from round to round as seeds re-pair.
Each scored matchup consists of a three-set series:
Altitude assignments are fixed by seeding. Matchups are single elimination. Winner advances.
Special Instructions (SPINS) are released as official appendices to this Charter. They translate SFL principles and competitive framework into event-ready guidance. SPINS are published for each sanctioned event to ensure clarity, practice time, and professional competition.
Event SPINS may include, as applicable:
SPINS are intended to be precise and operational. Recommended changes to SPINS are encouraged by the SFL to strengthen fairness, authenticity, and clarity. All recommended changes are reviewed by the Standing Rules Committee (SRC) and, when adopted, are published as official.
3.5.1 Objectivity over judgment. All competitive outcomes are determined through transparent objective measurement. Human judging, discretionary scoring, and subjective interpretation are excluded from competition results.
3.5.2 Measurement over opinion. Performance is measured using telemetry, defined parameters, and published scoring logic. Data decides outcomes.
3.5.3 Every contest has a single winner. Ties are not permitted. All events, phases, and matchups include deterministic tie resolution mechanisms that always produce a single winner.
3.5.4 Pressure reveals skill. Limited attempts, strict standards, and cash prize pools are built in to create real pressure. That pressure is the point: it stress-tests competitors and reveals who can execute skillfully when it counts.
3.5.5 Integrity is an individual responsibility. The League enforces standards and safeguards competition, but personal integrity rests with the competitor. Integrity is assumed until violated; legitimacy is earned through performance.
3.5.6 Aircraft are not equalized. Mastery includes understanding aircraft strengths, limitations, and tradeoffs. No artificial handicapping is applied.
Section 4
The Strike Fighter League is a living professional league whose legitimacy depends on institutional continuity and unwavering adherence to objective performance assessment.
To preserve these qualities, the League operates under a governance model that balances centralized stewardship with formal community participation. This model exists to ensure rules evolve deliberately and transparently without compromising fairness, rigor, or credibility.
Community involvement is formalized and encouraged, but stewardship remains centralized to protect the integrity of competition. Rules may change. Events may evolve. Technology may advance. The League's commitment to authentic competitive integrity does not.
This section defines who holds authority, how rules are created and changed, how urgent issues are handled, and how disputes are adjudicated. The intent is to preserve competitive legitimacy through clear lines of responsibility, disciplined process, and transparent decision-making.
Two sequential phases of governance flow: the competitive community submits Gripes, SPINS Changes (SC), and Proposals; advisory bodies (AC)², RAP, and SEP guide the Standing Rules Committee; the SRC issues URCs and the CDP issues rulings back to the community.
The Strike Fighter League ("the League") is the governing authority for all sanctioned SFL competition, including the Live Professional Series (LPS) and Online Tournament Series (OTS).
The League retains the following reserved powers:
The League is accountable for the long-term evolution of the sport and the credibility of outcomes.
The Standing Rules Committee (SRC) is the League's permanent rules authority and the governing body for competition standards.
The SRC is responsible for:
The SRC is a standing body and is not dissolved or reconstituted on a seasonal basis.
The SRC is composed of individuals selected to represent institutional continuity, technical rigor, and elite competitive understanding. Membership includes:
Unless otherwise specified in this Charter, SRC decisions are made by majority vote of voting members present, provided quorum is met. Quorum is defined as a simple majority of seated voting members.
To ensure the League benefits from deep expertise without surrendering authority, the SFL maintains formal advisory bodies whose role is consultative.
The RAP consists of select (AC)2 subject-matter experts, including veteran military aviators, simulation and systems experts, and competitive adjudication specialists. The RAP provides technical input on feasibility, realism, emerging edge cases, and long-term rule evolution considerations. The RAP recommendations are non-binding.
The SEP focuses on audience comprehension, broadcast clarity, and transparency of scoring presentation. The SEP ensures that complexity in competition does not result in misrepresentation or misunderstanding for spectators while preserving the integrity of underlying measurement. SEP recommendations are non-binding.
The League formally invites structured input from the competitive community through an official Rules and SPINS Feedback System.
Community members may submit:
All submissions are triaged by the SRC or delegated to RAP/SEP subcommittees based on subject matter. Where appropriate, public decision memoranda and/or URCs are issued to preserve institutional clarity.
The Charter is a governing document. Modifications are intentionally disciplined.
A proposed Charter modification may be elevated to formal League review when:
Final approval and publication authority for Charter modifications resides with the League. Approved changes are versioned and published in accordance with Section 7.
