The Darius & Girėnas Trophy

From time to time, information on the beautiful trophies that CIVA presents at our various FAI Aerobatic Championships will be featured on the website. This will bring attention to these magnificent awards and their importance in the world of aerobatics. We present today the Darius & Girėnas Trophy. The Darius & Girėnas Trophy is presented to the winning Men’s Team at the European Aerobatic Championships each two years. The trophy was donated by Lithuania in 2003. The trophy has been won by the Russian Team every year since its inception (2004, 2006, and 2008). The award is named after two famous Lithuanian flyers, Stephen Darius and Stanley Girėnas. In July 1933, these pilots attempted a non-stop flight between New York City and Kaunas, Lithuania flying their Bellanca CH-300 “Pacemaker” which they had named “Lituanica”. Tragically, the flight ended in a crash near Rosenthal, Germany in Pomerania (now Rozansko) just 404 miles short of their goal. They had flown 3,984 miles in 37 hours, 11 minutes. These brave pilots remain among Lithuania’s greatest aviation heroes to this day.