Aeromodelling spans traditional fixed-wing models, radio-control aircraft, control-line flying and newer recreational small unmanned aircraft. The available statistics cover different populations: FAI-sanctioned events worldwide, and FAA registration, forecast and survey measures in the United States, so they should not be read as one global participation census.
Key Aeromodelling Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- In December 2021, the FAA estimated 1.58 million recreational small unmanned aircraft in the United States as distinctly identified recreational aircraft.
- In December 2021, the FAA estimated an effective or active US recreational small-UAS fleet of about 607,177 aircraft.
- By December 2021, more than 1.37 million cumulative new recreational operators had registered with the FAA in the United States.
- In December 2021, the estimated US recreational aircraft fleet was almost 15% higher than ownership registration in the FAA comparison.
- FAA recreational registration covered drones over 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and under 55 pounds (25 kilograms) in the rule described in its forecast.
- The FAA’s online recreational/model-aircraft registration system began on December 21, 2015 in the United States.
- In the FAA’s 2023 survey, recreational-only Part 107 operators owned an average of 1.9 aircraft.
- In the same 2023 subgroup, operators flew an average of 18.1 recreational flights, with a median of 6.
- In 2023, 36.1% of FAA-surveyed Part 107 respondents were classified as recreational-only.
- In 2023, 52.5% of FAA-surveyed Part 107 respondents were classified as core Part 107 operators.
- Among recreational-only Part 107 respondents in 2023, 10.0% self-identified as model aircraft operators.
- In 2023, recreational-only Part 107 operators reported an average of 0.19 fixed-wing aircraft operated per operator.
- FAI recorded 285 aeromodelling events worldwide in 2017.
- FAI recorded 266 aeromodelling events worldwide in 2016.
- FAI recorded 326 aeromodelling events worldwide in 2015.
- FAI recorded 252 aeromodelling events worldwide in 2009.
- FAI recorded 318 aeromodelling events worldwide in 2012.
- In 2013, FAI recorded 10 World aeromodelling events worldwide.
Contents
- Key Aeromodelling Statistics
- Participation and Aircraft Ownership Data
- FAI Competition and International Activity
- Historical Aeromodelling Event Trends
- FAA Survey Patterns in Recreational Flying
- Registration, Fleet and Regulatory Measures
Participation and Aircraft Ownership Data
There is no universal global census of aeromodellers in these sources. The FAA measures US recreational small-UAS ownership and registration, while its survey describes particular Part 107 respondent groups rather than every model-aircraft pilot.
The FAA’s December 2021 forecast estimated 1.58 million distinctly identified recreational small unmanned aircraft in the US recreational fleet. It also gave an effective or active-fleet estimate of about 607,177 aircraft, explicitly making the latter a lower-bound active-fleet measure rather than a direct count of people.
The same FAA material reported more than 1.37 million cumulative new recreational operators registered by December 2021. Operator registrations are not aircraft registrations and may include inactive registrants, while the recreational small-UAS population is broader than traditional fixed-wing aeromodelling.
| FAA measure | United States value | Period and definition |
|---|---|---|
| Distinctly identified recreational aircraft | 1.58 million | December 2021 estimate |
| Effective or active recreational fleet | 607,177 | December 2021 lower-bound estimate |
| Cumulative new recreational operators | More than 1.37 million | Through December 2021 |
| Fleet versus ownership registration | Almost 15% higher | December 2021 estimate comparison |
Source: FAA Aerospace Forecast Fiscal Years 2022-2042: Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The fleet estimates concern recreational small unmanned aircraft and overlap with, but are not identical to, traditional fixed-wing, control-line or radio-control aeromodelling.
In the FAA’s 2023 survey, recreational-only Part 107 operators reported an average of 1.9 aircraft owned and 1.6 aircraft operated during 2023. Those averages apply only to the surveyed subgroup and should not be generalized to all aeromodellers.
FAI Competition and International Activity
FAI event statistics provide a structured view of sanctioned aeromodelling activity worldwide. They count events by FAI category, not unique pilots, club members, aircraft or all local flying.
| Year | Total events | World | Continental | Category 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 326 | 9 | 5 | 312 |
| 2016 | 266 | 7 | 6 | 253 |
| 2017 | 285 | 8 | 5 | 272 |
Source: FAI Annual Report 2017. Category 2 is an FAI event classification, not a participation tier.