The AWRC is held following the conclusion of the Skymasters Cup to review seasonal execution, evaluate proposed changes, and set the competitive framework for the upcoming season. The AWRC is a conference-style forum designed to bring the competitive community together and capture the best thinking on competition design and human performance assessment.
The SRC may convene review boards to evaluate urgent issues such as exploits, simulation changes, integrity vulnerabilities, and standardization concerns. When required to preserve fairness or protect legitimacy, the SRC may initiate URCs subject to the URC controls below.
URCs exist to preserve competitive fairness when time-sensitive threats emerge.
Competitive enforcement is handled independently from rule creation.
The CDP adjudicates rule violations, conduct breaches, and integrity violations independently of the SRC on an as-needed basis. Appeals to CDP rulings go to the SRC.
Appeals of CDP rulings are reviewed by the SRC for procedural correctness and alignment with published standards. The SRC may uphold, modify, or remand a ruling for reconsideration consistent with documented process.
Section 5
The LPS represents the apex of competition within the SFL ecosystem. It is the environment in which final competitive legitimacy is conferred and where human performance is tested under the most controlled and demanding conditions.
This series exists to unambiguously determine the best virtual strike fighter pilots in the world.
The LPS is designed to:
While the OTS enables broad access and large-scale competition, the LPS exists to remove uncertainty. Hardware, software, environment, and instrumentation are controlled by the League to ensure results reflect human performance alone.
The LPS is organized around a seasonal progression model that culminates in the League's championship event: the Skymasters Cup. All LPS events are conducted in fully closed-loop environments.
The professional season consists of:
Specific formats, professional competition rig specifications, and seasonal mechanics will evolve over time.
Regional Qualifiers serve as global access points in the LPS.
These events:
Regional Qualifiers are competitive proving grounds designed to identify Competitors capable of performing at the highest level of scrutiny and pressure in a live, physical-digital setting.
The Skymasters Cup is the Strike Fighter League's championship event.
It exists to:
Section 6
The OTS is the League's primary mechanism for broad-based performance assessment, selection, and community continuity. It enables the League to identify skill at scale while preserving the integrity of professional competition.
The OTS serves three primary functions:
Qualification for the OTS is earned. Access to OTS events is not granted by invitation, reputation, or affiliation. The qualification system exists to identify the top eight Competitors for each tournament. It rewards preparation, discipline, and professional execution. Competitors qualify by flying scheduled qualification runs on SFL servers during the published qualification window — one qualification run per Trial, which stands as the official score for that Trial.
Qualification events consist of:
Dogfights are not conducted during Qualification.
Qualification attempts occur in scheduled time slots on SFL servers within the published qualification window. Only a run flown in its scheduled slot produces an official score.
For each Qualification cycle, the League releases official SPINS no less than two weeks in advance of the qualification window. Competitors are expected to prepare. Familiarity with the course, targets, constraints, and performance demands is part of competitive readiness.
The League reserves the right to adjust published scoring anchors and clamps prior to the qualification window; any adjusted metrics are published before the qualification window opens.
Every qualification run is captured by the SFL server as it is flown. The SFL server-recorded ACMI file is the authoritative record of performance; scoring, verification, and any dispute review reference that record. Capture and handling standards are defined in Appendix B; retention is stated in the SFL Privacy Notice.
All qualification runs are reviewed for scoring accuracy, rule compliance, and data integrity. If an integrity flag is raised, the League may require a mandatory re-fly. Flags do not imply misconduct.
All results are scored, normalized per event, aggregated across Trials, and ranked. The top eight competitors qualify for the tournament. Alternates will be selected in rank order if required.
The League reserves the right to pull a competitor from the immediately preceding OTS forward into a subsequent OTS at its sole discretion. A competitor pulled forward under this provision is exempt from qualification but must still enter the cycle — selecting their aircraft and executing the required League paperwork at entry.
OTS competitions operate in an open technical environment. While League-standard controls and monitoring are applied, absolute prevention of client-side modification cannot be guaranteed.
Performance measurement in the OTS remains objective and telemetry driven. Integrity monitoring systems may flag anomalous behavior based on measured performance characteristics. Such flags do not constitute adjudication or accusation.
When an integrity flag is raised, the League may initiate a deeper forensic analysis of underlying telemetry, track files, and system data. This analysis serves two purposes:
Responsibility for integrity ultimately resides with the competitor. Final competitive legitimacy is conferred only at LPS events conducted in closed-loop, League-controlled environments.
