Articles

Five years ago on this day: A Microlight and Paramotor World Record st....

Five years ago on this day: A Microlight and Paramotor World Record st....

Today, five years ago on 17 February 2012, Indian pilot Parmjit Singh, used a special harness, the Aeros Discus 14 with a Radne Motor AB Raket 120, to fly a record distance in a straight line without....

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Two years ago: Father and son set African Record

Two years ago: Father and son set African Record

Two years ago on this day, Tijl Schmelzer and his father Bert were the very first to pass the 200 km/h barrier using thermals rather than mountain waves.

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Russian balloonist Fedor Konyukhov awarded FAI - Breitling Pilot of t....

Russian balloonist Fedor Konyukhov awarded FAI - Breitling Pilot of t....

A Russian priest who circumnavigated the world in a balloon in record time has been presented the inaugural FAI - Breitling Pilot of the Year Award at a ceremony in Switzerland yesterday, Thursday 17 ....

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PILOT PROFILE: 60 seconds with hang gliding champion Christian Ciech

PILOT PROFILE: 60 seconds with hang gliding champion Christian Ciech

Christian Ciech is one of the most successful pilots in competition hang gliding, and was FAI European and World Champion at the same time in 2016. We spoke to him…

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NASA’s top man Charles Bolden is still aiming for the stars

NASA’s top man Charles Bolden is still aiming for the stars

Charles Bolden, who has been awarded the prestigious FAI Gold Space Medal for 2016, knows about space. Not only has he been in orbit four times, but for the last seven years he has been at the head of....

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Look Up, the Drones are coming!

Look Up, the Drones are coming!

Drones are here now and they are multiplying fast! The first FAI International Drones Conference was a big success as it heard about the brave new world of Drones and robots in the sky.

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Drones at the cutting edge

Drones at the cutting edge

The sun came out for the third and final day of the FAI International Drones Conference and Expo in Lausanne, Switzerland.

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The Game of Drones: Racing and Sports

The Game of Drones: Racing and Sports

People playing with models in the air is not new, but the scale of Drone Sports is like nothing the world has ever seen before, was the take-away message from the final session at the first FAI Intern....

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Drone Control? Rules and regulations for drones

Drone Control? Rules and regulations for drones

  “Be aware, this is a paradigm shift. Airspace is a commodity that is suddenly open to everyone, and this is a major, major shift.”

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Preparing for the Drone Invasion

Preparing for the Drone Invasion

The message from the first day at the first FAI International Drones Conference could not have been clearer: The drones are coming, and they are coming fast. Not only that, they are arriving en masse ....

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Latest FAI World Record Claims

29 January 2026 Gliding : Speed over a triangular course of 100 km : 265,5 km/h Dane Dickinson (NZL)
28 January 2026 Powered Aeroplanes : Speed over a Commercial Airline Route : 961,00 km/h Patrick McGarry (USA)
26 January 2026 Powered Aeroplanes : Speed over a recognised course : 1 148,00 km/h Brian A. Sansiveri (USA)
24 January 2026 Gliding : Straight Distance to a Goal : 1 266,00 km David Jansen (AUS)
24 January 2026 Gliding : Free Distance : 1 354,93 km David Jansen (AUS)
23 January 2026 Powered Aeroplanes : Speed over a recognised course : 944,00 km/h Nicholas A. Rose (USA)
22 January 2026 Hang Gliding and Paragliding : Free out-and-return distance : 363,03 km Jeremy Soper (GBR)
22 January 2026 Hang Gliding and Paragliding : declared out-and-return distance : 359,90 km Jeremy Soper (GBR)
22 January 2026 Hang Gliding and Paragliding : Speed over out-and-return courses of 300 km : 30,98 km/h Jeremy Soper (GBR)
21 January 2026 Gliding : Speed over a triangular course of 1 000 km : 120,4 km/h Tomás Suchánek (CZE)
18 January 2026 Powered Aeroplanes : Speed over a Commercial Airline Route : 770,00 km/h Christopher R. Yakabe (USA)
16 January 2026 Powered Aeroplanes : Speed over a Commercial Airline Route : 848,00 km/h Boyd Kelly (USA)
12 January 2026 Powered Aeroplanes : Speed over a Commercial Airline Route : 861,00 km/h Christopher R. Yakabe (USA)
10 January 2026 Powered Aeroplanes : Speed over a recognised course : 1 001,0 km/h Scott M. Amidon (USA)
10 January 2026 Powered Aeroplanes : Speed over a Commercial Airline Route : 874,00 km/h Christopher R. Yakabe (USA)
More records