The 2017 total included 272 Category 2 events, alongside 8 World and 5 Continental events. In 2016, the corresponding counts were 253 Category 2, 7 World and 6 Continental events, while 2015 recorded 312 Category 2, 9 World and 5 Continental events.
These figures show the composition of the FAI calendar rather than the size of the participant base. A rise or fall in event counts therefore cannot be treated as a direct rise or fall in the number of aeromodellers.
Historical Aeromodelling Event Trends
The FAI’s historical series covers 2009 through 2013 and separates total events, Category 2 events and World events. The series is useful for tracking sanctioned activity over time, but its scope remains limited to FAI event categories.
| Year | Total FAI aeromodelling events | Category 2 events | World events |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 252 | 239 | 6 |
| 2010 | 272 | 259 | 7 |
| 2011 | 290 | 278 | 7 |
| 2012 | 318 | 303 | 8 |
| 2013 | 315 | 297 | 10 |
Source: FAI Annual Report 2013. These are observed event counts, not athlete totals.
The historical total reached 318 events in 2012, followed by 315 in 2013. Category 2 activity reached 303 events in 2012 and 297 in 2013, while World events rose from 6 in 2009 to 10 in 2013.
The sequence should be interpreted as a record of organized FAI activity. It does not measure informal flying, club sessions, unregistered pilots, aircraft ownership or the full recreational market.
FAA Survey Patterns in Recreational Flying
The FAA’s 2023 survey classified respondents by the flights they reported. 36.1% were classified as recreational-only because they reported zero nonrecreational and at least one recreational flight in 2023, while 52.5% were classified as core Part 107 operators because they reported at least one nonrecreational flight.
The report’s two named classifications leave 11.4 percentage points outside those categories; rounding and additional response categories may apply. These are respondent-based classifications, not national shares of all aeromodellers.
Among recreational-only Part 107 respondents, 97.7% also self-identified as recreational operators, 95.9% self-identified as recreational drone operators, and 10.0% self-identified as model aircraft operators. The last figure is not the share of all aeromodellers who hold Part 107 credentials.
The subgroup reported an average of 18.1 recreational flights in 2023, with a median of 6. It also reported an average of 1.5 quadcopters operated, 0.19 fixed-wing aircraft operated and less than 0.02 other airframe types operated per operator.
| 2023 recreational-only Part 107 measure | Survey result |
|---|---|
| Average aircraft owned | 1.9 |
| Average aircraft operated | 1.6 |
| Average recreational flights | 18.1 |
| Median recreational flights | 6 |
| Average quadcopters operated | 1.5 |
| Average fixed-wing aircraft operated | 0.19 |
| Average other airframes operated | Less than 0.02 |
Source: Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Survey Report 2023. All figures in this section are subgroup-specific survey results.
The same report’s Figure 1 shows model-not-drone recreational respondents operating approximately 9 fixed-wing aircraft per respondent, about 0.4 quadcopters and about 0.8 rotary-wing aircraft per respondent. These are approximate chart readings for that defined subgroup, not national averages.
Registration, Fleet and Regulatory Measures
FAA registration statistics provide regulatory context for recreational model flying in the United States. The registration scope described in the FAA forecast covered recreational drones over 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and under 55 pounds (25 kilograms).
The online recreational/model-aircraft registration system began on December 21, 2015. The FAA described a $5 recreational registration fee after the first 30 days of the online system; this is a historical fee description, not a current-price claim.
The regulatory threshold does not define the entire aeromodelling population. Models outside the stated weight range and activity that is not captured by the registration system are outside that particular measure.
The FAA’s 2023 survey also found that 5.0% of the recreational-only Part 107 subgroup, equal to 16 respondents, reported seeking a waiver in 2023. The report therefore indicates that 95.0% did not report seeking one, subject to rounding and the small subgroup response count.
Source: FAA Aerospace Forecast Fiscal Years 2023-2043 and Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Survey Report 2023.
Taken together, the sources describe several adjacent but nonidentical dimensions of aeromodelling: registered and estimated US recreational small-UAS fleets, survey-reported flying patterns, and FAI-sanctioned international events. They should be kept separate when comparing participation, ownership, regulation and competition.