The OTS preserves skill standards, competitive culture, and institutional memory. OTS competitors are participants in the League's development. Performance in the OTS matters because it reflects the same values that define the LPS.
Participation in the OTS requires more than technical execution. The SFL is a human-performance competition, and competitors are expected to be visible participants in that process. This is not required in the qualification phase.
To compete in the live bracket (the Dogfight Phase), competitors must be:
On-camera engagement is a condition of the live bracket and takes place under the face-camera consent signed at qualification. Competitors must maintain functional audio and video capability suitable for broadcast and analysis. Availability for debriefs and interviews is a non-negotiable condition of participation in the live bracket.
Section 7
The Strike Fighter League preserves legitimacy through stability of principle and disciplined evolution of mechanics.
This Charter is the SFL's controlling governance document. The League is the sole publishing and versioning authority for the Charter, SPINS, and official interpretations/notices.
The League delegates:
The League retains reserved powers to sanction official competition, reassign governance bodies when required and approve/publish Charter modifications. In conflicts, SRC governs rule meaning, Vanguard governs execution feasibility/timing, and the League intervenes only via reserved powers.
The Charter is versioned. Updates are published with:
Charter change proposals move through the League governance structure. A majority (AC)2 vote is required for a proposal to advance to League review; the League retains final ratification authority.
All changes are published. Where appropriate, the League may issue decision memoranda explaining the rationale for changes to preserve trust and institutional clarity.
Reference
End of Document (V2.0)
Appendix A · Version 2.0
The scoring and aggregation logic for SFL tournaments — a two-phase construct in which the Trials Phase determines advancement and seeding, and the Dogfight Phase's head-to-head bracket determines the tournament winner.
A.1
This appendix defines the scoring and aggregation logic for SFL tournaments.
A.2
The Trials Phase is the first phase of the tournament: every competitor flies the three Trials, and the aggregated results determine who advances to the Dogfight Phase and how its bracket is seeded.
The Trials Phase produces a single Trials Ranking by converting each competitor's outcome in each Trial (as defined in SPINS) into a normalized 0–100 display score, then summing those scores across the three Trials.
Competitors are ranked highest Total Trials Score to lowest to produce the overall Trials Ranking.
Each Trial produces a normalized display score per competitor, computed per that Trial's canonical scoring specification.
Total Trials Score = SPEED + PRECISION + ACCURACY display scores.
Total Trials Score ties are resolved in this order:
The Trials Ranking is the bridge between the two phases: the top eight competitors in the Trials Ranking advance to the Dogfight Phase, and their Trials Ranking positions seed its bracket (section A.3).
A.3
Trials rankings determine Dogfight bracket seeding as:
A.4
Each Dogfight matchup is a three-set high-aspect BFM series:
Matchups are single elimination; winner advances.
Dogfight scoring uses a Unified Impact Score (UIS):
If UIS is equal at the end of a set, that set's winner is determined by applying these tie-breakers within the set, in order:
If all four tie-breakers remain equal, that set is re-flown (sudden death) to determine the set winner.
End of Document (V2.0)
Appendix B · Version 2.0
The technical administration standard for Strike Fighter League Online Tournament Series competitor pilots — from registration through live OTS execution.
B.1
This appendix defines the technical administration standard for Strike Fighter League Online Tournament Series competitor pilots.
Event SPINS remain the controlling source for event-specific configuration, mission construction, scoring mechanics, and tactical administration.
B.2
OTS competition is conducted in two phases: the Trials Phase and the Dogfight Phase.
The Trials Phase consists of three Trials:
A pilot's Trials Phase standing aggregates that pilot's scores across the three Trials, in accordance with Appendix A.
The Dogfight Phase is the live eight-competitor bracket. Entry to the Dogfight Phase is earned through the Trials Phase.
A pilot qualifies by executing the Trials Phase on SFL servers, in scheduled time slots, during the published qualification window.
The competitor path to live OTS competition is defined by four terms, used with these meanings throughout SFL competition documents:
Create an SFL competitor account at the SFL pilot portal (pilots.the-sfl.com). Registration is a single form; the pilot's email address is the pilot's SFL identity. The account is permanent across OTS cycles, and a pilot who registered for a previous OTS is already registered. Registration never closes. Registering gives the competitor access to the pilot portal.