Current Events

New Zealand 2026 Paragliding Nationals & Open -

Event ID

: 17815    

Bid:

291

Event classification

: Second Category Event

Type of event

: Other

Disciplines / Task Styles

:

Cross Country

Place

: Nelson (New Zealand)

Date(s)

: 31 Jan to 06 Feb 2026

Website

:https://civlcomps.org/event/new-zealand-2026-paragliding-nationals-open


FAI Member of the Hosting Country

[flickr user=me tag="17815" ]

FAI Junior World Gliding Championships -

Event ID

: 17796    

Bid:

245

Event classification

: First Category Event

Type of event

: Continental Championship

Disciplines / Task Styles

:

Club Class
Standard Class

Place

: Lake Keepit (Australia)

Date(s)

: 06 Jan to 20 Jan 2029


Event Organiser


FAI Member of the Hosting Country

[flickr user=me tag="17796" ]

10th Thailand Paragliding Accuracy ASEAN Friendships Open (FAI CAT II) - AFA Nation League 2026 (Test Event 14th FAI World Paragliding Accuracy Championship) -

Event ID

: 18069    

Bid:

784

Event classification

: Second Category Event

Type of event

: Other

Disciplines / Task Styles

:

Paragliding Accuracy

Place

: Pha Tak Suea, Nongkhai (Thailand)

Date(s)

: 31 Jan to 04 Feb 2026

Website

:https://civlcomps.org/event/Test-Event-of-14th-FAI-World-PGA-Championship


Event Organiser


FAI Member of the Hosting Country

[flickr user=me tag="18069" ]

1ª ETAPA CAMP. GAÚCHO DE PARAPENTE 2026 IGREJINHA -

Event ID

: 18370    

Bid:

806

Event classification

: Second Category Event

Type of event

: Other

Disciplines / Task Styles

:

Cross Country

Place

: Igrejinha (Brazil)

Date(s)

: 31 Jan to 02 Feb 2026

Alternate dates

: 06 Feb to 08 Feb 2026

Website

:https://eventos.cbvl.esp.br/evento/1-etapa-camp-gaucho-de-parapente-2026-fai-2-igrejinha-rs/info


Event Organiser


FAI Member of the Hosting Country

[flickr user=me tag="18370" ]

Upcoming Events

02 February 2026 Copa de Las Américas Roldanillo 2026 - aguapanela (Colombia)
05 February 2026 2026 WAGA State Comps - Beverley (Australia)
07 February 2026 5th FAI Asian Paragliding Accuracy Championships - Pha Tak Suea, Nongkhai (Thailand)
07 February 2026 48th 48th New Zealand Hang Gliding Open Championship - Murchison New Zealand (New Zealand)
07 February 2026 2026 Kiwi World Cup of New Zealand - Lost Hills, California (USA)
10 February 2026 7th British Winter Open - Roldanillo (Colombia)
11 February 2026 2026 North American Cup - Lost Hills, CA, USA (Canada)
12 February 2026 2026 Bob White Memorial Max Men International - Lost Hills, California (USA)
13 February 2026 2026 PIHABF FAI Drone Racing World Cup - Capas, Tarlac Philippines (Philippines)
13 February 2026 PIHABF Paragliding Accuracy Competition 2026 - Capas, Tarlac Philippines (Philippines)
14 February 2026 2025 Paragliding World Cup India, Panchgani 2026 (Season 2025) - Panchgani (India)
14 February 2026 Ice Games - Paragliding Accuracy 2026, Stage 1 - Taldykorgan (Kazakhstan)
14 February 2026 Copa Valadares de Parapente 2026 - Governador Valadares (Brazil)
15 February 2026 Ice Games - Paragliding Accuracy, Stage 2 - Taldykorgan (Kazakhstan)
17 February 2026 Western Cape Regional Championships - Worcester (South Africa)
More events