From flight to board

How it works

You fly. Your drone writes the truth into a blackbox log. We measure that log, match it to video proof, and put a number on the board. Two listing tracks: Official verification (Video QR + staff review → registry) and Community listing (log + YouTube OSD → Public board). No typing your own speed. No “trust me” screenshots.

Overview

Five beats — same measurement idea; Official and Community differ on proof and review.

Step by step

What you do in the pilot portal — from account setup to a published record.

Create your portal account

Create an account at the Portal with email (or Google), then verify your inbox link and complete your pilot profile (name, country, date of birth).

Get your licence validated

Upload your pilot licence document. Staff validate it before you can create records — this keeps the board tied to real pilots.

Start a new record

Pick a record type, weight class, and configuration. Then choose a listing track: Official verification — QR + full review; can become a registry record and count toward category leaders — or Community listing — log, video, and photos on the public board (not an official record). Open and accept the category rules, then create the pre-registered record.

Fill the flight details

Pilot name, country, expected date, craft name, and location. Optional: Special request (B4F: M.A.S.K.) if you need GPS privacy (zero or relocate home) and/or hide voltage & current in the published log — that needs a short justification and a staff vote before QR codes unlock. The public-log rebuild happens later, after approval — not when you tick the box.

Accept the attempt rules

Before Video QR (Official) or log upload (Community), scroll the GENERAL rules and your category rules, then confirm you agree. If B4F: M.A.S.K. relocate home was approved, pick the public home on a map (or enter coordinates) next.

Video QR + blackbox candidates

Official: start recording, then mint QR codes on camera — Camera rolling → Attempt start → Attempt end. While the 1h 30m Attempt start → end timer runs, upload one or more blackbox candidates (rule ticks ✓ / ✕; 2-way can use Run1A + Run1B). Connection stats show on the upload panel. After Attempt end, the portal picks the best, full-decodes it with B4F: FL1GHT, you mint Log uploaded on camera, then stop recording when told. Community: no Video QR — same candidate upload + ticks, then continue to YouTube proof.

Add proof video

Official: upload the filmed proof video file (not a YouTube link) within 4 hours of Log uploaded. Community: paste one YouTube link with OSD — no file upload on this track.

Add details & submit

Official: within 5 days of Log uploaded, add photos, witness, craft details, and optional sponsors — then submit for staff review. Community: photos, craft details, and sponsors (no witness) — then publish straight to the Public board.

Wait for the green light

Official: staff verify the package. If it passes, your run appears on Records with its own public page. Every published blackbox is rebuilt for the public download: upload → decode → modify → encode → validate (score kept). Voltage & current are always privacy-masked (public ~16 V / ~10 A anchors). With approved B4F: M.A.S.K., GPS can be zeroed or relocated and V/I can be fully stripped instead. Community: no staff queue — publishing puts the listing on the Public board immediately (Community badge, not a registry record).

Add public media

After approval, open the verified record in the portal and add a public video link (YouTube preferred) plus optional extra gallery photos — visitors see them on the dedicated record page.

Choose your certificate

Official only after verification: select digital PDF, print-ready file, or wall print so it matches your public record details. Community listings do not get a registry certificate.

Share your record

Copy or share the link to your public record page, and point people to the Records leaderboard where your verified run sits in its category.

The QR codes on camera

Official verification only. Edited video is easy to fake — so you film short QR codes from the portal during the attempt. They mark camera start, run start/end, and log upload. Staff check those moments in your proof video. Community listings skip Video QR and use a YouTube OSD link instead.

  1. 1

    Camera rolling

    Show this when recording begins — keep recording until the portal says you can stop.

  2. 2

    Attempt start

    Show this when the run starts. You then have 1 hour 30 minutes to Attempt end (upload candidates during that window).

  3. 3

    Attempt end

    Show this when the attempt finishes — then 1 hour 30 minutes to lock the best log and mint Log uploaded.

  4. 4

    Log uploaded

    Show this after the best log is fully decoded. Then 4 hours for the proof video file, 5 days for details.

Think of it as a timestamp on film: the flight, the camera, and the log have to line up.

B4F: M.A.S.K. modes

Optional privacy for the public blackbox after a staff vote — zero home, relocate home, and/or strip voltage & current. The scored result stays the same; only what visitors can download changes.

Why this way

Numbers you can believe

Anyone can type a big number into a form. Here the published result comes from the flight log itself — GPS track, altitude, timing — run through the same B4F: FL1GHT engine pilots already use on the web. You preview the measured result before you finish. What lands on the board is what the log measured, not what someone wished it was.

Every category uses the same idea: one measured result from the log, scored the same way for every pilot. Full criteria live on the Rules page.

What keeps it fair

  • The log decides — not a typed claim or an OSD screenshot alone. Candidate uploads show rule ticks before the best is locked.
  • Proof has to match — Official: QR codes on film. Community: YouTube OSD of the run.
  • Two public paths — Official registry records need staff approval. Community listings publish to the Public board without a staff queue (and are not official world records).
  • Public log privacy — every published blackbox is re-encoded (upload → decode → modify → encode → validate). Voltage & current are always masked to public anchors; optional B4F: M.A.S.K. (staff vote) can zero/relocate GPS and strip V/I entirely.
  • Same category rules — criteria live on the Rules page.
Open portal Browse records Read the rules