2015 FAI Annual Report

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FAI ANNUAL REPORT–2015 FAI ANNUAL REPORT–2015 17 18
Achievements
International
Records
Troy Bradley (USA) /
Leonid Tiukhtyaev (RUS)
−− WORLD RECORDS
−− BALLOONING
GAS BALLOONS: 12,000 TO 16,000 M³
− − Distance
− − Duration
Having taken off from Saga, Japan, on 25 January 2015, Troy
Bradley and Leonid Tiukhtyaev landed their Two Eagles balloon
on 31 January off the coast of Baja California in Mexico, thus
completing the crossing of the Pacific Ocean. They broke the
two records of duration (160h34min)anddistance (10711.6km)
in the process.
Tijl Schmelzer /
Bert Schmelzer (BEL)
−− AFRICAN RECORD
−− GLIDING
OPEN CLASS GLIDERS
− − Speed over a triangular course of 100km
Tijl Schmelzer and his father Bert were the very first to pass
the 200km/ h barrier using thermals rather than mountain
waves. Flying a Binder EB28 glider from Kiripotib, Namibia,
they broke the African record for speed over a triangular
course of 100kmby reaching 205.89km/h on 6 January 2015.
Jackie Harper (GBR)
−− WORLD RECORDS
−− PARACHUTING
WINGSUIT FLYING RECORD
− − Greatest Distance
− − Greatest Speed
− − Longest Time
JackieHarper set the first three femalewingsuit world records
on 26, 27 and 28May 2015while competing in the 1st FAI World
Cup of Wingsuit Performance Flying in Netheravon, United
Kingdom: longest time (78.4 sec), greatest distance (4.059 km)
and greatest speed (271.5km/ h). 2015 was the first year in
which Wingsuit records were ratified by FAI.
André Borschberg (SUI)
−− WORLD RECORDS
−− EXPERIMENTAL / NEW TECHNOLOGIES
SOLAR-POWERED AEROPLANE
− − Free distance along a course
− − Duration
On 28 June 2015, André Borschberg took off from Nagoya,
Japan, aboard Solar Impulse. After 117h52min in the air he
finally touched down in Hawaii, USA, having flown a distance
of 7039.9km–all that without using a drop of fuel. This flight
was part of Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg’s journey
started in Abu Dhabi inMarch 2015, which resulted in several
world records. Taking turns to pilot the single-seat solar
aircraft, they travelled about 20,000 km and crossed half of
the Pacific Ocean before reaching Hawaii in July.
Drawing up rules, controlling and ratifying aeronautical
and astronautical records represent important aspects
of FAI activities. Since the first record-setting flights
were recorded in 1906, more than 16,000 world records
have been ratified by FAI to date. The list of record-
holders includes prestigious personalities such as
Charles Lindbergh, Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova,
Jacqueline Cochran,Steve Fossett andBertrand Piccard.
The full list of 2015 records canbe foundo