European soaring through Polish skies

From 20th to 29 July 2012 the 2012 Ostrow Glide, which was also the pre-European Gliding Championships, took place in Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland. The event was organised by the Ostrów Aero Club. 93 pilots took part in the competition in 4 different classes: 19 pilots in Open Class, 20 in Standard Class, 40 in Club A and 14 in Club B. A lot of foreign teams also participated in the competition taking place at the Michałków Airfield (EPOM). For the competitors from France, Finland, Germany, Romania, Czech Republic, Sweden, Russia, Lithuania, this competition was a good training ahead of the 17th European Gliding Championships in Ostrow next year.

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2012 Tochigi Hot Air Balloon International Championship

The Tochigi Hot Air Balloon International Championship (FAI Category 1 event) will take place in the Japanese prefecture of Tochigi from 20 to 25 November 2012.
This event is the only FAI Category 1 event in the world with Observers.

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57th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett: FAI flag handed over to Organiser

During the closing ceremony of the 56th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett in Ebnat-Kappel (Switzerland), FAI President John Grubbström (right) handed over the FAI flag to Didier Sartelet, town mayor of Heillecourt and Vice President of the urban community of Greater Nancy (France), where the next edition of the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett will be held next year from 22 to 31 August 2013.

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St Andre Euro PG Airborne

The weather finally cleared and we were airborne! The first task of the European Paragliding Championships took place on Thursday, 6 Sept. at St Andre les Alpes. Pilots launched into a light updraft and scratched a while until the sky finally decided to deliver its blessing of lift. All pilots made it onto the course, and the race was on. The task was a 103 km race up and down the region’s magnificent peaks and sinuous valleys. The lift was reliable and widespread. In the end it was too widespread, for it ODed and dropped some rain. Due to the sensitivity of the new gliders to moisture, the task was stopped after three and a half hours, but already 73 pilots were in goal. In the end Xevi Bonet Dalmau from Spain flying a Niviuk Icepeak 6 took home the bacon in first place. (Photos Martin Scheel)

Mikhail Mamistov Wins EAC

Mikhail Mamistov of Russia has captured the title of European Aerobatic Champion in Unlimited Power at the European Aerobatic Championships just concluded in Dubnica nad Vahom, Slovakia.  The Championships' classical programmes concluded on Friday, the 7th of September, with the Final Freestyle flown on Saturday, 8 September. 

This is the latest in a string of victories for Mamistov who currently holds the title of World Aerobatic Champion and winner of the Aresti Cup in Foligno, Italy in 2011.  He flew the Sukhoi SU-26M3 to victory. He took second place in the EAC in 2010 and first in 2008. He is also a member of CIVA's Judging Sub-Committee and the FairPlay System Working Group.

Following him in second place was Francois Levot of France flying an Extra 330SC and in third, Olivier Masurel of France in a CAP 232.

In the Team Championships, France took the Gold Medal with Russia and Germany in second and third, respectively. 

Full results can be found at www.civa-results.com.

World Advanced Championships Underway

The 10^th FAI World Advanced Aerobatic Championships opened yesterday, the 26^th of July, in Nyíregyháza, Hungary with an opening briefing by Contest Director Pavol Kavka (see left) and a formal ceremony at the town square in the city.

WAAC has become one of FAI’s most popular Aerobatic Championships and this year, 82 pilots are listed to compete though at the time of this writing, one German pilot appears to have withdrawn. There is also one “hors concours” pilot flying. Nineteen countries have entered pilots in the competition from the following countries:

Hungary, USA, Russian, Great Britain, Germany, Lithuania, France, South Africa, Ukraine, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Portugal, Romania, Austria, Japan, Czech Republic, Belarus, and Belgium.

Though bad weather delayed the flying, Programme Q (the Known compulsory) is now in full swing with results posted at CIVA’s results website, www.civa-results.com. The website is updated throughout the day.

A full board of ten judges is being employed to evaluate the flying with Chief Judge John Gaillard (South Africa) supervising their work. CIVA selects the best judges possible for its competitions using a rigorous selection process which takes into account past performance.

The competition will continue through Saturday, August 4^th, with updates posted here.

World Gliding Championships Return to the United States!

This summer in southwest Texas, from the 28th of July to the 19th of August, the sky will be full of sailplanes, and the airwaves filled with the languages of more than 23 different countries, as 120 pilots from around the world compete at the 32nd FAI World Gliding Championships.

Hosted by the Soaring Society of America and sanctioned by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the Championships will be held at Garner Field, a city owned public airport located three miles east of the central business district of Uvalde, Texas. The facility is named for John Nance Garner, the 32nd Vice president of the United States.

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2012 Provence Glide

2012 Provence Glide, preparation event for the 2013 European Gliding Championships, was held recently, concurrently with France’s 15m National Championship at Vinon-sur-Verdon in south east France. As well as French contenders and foreign pilots hoping to be selected next year, there were a number of well-known names getting in some practice before setting off for next month’s World Gliding Championships, in Uvalde, Texas, USA.

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The new Asia Paragliding Champions!

CIVL congratulates all the winners of the 3^rd FAI Asian Paragliding Championship in Linzhou (China)! More information in the News of event pages!

General:
1  Kamiyama Taro M - JPN (Mantra M4) - Points: 3677 
2  Lim Moonseob M - KOR (Boomerang GTO) - Points: 3110
3  Hiraki Keiko F - JPN (Mantra M4) - Points: 3032

Female:
1  Hiraki Keiko F - JPN - (Mantra M4) - Points: 3032
2  Di Wang F - CHN - (Ozone DELTA) - Points: 1411
3  Igawa Emi F - JPN - (Mantra M4) - Points: 1154

Teams:
1  JAPAN - Points: 7129
2  KOREA - Points: 6699
3  INDIA - Points: 5289

1st flight of FAI On-line Helicopter competition

Sunday 27th May at Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield, Wellesbourne, England

David Monks has flown the FAI On-line Helicopter Competition in one minute and 17 seconds scoring 290 points out of a possible 300 points. Caroline Gough-Cooper was in the cockpit as crewman. The event was scored and witnessed by three international judges - Roy Harford, Julian Darker and Arno Glover.