Commit to a specific OTS cycle, from the pilot portal, when the League announces the cycle open for entry. Entry confirms the pilot's profile, records the pilot's aircraft selection for the cycle, and includes the required League paperwork for that cycle. Account verification (B.2.3) must be complete before a pilot can enter.
Schedule and fly the qualification runs that count. During the published qualification window, an entered pilot schedules one qualification run per Trial on the SFL servers, via the pilot portal. Those runs produce the pilot's official qualification scores.
The top eight pilots from the Trials Phase advance to the Dogfight Phase — the live eight-competitor bracket.
Account verification confirms the pilot's identity on three channels, in order:
The pilot portal is the competitor's status surface: it displays the verification status of each channel and is where a pilot resumes an incomplete step. Discord verification can be re-run from the portal at any time. Email verification is completed by the confirmation link; a pilot who cannot complete it recovers through password reset, which verifies the address on completion. DCS identity is verified by running the UCID-Verify Tool, and is re-verified by running the tool again.
The DCS UCID is permanent to the pilot's Eagle Dynamics (or Steam) account. A pilot shall verify with the account they will compete with.
A practice window precedes the qualification window and continues in parallel with it.
Practice on SFL servers is available to entered pilots first-come, first-served, against a published per-pilot practice allowance.
Practice runs are captured and scored for pilot feedback and League analytics. Practice scores are visible to the pilot but are not official scores; no practice run counts toward qualification.
The official League-published mission files (.miz) are available for download in the pilot portal for at-home practice.
Qualification runs are scheduled: the pilot shall schedule a qualification slot for each Trial within the published qualification window.
One qualification run per Trial constitutes the pilot's official score for that Trial.
Qualification runs are flown on the official League-published event build: the SFL server hosts and initializes the qualification mission (.miz).
The competitor's client shall run the official League-published mods for the Trial. A competitor shall not alter, replace, or substitute the official mods.
For qualification, the authoritative record is the SFL server-recorded ACMI file (.acmi).
Qualification runs will be scored and ranked in accordance with Appendix A and the applicable SPINS.
The top eight pilots from the Trials Phase advance to compete in the Dogfight Phase — the live eight-competitor bracket.
B.3
The standard live OTS competitor flow will be:
A competitor shall report promptly when called and remain ready to move through that sequence without delay.
The standard SFL Competition Control callsign is CLASSIC.
CLASSIC is the sole pilot-facing control authority during live event participation.
CLASSIC provides event marshalling, event introduction, start authorization, execution control, and immediate technical direction to competitor pilots.
A competitor pilot shall comply promptly with control direction issued by CLASSIC.
Discord is the required voice platform for OTS participation.
Live event voice communications are conducted in the SFL Discord event voice channel (currently excon voice). Channel names may be updated by the League.
A competitor shall report to the event in the SFL Discord with a working microphone and audible receive, and shall be joined to the event voice channel before entering live execution.
Communications discipline shall be exercised at all times. Transmissions should be concise, controlled, and event-appropriate. Nonessential transmissions are not authorized.
If required communications are lost prior to start authorization, the competitor shall not commence execution unless directed by CLASSIC.
B.4
Controlled start conditions preserve parity at the moment start authorization is given. The League defines the initialized condition for each event. The competitor shall preserve and execute from that condition as directed.
A valid competitive attempt requires:
The current simulation environment for SFL OTS competition is Eagle Dynamics Digital Combat Simulator World.
Live OTS competition is conducted in the SFL-controlled DCS dedicated multiplayer server environment.
Competitor pilots shall operate on the most up-to-date DCS version available at 0000 UTC on OTS execution day unless the League publishes a different competition-build requirement.
The official League-published SFL MODs for the applicable event will be distributed to the competitors prior to event execution and must be installed.
The official League-published event mission file (.miz) for the applicable event is the authoritative build for live execution. A competitor shall not alter, replace, or substitute the official event build.
The official League-published location for the event will dictate the terrain / map required. Competitors must install the map prior to event execution.
The currently approved aircraft are:
In OTS, pilot-owned readiness includes local client stability, internet reliability, audio setup, peripheral function, bindings, display setup, and required-version compliance.
Each competitor shall treat their local competition setup with the same seriousness applied to flight gear and aircraft readiness. Technical capability is part of competitive readiness.
B.5
Competitors shall report with an event-ready client capable of:
The SFL Virtual Pilot Kit (VPK) is the League's client-side competition software — a custom Windows application. Running the current VPK is required to fly on SFL servers.
