2016 FAI Annual Report

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FAI ANNUAL REPORT–2016 FAI ANNUAL REPORT–2016 16 17
Achievements
International
Records
Walter Extra (GER)
−− WORLD RECORD
−− POWERED AEROPLANES
ELECTRIC
− − Time to climb to a height of 3,000 m
Launching from Schwarze Heide Airport near Dinslaken,
Germany, on 25 November 2016, Walter Extra flew a unique,
battery-powered plane and climbed to 3000 m in a time of
4 min 22 sec .
Henrik Raimer (SWE)
−− WORLD RECORD
−− PARACHUTING
SPEED SKYDIVING
Henrik Raimer broke through the 600 km/h mark in Speed
Skydiving at the 2016 FAI World Parachuting Championships –
Mondial inChicago, USA, on13September. He hit an impressive
601.26 km/h in free-fall.
Bertrand Piccard (SUI)
−− WORLD RECORD
−− POWERED AEROPLANES
ELECTRIC
− − Distance
On 23 June 2016, Bertrand Piccard set a new Distance world
record for electric airplanes when he flew 5’851.30 km in
the electric solar-powered plane, Solar Impulse 2, between
New York and Seville. It was the first Transatlantic flight ever
achieved by an electric airplane and was one of several world
records the Solar Impulse project achieved.
Setting off from Abu Dhabi in March 2015 Bertrand Piccard
and André Borschberg completed the first solar round the
world flight in 17 legs, landing back in Abu Dhabi in July 2016.
Drawing up rules, controlling and ratifying aeronautical
and astronautic records represent important aspects
of FAI activities.
Since the first record-setting flights were recorded in
1906,more than 18,000world records have been ratified
by FAI to date.
The list of record-holders includes famous names such
as Charles Lindbergh,Yuri Gagarin,ValentinaTereshkova,
Jacqueline Cochran,Steve Fossett andBertrand Piccard.
The full list of 2016 records canbe foundon .
Fedor Konyukhov (RUS)
−− WORLD RECORD
−− BALLOONING
BALLOONING
− − Shortest time around the world
Veteran adventurer Fedor Konyukhov landed in Australia on
23 July 2016 after a 268 h 20 min flight in a Roziere balloon,
breaking the 2002 record of aviation legend Steve Fossett
(320 h 33 min). Konyukhov and Fossett are now the only two
pilots to have completed a solo circumnavigation of the globe
in a balloon.