The VPK's license agreement is executed as part of the required entry paperwork (section B.2.2); acceptance is a condition of flying on SFL servers.
The VPK performs four functions:
The VPK temporarily modifies the pilot's DCS installation to perform these functions; when the pilot quits DCS and the VPK, the prior configuration is restored.
The VPK collects nothing from the competitor's machine other than DCS mods, DCS telemetry, and DCS state. Everything collected under that scope is competition-integrity data: the League uses it to run and verify the competition, never for marketing, and it never enters any dataset the League licenses to a third party.
Two boundaries complete that scope.
The broadcast webcam feed is not collection under this section. The feed streams only during live OTS broadcast events, only under the separate face-camera consent signed at the qualification step, and only for broadcast. It is never used for integrity inspection and never enters any licensed dataset.
Control inputs are handled in two different ways, and the difference matters. First, the VPK's integrity check reads control-input signals (stick, throttle, and cockpit actions) as part of the DCS telemetry and state it monitors. That reading is competition-integrity data. It is required to fly on SFL servers, it is listed in Schedule A of the entry paperwork (section B.2.2), the League uses it only to run and verify the competition, and it is never licensed to anyone. Second, recording a competitor's control inputs as competition data, so that they could be included in a dataset the League licenses, is a separate matter. That recording does not happen today. If the League ever offers it, it will be offered only as its own optional switch in the Pilot Data Royalties Rider (the optional data-license election in the entry paperwork), in a later version of the Rider that the competitor can accept or leave alone, and the League will disclose it on the competitor's account page before any such recording begins. The two never mix. Nothing the integrity check reads is ever kept, relabeled, or handed on as licensed competition data, even where the signals look the same.
The VPK is provided to all entrants.
The VPK requires:
VR and standard displays are both supported. The installer runs as the current Windows user and does not require administrator elevation.
The competitor runs the installer SFL provides, named SFL-VirtualPilotKit-Setup-<callsign> (.exe or .cmd). Windows SmartScreen may warn; choose More info, then Run anyway (or Run). The kit installs to C:\SFL\PilotKit and creates a Desktop and Start-menu shortcut named SFL Virtual Pilot Kit. A later installer stops any prior kit session and overwrites that same path. If the installer is blocked, extract the staged zip SFL provides (SFL-VirtualPilotKit-STAGED-<callsign>) in full, then run setup\Install-PilotKit.ps1 from the new folder. Remove the kit from Settings → Apps → SFL Virtual Pilot Kit, or from the Start-menu uninstall entry.
When the VPK collects, and how long SFL keeps it
The VPK collects only what section B.5.2 already lists: DCS mods, DCS telemetry, and DCS state. Here is when each is read, and what happens to it afterward.
%TEMP%\sfl-pilotkit-install.log). You send that log to SFL only if an install fails and you choose to send it.Everything the kit collects is competition-integrity data. SFL uses it to run and verify the competition, never for marketing, and it never enters any dataset SFL licenses to a third party.
How long SFL keeps it
Deleted. If it is part of an open dispute or an integrity case, it is kept until that case closes, then deleted. Never licensed.
Deleted, unless kept for a specific dispute, then deleted when it closes.
Deleted. Two exceptions: footage that appears in a published broadcast cut stays with that broadcast, and footage under a dispute hold stays until the dispute closes. Never licensed; never enters any dataset.
Deleted 24 months after your account closes.
Deleted when the law no longer requires them.
The server-recorded flight data that is the authoritative record of a run (section B.6.1), published broadcasts, and your competition results are collected by SFL servers, not by the kit; their retention is stated in the Privacy Notice (the-sfl.com/Privacy/, section 18). Recorded numbers are published promises: if a period above changes, it changes by a new version of these documents, never quietly.
If Windows or antivirus blocks the installer, use the staged-zip path above. A failed install writes %TEMP%\sfl-pilotkit-install.log — you may send that file to SFL. A failed launch writes C:\SFL\PilotKit\start-here.log. Confirm DCS is installed and signed in. If the webcam is not detected for a broadcast event, close other applications using the camera and retry. To stop the kit, quit DCS, or press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K. The kit answers sfl-kit help and sfl-kit version (console image sfl-kitc); sfl-kitc doctor checks the rig without changing DCS. During live execution, report a technical disruption to CLASSIC on the event voice channel.
No client-side augmentation tools are approved unless expressly published by the League. This includes mods, export scripts, overlays, plugins, and similar augmentation layers.
B.6
For live OTS execution, the authoritative record for each run or set is the SFL server-recorded ACMI file (.acmi).
A Valid Run is an officially authorized attempt that begins from a proper start condition after start authorization from CLASSIC, maintains required technical continuity, and terminates with an authoritative League record sufficient for official disposition.
An Interrupted Run is an officially authorized attempt that is disrupted prior to normal completion by a technical interruption, control intervention, or abnormal condition requiring League disposition.
An Invalid Run is an attempt that cannot stand as an official competitive run due to materially non-compliant setup, failed technical continuity, or absence of an authoritative record.
A valid run depends on uninterrupted technical continuity from start authorization through recorded termination.
A competitor shall not knowingly take action that compromises the integrity of the authoritative record.
Start authorization from CLASSIC governs when a competitor is live.
A technical reset or re-fly is not automatic. It may be granted only when the League determines that the disruption materially affected the run and arose from the SFL-controlled environment or another official condition warranting re-disposition.
If a pilot disconnects or experiences a correctable issue before entering the initialized event state, the pilot may be reintroduced when directed, subject to event flow and timing limits.
If a disconnect, desync, invalid setup, or communications failure occurs after spawn or initialization but before start authorization, the normal disposition shall be hold, reset, or reinitialize when feasible.
Once the competitor has been authorized to begin live execution, the default presumption in OTS shall be pilot ownership of the run unless the League determines that the fault originated in the SFL-controlled environment.
A pilot-side DCS crash after start authorization shall normally stand as a pilot-owned failure absent evidence of server-side causation.
A pilot-side DCS crash before start authorization may be reset if event flow permits.
A disruption attributable to the SFL-controlled environment may justify reset, restart, or re-fly as directed by CLASSIC.
If the authoritative server record fails, corrupts, or does not preserve a usable record, the League may declare the run interrupted, invalid, or eligible for re-fly, depending on event state and the nature of the failure.
B.7
A qualification run is executed on the SFL servers, in the competitor's scheduled qualification slot, during the published qualification window (section B.2.5).
Trials execution is automated: the SFL server initializes the event, captures the run, and scores it. The event SPINS are the controlling source for course configuration, run timing, and scoring mechanics for each Trial.
A competitor who misses a scheduled qualification slot may reschedule on a first-come, first-served basis.
Practice runs execute under this same standard, within the practice structure in section B.2.4.
The pilot-facing execution standard for a Trials run is:
B.8
All dogfight sets are flown from controlled airborne setups. The competitor shall accept the initialized condition and preserve it until start authorization.
The pilot-facing technical standard for Dogfight is:
If a post-start disruption is pilot-owned, the set shall normally stand.
If a post-start disruption is attributable to the SFL-controlled environment, CLASSIC may direct reset, restart, or other official disposition.
A set in which scoring activation does not occur within the published merge window shall be terminated by CLASSIC and recorded 0-0. The merge window and activation criteria are published in the DOGFIGHT SPINS.
B.9
Qualification slots are scheduled first-come, first-served within the published qualification window (see B.2.5). Pilots are advised to schedule early: slot times are not guaranteed.
A pilot who misses a scheduled qualification slot shall reschedule. Rescheduling is first-come, first-served against remaining slot availability.
In real-time scheduling on SFL servers, qualification runs take priority over practice runs. Practice remains available in parallel, against the per-pilot practice allowance (see B.2.4).
The following guidelines are in effect for the live OTS event, but competition tempo will be directed by CLASSIC via Discord:
A technical issue that cannot be resolved within the published allowance may result in reset, resequencing, invalidation, or other official disposition.
B.10
End of Document (V2.0)
Document Control
Version history for the Foundational Charter & Competition Framework, maintained in accordance with Charter § 7.2 (Versioning).
Version 2.0 · OTS-3 Competitor Set · 02 OCT 2026
Every framework document moves to v2.0 together: the Charter, Appendix A, Appendix B and the four SPINS. The set carries every change made between OTS-2 and OTS-3. The largest are below.
Errata & Bundle Updates · 28 SEP 2026
Errata & Bundle Updates · 18 SEP 2026
Errata & Bundle Updates · 07 SEP 2026
Errata & Bundle Updates · 20 JUL 2026
Errata & Bundle Updates · 18 JUL 2026
Errata & Bundle Updates · 11 JUL 2026
Version 1.1 · 01 JUN 2026
Version 1.0
End of Change Log